Frederick Charles Barwood

A Private with the 7th Battalion, Frederick died on 19th of September 1917 at the age of 33. 

Frederick was born at Aldeby, Norfolk, in 1884, a son of (Susannah) Elizabeth Barwood. He was baptised at Saint Peter’s Church, Carlton Colville, on 15 December 1889. A marginal note in the baptism register has ‘Died for England 1917.’ In 1885 Frederick’s mother married Robert Manning and in 1891 the family lived ‘near the Railway Station’, Carlton Colville. By 1901 they were living at Khartoum Cottages, Carlton Colville, and Frederick was a general labourer. 

On 6 October 1909 Frederick married Ethel Beatrice Gayfer at Saint Peter’s Church, Carlton Colville. Frederick was a gardener and they both lived at Carlton Colville. In 1911 they lived at 10 Marsh Road, Oulton Broad, and Frederick was a domestic gardener. Later Ethel lived at Halida, Oulton Road, Lowestoft. 

Frederick enlisted in the Army at Lowestoft. He joined the Norfolk Regiment, service number 40627, and served in France with the 7th Battalion. 

On 17 September 1917 the 7th Battalion took over front line positions in the right sub-sector, near Wancourt. The battalion war diary for 19 September has:

Enemy trench mortars were fairly active during the day. At 5.15 p.m. a sudden barrage of ‘fishtails’ (sic) was put down on our saps. After a few minutes heavy and light trench mortars and artillery were added making a heavy bombardment on our front and support lines. Our retaliations proved fairly ineffective. At 8.15 p.m. the enemy put down a heavy barrage on our trench system and their machine-guns were also active. Our machine-guns and artillery fired on S.O.S. lines. There were no signs of an enemy attack except that three men were seen creeping toward our extreme left. These were believed to be hit by our fire. The bombardment ceased at 9.30 p.m. and from then onwards the night was quiet. Some damage was done to our trenches and a number of casualties caused.    

Eight men of the battalion, including Frederick, were killed in action on 19 September.