AMOS BRISCOE FREEMAN

AMOS BRISCOE FREEMAN

Private 45770

19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers

Died from wounds - 10th April 1918

Amos was born in the early months of 1891 at Brimington near Chesterfield.  His parents were Amos and Annie (nee Jenkins), he was their first child and was named after his father.  Amos snr and Annie had married on 20th April 1890 at St Michael's Church in Brimington they lived a stones throw away on Church Street.  

The young family moved to live on South Street in New Whittington not long after and settled into family life.  Amos snr worked as a colliery clerk, it is possible that they may have moved to be close to his work.  Sadly on 4th January 1895 Amos snr passed away, he was 25 years of age.  Annie became a young widow, left alone to raise Amos who was around 4 years old.  It is not known why Amos snr died (the death certificate would be needed) however he did leave a will so the future of Annie and young Amos was planned for.  He bequeathed £113 10s 2d to Annie, John Limb a rent collector and Levi Jenkins an engine tester.  This amount would equate to around £9,000 of today's money.  In the 1890's this amount would be around 343 days worth of wages for a skilled tradesman (1).

A new chapter....

Annie married Thomas Huddless the year later in early 1896, he worked as a stationary engine driver at the iron works and was around 33 years of age.  A son was born on 5th January 1898 whom they named Albert Ernest.  Amos would be 7 years old by now and probably very pleased to have a younger brother.  The Huddless family lived at 54 South Street and on 17th June 1903 a little girl named Doris Maria became the new edition to the family.  

1911 the eve of war....

Amos was aged 20 years old and worked as a cast iron pipe fitter at the iron works.  He still lived at home on South Street with his mother Annie and step-father Thomas.  His siblings 13 year old Albert and 8 year old Doris both attended school.  He also had a new baby sister named Evelyn Mary she was just 2 months of age.  

Sadly the family suffered a terrible loss only weeks after the 1911 census had been taken when baby Evelyn passed away.  She was only 3 months old and was buried on 2nd May.  

Happy times....

Amos married his sweetheart Barbara Taylor Briggs at St Bartholomew's Church in Old Whittington on 17th April 1911.  The newly weds had their first son on 25th August that same year.  He was named following the family tradition as Amos Briscoe Freeman.  A second son named James Walter was born on 9th August 1916.  The Freeman family was complete.  They had moved into their own home during this time and lived close to Amos' family at number 69 South Street.

Amos' war....

Amos enlisted for the 18th Sherwood Forester Regiment in Chesterfield on 11th November 1915.  He was 24 years and 10 months old and worked as a pipe fitter at the time.  His application was approved on 16th November and he was posted to the battalion at Derby that same day.  Amos was now known as Private 32292.

Amos Briscoe Freeman service records
www.ancestry.co.uk

Amos was just 5 ft tall, in the beginning of WW1 the minimum height requirement was 5 ft 3 inches.  Whether Amos had already tired to enlist and been turned away due to his height is not known.  It soon became apparent to the British Military that they were limiting themselves and excluding some very good soldiers with this height limit and so Bantam Battalion's were established.  The men would need to be between 5 ft and 5 ft 3 inches tall with their expanded chest being 34 inches, Amos fulfilled this criteria.

The 18th Battalion Sherwood Foresters were a bantam battalion, raised in Derby on 27th July 1915 they remained there until October when the battalion was moved to Aldershot and joined the 121st Brigade 40th Division.  Amos would receive his basic training to equip him for warfare and carry out physical fitness activities to gain peak performance ready for embarkation to overseas action.  

Amos must have shown promise and leadership as on 31st January 1916 he was promoted to Lance Corporal.  This was a non-commissioned role which would give Amos first line authority over a section within his battalion.  On 28th March 1916 Amos was transferred to another bantam battalion, the 19th Royal Welch Fusiliers his regimental number was changed to 45770.

This battalion were also part of the 40th Division but with the 119th Brigade.  Amos remained in Aldershot a little longer but found himself in a spot of trouble at the end of May when he outstayed his pass and did not return to barracks until 23 hours later at 8.30 am on 25th.  He had been given his pass to attend the local military tattoo.  Amos lost his Lance Corporal stripe and was demoted to the rank of Private he was also charged two days pay for this offence.  The next day HRH King George was present at Aldershot to inspect some of the troops, whether Amos was amongst these men is not known.

Off to active service....

Maybe Amos knew he was about to leave the safety of England and that was why he overstayed his pass a few days earlier as on 1st June 1916 he was to embark from Southampton when his battalion set sail to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F) in France.  They arrived in Le Harve the next day and moved to number 5 rest camp for the night.  Over the coming days the men took trains and marched to join the B.E.F in the trenches at Calonne on 10th July 1916. 

