Bombardier Frederick William Lovell
| Date of Birth | 10 August 1897 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 19 |
| Date of Death | 25 September 1916 |
| Service Number | L/47080 |
| Military Service | Royal Field Artillery |
| Merton Address | 100 Havelock Road, Wimbledon |
| Local Memorial |
Additional Information
Frederick William Lovell was born in Battersea on 10 August 1897. At the time of the 1911 census, when he was 13, he was living in Cargill Road, Earlsfield with his parents and 3 brothers. His mother was Elizabeth Ann Lovell. His father, William Ernest Lovell, was a compositor. By 1912, at the age of 14, he was working as a member of the traffic staff for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway in Merton.
On the outbreak of war, just one week short of his 17th birthday, Frederick enlisted in the Royal Engineers in Battersea. Being below the enlisting age of 18, he gave his age as 21 and his occupation as stoker.
Details of his military service in the year that followed have not been found, but records show that he died on the Somme on 25th September 1916. He was serving with the Royal Field Artillery 190th Brigade, 41st Division, which was formed in Aldershot from locally raised units in the south of England. They proceeded to France in the first weeks of May 1916, the division concentrating between Hazebrouck and Bailleul. They were in action at the battle of Fleurs-Courcelette from 15-22 September 1916.
By the time he reached the Somme Frederick had been promoted to the rank of bombardier. His job was to tend the vents at the top of a tank’s gun breeches, handle the final assembly of the ammunition and place the ammunition in the muzzles to fire. His rank was the artillery counterpart of a lance corporal.
The battle of Fleurs-Courcelette, which began the third period of the Battle of the Somme, was the first battle to use tanks in combat. Despite being a tactical victory for the allies, it had not achieved a decisive victory by the time it ended. A further battle, the Battle of Morval, began on 25th September. It is not known at which of these battles Bombardier Lovell suffered the wounds that led to his death on 25th September.
Bombardier Lovell is buried at Heilly Station Cemetery, Mericourt-L’Abbe, France. lV.H.38. He is remembered by his parents, who were now living at 100 Havelock Road, Wimbledon, with an inscription on his grave: Dying and Behold We Live. He is also remembered at St Bartholomew’s Church in Horley in Surrey and on the south wall of the United Apolostolic Church (formerly St. Peter’s Church) in Wimbledon.