Pte 16531 Frederick William Lucy

• Age: 35
• From: London
• Regiment: The King's (Liverpool Regiment) 18th Btn
• K.I.A Monday 29th May 1916
• Commemorated at: Cerisy-gailly Mil Cem
  Panel Ref: II.F.9

Frederick William Lucy was born on the 21st July 1880 in St. George, Hanover Square, London, the son of Thomas Ford Lucy and and his wife Louisa (née Schunter) who were married on New Years Day 1872 at St Peter’s Church, Eaton Square, Pimlico. Thomas was full age, a fishmonger of Gillingham Street,his father, John, was a fishmonger, whilst Louisa was full age of Princes Row,her  father, George, was a lawyers clerk. His father was born in Monmouth, and his mother in Kent. Frederick was the fourth of six children; his siblings were Thomas, Louisa, John, Walter, and Charles. He was Thomas Ford on the 07th April 1849 at St Mary’s Church, Monmouth. 

The 1881 Census shows the family living at 4, Hart Street, St George Hanover Square, London. His father, James,  is aged 32, born 1849 and is a fishmonger, his mother, Louisa, is aged 31, born 1850 in Gravesend, Kent and has no occupation listed. They have four children at the time of the Census, Thomas aged 8, born 1873 in Battersea and is a scholar, Louise aged 4, born 1877, John aged 2, born 1879 and Frederick William were all born in St George’s Middlesex.  

His father tragically died, aged 39, in 1889 when Frederick was 8. He was found drowned in the River Thames by London Bridge. He was buried on the 20th February 1889 at Earls Court Cemetery, Old Brompton.

The 1891 Census finds Frederick as an orphan aged 9, born in St George, Hanover Square in the Stockwell Orphange, Clapham Road, London. Quite why he is in an orphange is anyone's guess as he originally named his mother as his next of kin on his attestation forms.  

His mother, Louisa, remarried to George William Bannister on the 25th March 1894 at St Stephen's Church, Rochester Row. Widower George was a 46 year old grainer of 26 Rochester Row, his father, Thomas, was a builder, whilst Louisa was a charwoman, aged 45, of 190 Vauxhall Bridge Road, her father, George Shunter, was a clerk.

The 1901 Census finds Frederick as a Cellarman at the Langham Hotel, Portland Place, St. Marylebone, Marylebone, London.    

Frederick married Lucy Barrett Baker at St. Mary Magdalene Church, Woolwich, on the 30th November 1902. Frederick was a 22 year old cellarman of 24 Parsons Hill, his father, Thomas, was a deceased fishmonger, whilst Lucy was aged 20, of the same address, her father, Charles Baker, was a deceased soldier. Her baptism gave her date of birth as the 12th May 1882.

Their first child Albert William, died in infancy in 1904, and they had two further children, Dennis in 1905 and Frances Mary in 1909.

The available records indicate the marriage faltered after the birth of Frances and in late 1909 Lucy was in the Woolwich Plumstead Workhouse, her occupation a “Cook General”. Children Dennis and Frances were also taken in.

It is not known when or why Frederick and Lucy came to Liverpool, but he was employed by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway before the war and was a trade union member. 

He enlisted at St George's Hall, in Liverpool on the 02nd September 1914 joining as Private 16531 in the 18th Battalion of The King’s Liverpool Regiment. He gave his age as 34 years and 43 days, and his occupation as a waiter. He was described as being five feet four and seven-eighths inches tall, weighing 114 lbs, with a 35 and a half inch chest, a fresh complexion with brown hair and brown eyes. He gave his next of kin as his mother, now Mrs. Louisa Bannister, of 89 Lupus Street, Pimlico, but this was crossed out and replaced by the name of his wife, Mrs. Lucy Lucy, of 32 Erskine Street (off Moss Street), Liverpool. He stated his religion as Church of England.

From the 23^rd September 1914 he was billeted at Hooton Park Race Course and remained there until 03^rd December 1914 when they moved into the hutted accommodation at Lord Derby’s estate at Knowsley Hall. On 30th April 1915 the 18th Battalion alongside the other three Pals battalions left Liverpool via Prescot Station for further training at Belton Park, Grantham. They remained here until September 1915 when they reached Larkhill Camp on Salisbury Plain.