Amos' service records state that he was attached to D Company (whether he remained with them is not known).  Once in trenches C and D Coy were attached to the 1st Gloucestershire Regiment to receive instruction on trench warfare.  This was Amos' first glimpse of what the would become an arduous two years of battle for him.  The war diary states "The tour of duty lasted four days, during which time the enemy's artillery was fairly active though there was but little rifle or machine gun fire.  The total casualties were four men killed by shells and one man wounded by rifle or machine gun fire.  During the whole four days the weather was cold and wet".

Two bouts of illness....

On 28th August 1916 Amos was admitted to hospital suffering with conjunctivitis.  This condition was very common during WW1 with the use of chemical warfare the poisonous gas was highly irritant to the eyes of the soldiers.  He was returned fit for duty on 6th September, back to life in and out of the trenches.

Amos became sick with a fever in December, he was once more admitted to hospital with "P.U.O" which was Pyrexia of Unknown Origin.  Many men became ill with high temperatures, sickness, hallucinations and many other symptom's to which the actual cause was unknown.  Life in the trenches came with dirty unsanitary conditions, the lice which rampaged through the men would spread disease quickly and was near impossible to prevent.   Amos' illness was short lived and he returned to the battalion a few days later.

1917....

January 1917 dawned and the battalion relieved the 17th Welsh Regiment near Rancourt and remained there until they were relieved on 5th January.  During the month of March the enemy began their infamous retreat behind their massive defence line known as the Hindenburg Line.  This retreat was like no other, as the enemy fell back they left a landscape of carnage one which would cause the allies a great deal of effort to cross.  The towns and villages, roads and countryside were raised to the ground.  The 19th battalion's war dairy recounts this as the men were put to and "repaired roads and reconstructed billets in broken down houses"

At dawn on the morning of 21st April the battalion took part in an attack to take the areas of Gonnelieu and the Fifteen Ravine (a ravine so named as it was lined by fifteen trees).  At 4.20am "zero hour the barrage opened and our troops advanced.  At 5.15 am all our objectives had been taken".   Over the next 48 hours the men continued to fight off the enemy retaliation, so much so that several Private ranks were mentioned in the war diary "no 33307 Pte E Pomford did excellent work sniping off hostile machine gun fire......Pte George Atkinson 28784 stretcher bearer with great courage under heavy shell fire attended to wounded going backwards and forwards from front line".

The war diary tells of one of the battalion's gunners who went missing during a patrol at the beginning of July.  This man "after concealing his gun and laying out in no mans land for three days and nights he returned to our lines on the afternoon of the fourth day and with the exception of two or three slight wounds, he was little the worse for his experience".  Amos would have missed this event as he had been granted leave on that same day the gunner went missing Amos was taking his first days leave to the UK, back home to "Blighty" after thirteen months overseas.  This would be the first time Amos had met his young baby son James Walter who had been born the year earlier.

Leave was soon over....

Amos' home leave ended on 16th July and he would return to join the battalion some time over the coming days.  They were still based in the Gonnelieu and Cambria Road area and were alternating between tours of the trenches, working parties and reserve battalion.  

The battalion were part of a planned raid on the enemy trenches at Villers Plouich on the morning of 14th August.  At 1 am the raid commenced with five minutes of barrage towards "Barrier Trench" after which the men pushed forward to find the trench was heavily manned by the enemy.  They managed to secure the trench "inflicting heavy casualties upon the enemy garrison, destroying his shelters and dugouts and bringing back with them two unwounded prisoners of the 6th Bavarian Res. Infy Regt".  This bravery in action resulted in one Military Cross and five Military Medals being awarded for the men of the battalion.  Total casualties whilst in the line were - 

"1 Officer & 17 Other Ranks wounded

2 Other Ranks killed"

Light relief....

Life wasn't all bad for Amos and his comrades, in the month of October there was a sporting competition held.  Football games and sports activities took place with the following results (which if Amos was still in D Coy then he would be pleased with) - 

"D Coy 21 1/2 points (winners)

C Coy  21 points

B Coy 15 1/2 points 

A Coy 8 1/2 points"

Back to reality and on 23rd November they were present at the Battle of Bourlon Wood working alongside tanks the battalion began their attack at 10.30 am and an hour later had taken their objective.  The battle was fierce with heavy enemy fire, during the night they tried several times to retake the area but were unsuccessful.  The next morning the enemy made another attack from the direction of Bourlon Village, this managed to force the battalion back along the line in all but the north east edge of the wood.  The bombardment continued all day with the battalion putting up a strong fight but eventually at around 4.30 pm the men were forced back.  Not to be beaten the allies launched a counter attack and by the evening of 25th had recaptured their objective.  The war diary records the enemy's losses "were enormous" the allies took 280 prisoners during this battle.  The battalion were relieved the next night and retired to dug outs on the Hindenburg Line.  The battalion received a message of thanks and congratulations from the Officer in Command of the 119th Brigade -

"The valour and endurance displayed was beyond all praise"

On 23rd December Amos left his battalion and went back home to see his family.  This was the second time that year that he had been granted leave, no better time than to spend the Yuletide and see in 1918 than with his wife Barbara and two young sons Amos and James.

