Private Frederick Thomas Simmons
| Date of Birth | 1898 |
|---|---|
| Age at Death | 20 |
| Date of Death | 22 March 1918 |
| Service Number | 43717 |
| Military Service | Lincolnshire Regiment |
| Merton Address | |
| Local Memorial |
Additional Information
Private Frederick Thomas Simmons was born in West Kensington in London in 1898. His parents were Martha Jane Simmons and Frederick William Simmons, a builder. The family moved to Thornton Heath and then to Wandsworth before ending up in Woodford, Essex at the time of the 1911 census. By now Frederick had 3 younger brothers and a sister.
It is not clear how old Frederick was when he enlisted. Records show that he attested in Croydon into the Queens Regiment, service number 157696, but at some point moved to the 10th (Service) Battalion of the Lincolnshire Regiment, service number 43717.
The battalion, originally a Pals battalion of Kitchener’s Army, moved to France in January 1916 and first saw action in the Battle of the Somme. On 1 July 1916 it suffered 502 casualties; 15 officers and 487 other ranks. Only two of the officers came back unwounded, and only about 100 men. In 1917 it saw action in the Battle of Arras and the Third Battle of Ypres. On 3rd February 1918 it then transferred to the 103rd Brigade of the 34th Division and continued to engage in various actions in France and Flanders before being reduced to a training cadre in May 1918.
Private Simmons was killed in action in France and Flanders on 22 March 1918 and is commemorated on the Arras Memorial in the Pas de Calais, France. Bay 3 and 4. Stone No 2. The Arras Memorial commemorates almost 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom, South Africa and New Zealand who died in the Arras sector between the spring of 1916 and 7 August 1918, the eve of the Advance to Victory, and have no known grave. The most conspicuous events of this period were the Arras offensive of April-May 1917, and the German attack in the spring of 1918.
Private Simmons is also remembered on the memorial tablet on the south wall of the United Apostolic Church (formerly St Peter’s Church) in Kohat Road, Wimbledon. Records show that his home at the time of his death was in Croydon, Surrey but his mother was living at 62 Kingsley Road, Wimbledon when she received his war pension.