Frederick shipped to France with his battalion on 07th November 1915, disembarking at Boulogne.

Within a few months, however, the separation allowance paid to the wives of serving soldiers was stopped on 29^th March 1916 in consequence of his wife’s “immoral relations with a soldier named Halston”. This information was to be communicated to the soldier who should no longer be required to make an allotment to his wife. Neither was she eligible for a pension from Army funds, in view of her conduct.  

By this time the battalion had taken up positions in the south of the Somme line near Carnoy. After specialist training in readiness for the ‘Big Push’, on the night of 28^th May, the battalion  dug in a new trench near Maricourt.  

Frederick Lucy was killed by rifle fire in the early hours of the morning of 29^th May1916. He was 35 years old.

The 18th Battalion War Diary for May 1916 records:-

MARICOURT(trenches).

May 29th 3 p.m. Enemy registered on new trench and at night bombarded new trench heavily.

May 29th and 30th -  Relieved by 2nd Yorks in Z2. Battalion proceeded to billets in ETINEHEM.

The Liverpool Daily Post of Tuesday, 20th June 1916 reported his death;

KILLED.

King's (Liverpools) -Lucas, 16531, F. (Liverpool).

He now rests at Cerisy-Gailly Cemetery, Grave II F 9, next to another Pal, George Arthur Lawrence. 

Gailly was the site of the 39th and 13th Casualty Clearing Stations during the early part of 1917, and of the 41st Stationary Hospital from May 1917 to March 1918. The villages were then captured by the Germans, but were retaken by the Australian Corps in August 1918. Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery (originally called the New French Military Cemetery) was begun in February 1917 and used by medical units until March 1918. After the recapture of the village it was used by Australian units. The cemetery was increased after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields of the Somme. 

The cemetery now contains 745 Commonwealth burials and commemorations of the First World War. 114 of the burials are unidentified and special memorials commemorate five casualties buried at Maricourt and Ste. Helene whose graves could not be found. The cemetery was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

His widow Lucy returned to London and remarried to Adrien M. Wiedmer in January 1918. Adrien appears on the passenger list of the S.S. “Paris” departing Le Havre on the 29th November 1923 bound for the USA. He was a 33 year old engineer, a Swiss French national, with a final destination of Chicago. A note on the manifest has his wife (Lucy) residing at 6 Rue des Acacias, Paris. 

It is not known what happened to Frederick’s effects: 1 wallet, 1 notebook, 1 cig case contg cigs, 2 shrapnel bullets, 4 buttons, 6 numerals, 1 cap badge, 1 religious medallion, 6 penny stamps, 2 halfpenny stamps, 1 WO letter, 4 letters. No other family members were listed on the Army Form W.5080.

On 16^th June 1921 Infantry Records wrote to his widow at 32 Erskine Street to attempt to dispose of the Memorial Plaque and Scroll. Infantry records requested the assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of Mrs.Lucy B. Lucy, as correspondence addressed to 32 Erskine Street had been returned marked ‘Gone away”. They were unable to locate her.  

On the 1921 Census at 89 Lupus Road, his mother, Louisa, is aged 72 and George is aged 74 and retired. She died, aged 88, in 1938.

Sadly, Frederick’s medals were returned, as unable to trace next of kin.

He was entitled to three medals. 

His daughter Frances Mary, aged 11, is found institutionalised at West London District School, Ashford. In 1923 a large number of children from the Girls Village Home, Barkingside, Essex departed on the S.S. Minnedosa bound for Quebec, Canada. 

By 1939 his son Dennis is a gas fitter, married to Henrietta L. and is living at 135 Hemmingford Road, Islington. He is strangely recorded as Denis R., date of birth 20th November 1905. He died, aged 77, in 1983 in Chichester.

His brothers Walter and John served in France; Walter with the Royal Fusiliers, and John with Army Service Corps.

Frederick is commemorated on the following Memorials:

Hall of Remembrance, Liverpool Town Hall, Panel 65 Right

Yorkshire and Lancashire Railway Memorial at Manchester Victoria Station.

We currently have no further information on Frederick William Lucy. If you have or know someone who may be able to add to the history of this soldier, please contact us.