1918....

Regrettably Amos' leave soon came to an end and he returned to France on 5th January.  The battalion were based around the Bullecourt area when on 15th January the men were dealt with another difficult problem to solve when the frozen ground suddenly thawed so rapidly that all of their trenches fell in and were impassable.

The 19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers were disbanded on 6th February 1918.  The war diary records that "8 Officers and 150 OR from D Coy proceeded to join the 2nd Bat RWF".  The remainder of the men marched to Bailleulval and later joined the 8th Entrenching Battalion.

On 9th April 1918 Amos received gunshot wounds to his left leg, hand and back injuries which necessitated in his hand being amputated.  He was taken the the 33rd Casualty Clearing Station where he died the next day.

Whether Amos was transferred to the 2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers or the 8th Entrenching Battalion is not known at this time.  The 2nd battalion war diary does not mention any casualties around the date of Amos' death.  Unfortunately Amos' story can not be completed at this time, but I will continue to research him to hopefully one day draw to a conclusion his life story.

Amos was buried at the Haverskerque British Military Cemetery in France, grave ref; A9.  His grave shows the sign of the cross, no additional inscription was chosen by his family.

Private Amos Briscoe Freeman 45770 was awarded the Victory and British Medals for his service.  Amos never regained his Lance Corporal stripes.

Life went on....

Barbara Freeman was widowed with two young son's to bring up after the death of Amos in 1918.  The terrible news arrived on 18th April when she received a telegraph informing her of the death of her husband.  Barbara was living at Ringwood Cottage, Private Road, Brimington at the time, she later moved to 52 Manor Road in Brimington.

Barbara was awarded a pension of 25 shillings 10 pence per week for her two sons upkeep.  The pension didn't however start until 21st October 1918, six months after Amos' death.  

Barbara found happiness again and married John Frederic Cropper in the summer of 1925.  John was a builder by trade and was well known in the area.  The family returned to New Whittington and set up home at 66 Wellington Street.  Sadly John became ill and after a long illness he died at Chesterfield Infirmary on 21st April 1939.  John was aged just 52 years old.  A service was held at St Patrick's Church on Wellington Street and then the interment took place at Brimington Cemetery.  

Later that year the 1939 Register was compiled and showed Barbara had son Amos and 19 year old John D Mann living with her.  Both Amos and John worked as hairdressers, John was the business owner. 

In 1942 Barbara married a man named John D Mann, whether this was the young man who lived with the family in 1939 is not known (marriage certificate would confirm).  She died in 1966 aged 73 years old.  John died in 1989.

Amos Briscoe Freeman married Beatrice Mosley in 1940. The couple had their own children but the naming pattern of "Amos Briscoe" appears to have been dropped.  Amos lost his wife Beatrice in 1971, he died a year later aged 62 years of age. 

James Walter Freeman married Dorothy Barker in 1948.  He died in 1976 aged 60 years of age.  

Annie Maria Huddless Amos' mother died on 29th September 1914.  She was only 43 years of age.  The family still lived on South Street where she left her husband Thomas.  Thomas was living with his nephew Harold* and family in 1939 at 17 Hardwick Avenue, New Whittington, he died on 12th December 1943.  

*The son of Harold also named Harold is also named on the St Barnabas War Memorial after he lost his life during WW2.  Harold was serving with the RAF and aged 22 years of age.

Albert Huddless married Florrie Mitchell in 1916.  The couple had three sons and one daughter.  Albert died in 1980.

Doris Maria Hudless married Samuel Wilson on 22nd June 1925 at St Bartholomew's Church, Old Whittington.  The couple lived at 91 London Street.  Doris died in 1985.

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If you may be connected to this family or have any further information on Amos Briscoe Freeman or his family please do either leave comments via the pen icon below or drop me an email.

I hope that I have not given details of living persons, if so please advise and I will remove immediately.

Please note all information has been taken from online indexes and sources.  Due to the sheer numbers of people to be researched I am unable to purchase vital event certificates to confirm my research.



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Ref and further reading  -

Census

Parish registers
Service records - www.ancestry.co.uk 

Medal rolls

Soldiers who died in the Great war

Register of soldiers effects

Newspaper articles 

CWGC  http://www.cwgc.org

War diaries - 19th Royal Welch Fusilliers WO 2607/3

(1) http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/currency-converter/#currency-result

18th Battalion Sherwood Foresters http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/sherwood-foresters-nottinghamshire-derbyshire-regiment/

19th Battalion Royal Welch Fusilliers http://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/the-british-infantry-regiments-of-1914-1918/royal-welsh-fusiliers/

https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/units/317/royal-welsh-fusiliers/

Bantam Battalions -
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/The-Bantam-Battalions-of-World-War-One/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31023270

Hindenburg Line http://www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com/history/the-battlefield/the-hindenburg-line.html