Name
Frederick John Whitmore
1884
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/05/1917
32
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
M2/103008
Army Service Corps
906th Mechanical Transport Company
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
SAVONA TOWN CEMETERY
E. 19.
Italy
Headstone Inscription
None
UK & Other Memorials
Holy Cross Church Memorial, Sarratt, Not on the Baldock memorials, Cookham War Memorial, Berkshire
Pre War
Frederick John Whitmore was born in 1884 in Norton, nr Baldock, Hertfordshire, the son of George and Annie Whitmore. He had a younger brother Cecil and another sibling died in infancy. On the 1891 Census the family were living in one of the terraced cottages in Willian, Hertfordshire, next to the school house. His father was an agricultural labourer and Frederick was a scholar. They had moved to Little Munden, Herts by 1901, at which time they were living at the grocer's shop. His father was the general shopkeeper and 17 year old Frederick was working as a groom.
In 1911 Frederick's parents had moved to Waterfall Lodge, Charlton, nr Hitchin, Herts, but Frederick was recorded living as a boarder with William and Amelia Branson and their young son at Banbury Road, Brackley, Northamptonshire. He was then working as a groom domestic. His place of birth was then given as Baldock.
Frederick married Florence Lottie Hatch on 19 February 1917 in Cookham, Berkshire and his home address was recorded as Wisteria Cottage, Cookham, Berks. He was a domestic coachman and motor driver at the time of enlistment.
Wartime Service
He enlisted at Grove Park, London on 1 June 1915 and initially served with 8th Company, Army Service Corps. He was sent to France on 19 May 1916, embarking from Southampton on the Duchess of Argyle, and disembarked at Rouen, France on 20 May 1916.
He was admitted to the 1/2nd London Field Ambulance on 21 September 1916, then to the 7th General Hospital at St Omer, with synovitis knee and invalided to England on 2 October 1916. Following recovery he was assigned to 621 Company in England.
Frederick embarked from Southampton on 20 April 1917 and disembarked at Le Havre the following day. He then travelled with the 906th Mechanical Transport Company to Marseilles where he embarked for Alexandria, Egypt on 3 May 1917 on the transport ship HMT Transylvania. They were attacked on 4 May by a torpedo from the German submarine U-63 in the Gulf of Genoa, Italy. Frederick was one of 412 who drowned at sea on 4 May 1917 and one of 82 whose bodies were recovered and buried in Savona Town Cemetery, Italy.
Additional Information
His widow, Florence, received a war gratuity of £9 and pay owing of £7 14s 7d. She also received a pension of £13s 9d a week.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Malcolm Lennox
