Alderton's WW1 War Dead
Below are the biographical and military details of the sixteen men listed on the Alderton War memorial. I have also included two men whose names do not appear on the Alderton village memorial. Only one of the two Grimmett brothers appears on the memorial, so details of both are included below, and Jesse James, who was born in Alderton but lived in Stanton, where he is commemorated.
Private Frank Ambrose Fisher
Name/Rank: Private Frank Ambrose Fisher
Regiment/Battalion: 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment
Service No: 307465
Date died: 27th August 1917
Buried/Commemorated: Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
Commemorated: Alderton war memorial
Frank Ambrose Fisher was born in Winchcombe in 1886. He was the youngest of thirteen children born to Charles and Amelia Fisher between 1862 and 1886. At the time of the 1891 census Frank was living in Gloucester Street, Winchcombe with his parents and siblings George, Ernest, Francis, Bessie and Percy. By 1901 Frank had moved to Cheltenham and was living as a boarder at 38 Duke Street and was working as a porter. In 1907 Frank married Louisa Lucy Lloyd and by 1911 they were living at 10 Station Street, Cheltenham with her father, Albert Edward Lloyd; they’d had two children, neither of whom survived. Louisa was 37 at the time of the 1911 census, so 12 years older than Frank whose occupation was listed as furniture shop assistant.
Frank enlisted in 1916 in Cheltenham and was subsequently posted to the 1st battalion the Royal Warwickshire regiment, transferring to the 1/8th battalion on arrival in France in November 1916. Medical records show Frank was diagnosed with I.C.T on his heel in December 1916. I.C.T is an abbreviation for Inflamed Connective Tissue very commonly caused by marching, or more marching than normal and in poor weather conditions. After being treated in France Frank returned to the UK for treatment/hospitalisation in January 1917. Frank returned to France in June 1917 and was posted to 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment, who were part of 143 brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division.
The Third Battle of Ypres had started at the end of July 1917 and the 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshires moved into position in the St. Julien area in the Ypres region on the 27th August and attacked the German positions at Winnipeg Farm. The advance was impossible due to the state of the ground and the heavy machine gun fire from concrete pill boxes. During the attack Frank Fisher was killed, though originally listed as wounded and missing, alongside fifty-one men from his battalion. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial near Ypres. Notices appeared in both the Gloucestershire Echo and Gloucester Journal in early October 1917 listing Frank as missing, and later that month the Gloucester Journal listed him as wounded and missing.
Following Frank’s death, his wife Louisa received a pension of 13s 9d from 29th April 1918. In addition, the Army record of soldiers’ effects lists two amounts of £1 19s 11d and £4 that were paid to Louisa in September 1918 and to his sister-in-law Fanny Hurcombe in April 1919 respectively. The first payment would likely have been the remains of Frank’s army pay and the second a war gratuity paid out to soldiers and their dependants. Records held under the National Probate Calendar show an amount of £238 16s 2d in respect of Frank Ambrose Fisher of 10 Station Street, Cheltenham was granted to the Secretary of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building society in January 1918.
In December 1920 Fanny Hurcombe wrote to the Infantry Record Office advising them that Frank’s widow Louisa Fisher had died on the 1st of October 1918. Louisa Fisher was living at The Laurels, Cainscross, Stroud with her sister at the time of her death.
Frank's father Charles Fisher had remarried ~1894 following the death of his first wife Amelia in 1893 and had moved to live in Great Washbourne by the time of the 1911 census. Records suggest he had three further children with his new wife Jane - Margaret, Dorothy/Dolly and Raymond.
Frank was entitled to the two standard WW1 service medals, the Victory medal and the British War medal.
Frank is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and the Tyne Cot memorial in Belgium.
Regiment/Battalion: 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment
Service No: 307465
Date died: 27th August 1917
Buried/Commemorated: Tyne Cot Memorial, Belgium
Commemorated: Alderton war memorial
Frank Ambrose Fisher was born in Winchcombe in 1886. He was the youngest of thirteen children born to Charles and Amelia Fisher between 1862 and 1886. At the time of the 1891 census Frank was living in Gloucester Street, Winchcombe with his parents and siblings George, Ernest, Francis, Bessie and Percy. By 1901 Frank had moved to Cheltenham and was living as a boarder at 38 Duke Street and was working as a porter. In 1907 Frank married Louisa Lucy Lloyd and by 1911 they were living at 10 Station Street, Cheltenham with her father, Albert Edward Lloyd; they’d had two children, neither of whom survived. Louisa was 37 at the time of the 1911 census, so 12 years older than Frank whose occupation was listed as furniture shop assistant.
Frank enlisted in 1916 in Cheltenham and was subsequently posted to the 1st battalion the Royal Warwickshire regiment, transferring to the 1/8th battalion on arrival in France in November 1916. Medical records show Frank was diagnosed with I.C.T on his heel in December 1916. I.C.T is an abbreviation for Inflamed Connective Tissue very commonly caused by marching, or more marching than normal and in poor weather conditions. After being treated in France Frank returned to the UK for treatment/hospitalisation in January 1917. Frank returned to France in June 1917 and was posted to 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshire regiment, who were part of 143 brigade, 48th (South Midland) Division.
The Third Battle of Ypres had started at the end of July 1917 and the 1/6th battalion Royal Warwickshires moved into position in the St. Julien area in the Ypres region on the 27th August and attacked the German positions at Winnipeg Farm. The advance was impossible due to the state of the ground and the heavy machine gun fire from concrete pill boxes. During the attack Frank Fisher was killed, though originally listed as wounded and missing, alongside fifty-one men from his battalion. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial near Ypres. Notices appeared in both the Gloucestershire Echo and Gloucester Journal in early October 1917 listing Frank as missing, and later that month the Gloucester Journal listed him as wounded and missing.
Following Frank’s death, his wife Louisa received a pension of 13s 9d from 29th April 1918. In addition, the Army record of soldiers’ effects lists two amounts of £1 19s 11d and £4 that were paid to Louisa in September 1918 and to his sister-in-law Fanny Hurcombe in April 1919 respectively. The first payment would likely have been the remains of Frank’s army pay and the second a war gratuity paid out to soldiers and their dependants. Records held under the National Probate Calendar show an amount of £238 16s 2d in respect of Frank Ambrose Fisher of 10 Station Street, Cheltenham was granted to the Secretary of the Cheltenham & Gloucester Building society in January 1918.
In December 1920 Fanny Hurcombe wrote to the Infantry Record Office advising them that Frank’s widow Louisa Fisher had died on the 1st of October 1918. Louisa Fisher was living at The Laurels, Cainscross, Stroud with her sister at the time of her death.
Frank's father Charles Fisher had remarried ~1894 following the death of his first wife Amelia in 1893 and had moved to live in Great Washbourne by the time of the 1911 census. Records suggest he had three further children with his new wife Jane - Margaret, Dorothy/Dolly and Raymond.
Frank was entitled to the two standard WW1 service medals, the Victory medal and the British War medal.
Frank is commemorated on the Alderton war memorial and the Tyne Cot memorial in Belgium.
