Fred Stevens

Name

Fred Stevens

Conflict

First World War

Date of Death / Age

16/09/1916

Rank, Service Number & Service Details

Private
28707
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry
6th Bn

Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards

British War and Victory medals

Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country

THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 6 B.
France

Headstone Inscription

Not Researched

UK & Other Memorials

Hitchin Town Memorial,
Tilehouse St Baptist Church War Memorial, Hitchin,
St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (book), Hitchin,
Hertfordshire Regimental Memorial, All Saints Church, Hertford

Pre War

Fred was born in Hitchin, Herts, on 24th June 1890, the son of Charles Ernest Stevens a Carpenter and Fanny Stevens (nee Ipgrave). 


He was Baptised on the 23rd August 1890 at Holy Saviours Church, Hitchin, Herts.


1891 Census records Fred aged 9 months, living with his parents, brothers Francis E. 11, Arthur 10, Harry 8 and Bernard 2, at 105 Nightingale road, Hitchin, Herts.


1901 Census records Fred aged 10, living with his parents and brother Harry 18, at 105 Nightingale Road, Hitchin, Herts.


Fred attended St Mary’s National School, Hitchin, Herts.


1911 Census records Fred aged 20, living with his parents and brother Harry 28, at 32 Bunyan Road, Hitchin, Herts. He was working as a Newsvendor on a Bookstall.


The census indicates his parents had been married for 34 years and they had 6 children 3 of which died in infancy. 


Fred was a resident of Hitchin, but enlisted in Hertford in December 1914. 

Wartime Service

Fred was posted to the Hertfordshire Regiment with the service number 4350 and was on ‘special duties’ until July 1915, but the nature of them has not been discovered.


In July 1916, he was posted to the 6th Battalion, Duke of Cornwall’s Light Infantry with the service number 28707. That Battalion was in the 43rd Brigade of the 4th (Light) Division. 


He was initially reported as missing and it was not until July 1917 that he was declared to have been killed in action at Grandecourt on the 16th September 1916. On the day of his death the Battalion launched an attack on Gird and Gird Support trenches in front of Guedecourt in the Somme sector, moving forward in a single wave. At 9.25am heavy machine-gun fire from the right brou ght the assault to a standstill. A renewed attack at 6.55pm was also a failure. The casualties were heavy.


He has no known grave, but is remembered on Pier/Face 6B of the great Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in France.

Additional Information

Fred’s brother Harry was Killed in Action on the 3rd September 1916, while serving with the 9th Battalion, The Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, he has no known grave and is also commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing in France. 


A more complete version of this biography can be found "here" 

Acknowledgments

Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild