Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Frederick James Hird, one of 11 children of whom only 9 survived was the 2nd of 5 sons and 4 daughters, born in the village of Hudswell, North Yorkshire. His father Simon Hird was born at Grinton, North Yorkshire, where he was baptised August 16th 1863. He met and married in the district of Richmond in 1882, Annie Glenton, who although born 1865 at Willington, County Durham had been brought to Hudswell by her parents. In 1881 her widowed mother Hannah Glenton was publican of the village inn, George and Dragon. Newly married they settled at Hudswell where Simon was an agricultural labourer, their son Arthur was born in 1886, Edith 1888, Agnes 1891, Bertha 1894, Frederick James 1896, Simon Charles 1901, William Glenton 1903, Ronald Brian 1905 and Lilian 1907. Between 1907 and 1911 they left Yorkshire and moved to 4, Seafield Road, Links Road, Blyth, Northumberland. Simon Hird was working as a brick maker’s labourer, their elder children who were still living at home had found employment, Bertha (17) was a stationer’s shop assistant, Frederick James (15) a messenger boy at a draper’s shop, his younger siblings were scholars. By 1914 when the war with Germany began they had moved to Cornsay Colliery, County Durham.
Frederick James enlisted at Durham in January 1915 after the initial rush to enlist had subsided and primarily as the War Office relaxed the rules, reducing the minimum height for recruits by 3 inches to 5 foot. The result was the creation of the Durham Bantam battalion known as the 19th (Service) Battalion Durham Light Infantry. He was assigned to this battalion with the rank of Private, service number 43651. In March 1915 the battalion moved to Cocken Hall, owned by the Lambton family, after the departure for the Western Front of the 18th Battalion D.L.I. Cocken Hall had been transformed into a barracks with a bath house, rifle range, canteen and a recreation room. Trenches had been dug to simulate battle conditions. A month later they were moved to Masham in North Yorkshire and joined the 106 Brigade, 35th Division. After final training at Salisbury Plain the division departed to France, sailing from Southampton January 31st 1916.
The Bantams entered the trenches for the first time February 11th 1916 near Neuve Chapelle and later moved south to the Somme for the commencement of the Battles of the Somme. They did little fighting as they were ordered to dig new trenches near Longueval, they did however sustain casualties due to the constant shell fire. In August 1916 they left the Somme for the Arras sector where they were under constant gas and shell fire, so much so, that their numbers were greatly reduced. The new reinforcements were medically unfit for duty in comparison to the original recruits, to the point that each Bantam was examined and if found unfit sent back to England, this marked the end of the 35th Division.
Involved in day to day trench warfare during this period Private 43561 Frederick James Hird Durham Light Infantry was killed in action in the Aisne sector, July 20th 1917 and interred at Lempire Communal Cemetery, Aisne, France, grave reference 6.
His mother Annie received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal sent to her at South Terrace, Cornsay Colliery, County Durham. She commissioned at a cost of 1 shilling 9 pence an additional inscription to be added to his military headstone, it reads, “Peace.”
Simon Hird died in 1941 aged 78 years, Durham Central, details as regards Annie Hird nee Glenton, unknown.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Frederick James Hird is remembered at Cornsay on C116.01 and at Quebec on Q2.05
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 188
