Private F.W. Hobson
| Date of Birth | c. 1885 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 35 |
| Date of Death | 14 January 1920 |
| Service Number | 52551 / 77621 |
| Military Service | Royal West Surrey Regiment |
| Merton Address | 86 Cecil Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial | Wimbledon Cemetery |
Additional Information
Frederick William Hobson was born in Acton, Middlesex in 1885/6. By 1911 he was living in a Putney boarding house and working as a tailor. He married Daisy Evelyn Prior in Putney in 1913. They had a daughter Ivy in 1913 and a son William in 1915. By this time the family was living at 86 Cecil Road, Wimbledon. A second son, Frank, was born on 7th October 1917 while his father was serving on the western front.
Private Hobson signed on in Wimbledon on 26.8.16. He was initially in the army reserve (Queens Royal West Surrey Regiment) but he was transferred to the 130 Labour Corps and served in France from 13.3.17 to 6.7.18. The Labour Corps, formed in 1916, was made up of men not medically fit for frontline service. Many were nevertheless sent to theatres of war and deployed in a range of labouring and support services. The work was demanding and often dangerous and many of them did not survive.
Private Hobson was hospitalised on his return in Birmingham War Hospital and discharged from the service on 17th August 1918 suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis and being ‘no longer physically fit for War Service’. He died 14th January 1920 in Dartford in Kent.