Photo: Geordie at War Project

Photo: Geordie at War Project

There is also a family headstone for Nicholson which reads:

In loving memory of
our dear mother
Mary Ann,
beloved wife of
John Wm. Nicholson,
died May 21st 1917, aged 63 years
Also their two beloved son
Frederick S. Nicholson,
Canadians, died of wounds received
in action
Sept. 21st 1918, aged 40 years.
Richard Forsyth Nicholson,
12th D.L.I., killed in action
Sept. 28th 1916 Aged 26 years
Also the above John William
died June 25th 1933
aged 80 years.
Also Ronald A. Murray
son of A. & A. Murray
and grandson of the above
died 15th Feb. 1923 aged 8 months.
In loving memory of
John dearly beloved son of
Margaret . . . the above Richard F. Nicholson
and . . . . ?loving husband of Gladys
Also . . . . .?grandson of . . . uddart
Killed in ?action in middle east
December 5th 1941 age 27 years.

Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-

Born on 10th August 1878 in Gateshead, Frederick Samuel Nicholson was the second of the ten children born to Bradford born iron foundry worker John William Nicholson and his wife Mary Ann (nee Forsyth) from South Shields. At the time of the 1881 census the family were living in John Williamson Street with three children, Robert, Fred and Ann, and ten years later had moved to 25 Linn Street with another three, Dorothy, Mary and Richard. In 1901 Fred was an apprentice and was one of the eight siblings still living at home at 109 Mansfield Street. By 1911 with his apprenticeship ended Fred was a labourer at the iron foundry, working with his father, and still unmarried was the oldest of the five siblings living with their parents John and Mary, in South Street, Gateshead.

Fred arrived in Canada in May 1913, sailing from Glasgow to Quebec on the SS Scandinavian making for Hamilton, Ontario and work as a bricklayer. Two years later on 27th July 1915 he enlisted with the 76th Battalion Canadian Expeditionary Force in Hamilton, becoming Private 141260 with the 1st Reinforcement Draft. Returning to England at the beginning of October, again sailing on the SS Scandinavian, on arrival in Portsmouth he was posted to camp at Shorncliffe, Hampshire where he was posted to the 39th Battalion.

May 1916 saw him posted to France with the 24th (Victoria Rifles) Battalion as part of the 5th Infantry Brigade, 2nd Canadian Division and he joined them at Voormezele, just outside Ypres in Belgium. Whilst part of a working party digging a communications trench near Albert on 12th September he was buried by a shell blast, and although stunned was able to walk to a nearby dressing station. Admitted to 3rd Australian General Hospital at Boulogne he was invalided to England o board HS Jan Breydel and admitted to East Leeds War Hospital. Transferred to the Canadian Red Cross Hospital at Bushey Park for five weeks he was then transferred to a convalescent hospital at Epsom at the end of October, prior to being discharged to duty on 25th November 1916.

Granted sick furlough until 27th December he failed to report for duty and was reported AWL. Handing himself in on 19th January 1917 he was held in confinement, charged with being AWL and tried by a District Court Martial as Hastings in mid February where he was found guilty and sentenced to 40 days detention. The reason given for his absence was that whilst at home he heard that his brother had been killed on the front and he remained at home with his mother, who was ill with pernicious anaemia. Serving his sentence at the Quebec Regimental Depot in Hastings he was then posted to the 23rd Reserve Battalion at Bramshott and remained there for seven months until he rejoined the 24th Battalion at Mericourt, near Lens, France at the end of November 1917.

Cherisy village near Arras had been in German hands since May 1917 but was retaken by the Canadian Corps on 27th August 1918. It was during the fighting here that Private Nicholson of the 24th Battalion was wounded in both legs and the neck and after initial treatment at Wimereaux was again invalided to England and admitted to Essex County General Hospital where he died from his wounds on 22nd September 1918.

Frederick Samuel Nicholson is remembered in Gateshead on G39.004

In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance.

Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Nicholson