Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: P. Priano
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery: Pauline Priano
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
Frederick Thwaites Jnr, one of 10 children of whom only 4 survived, was the eldest of 3 sons and a daughter. His parents were both born 1871 in County Durham, Frederick Thwaites Snr at Philadelphia and Rachael Anderson at Durham City, they were married May 14th 1894 in the district of Deptford, Sunderland, County Durham. By 1901 Frederick and Rachael had 4 children Frederick Jnr born February 6th 1895, William 1897, John George 1899 and Ada 1900 and were sharing a property at 3, Back Hedley Street with the McKie family, 4 adults and 8 children in all. Frederick supported his family employed for his own account as a male hairdresser specialising in cutting hair and shaving. Ten years later they were still at the same address, Frederick (19) was serving his apprenticeship, to become a moulder, with a marine engineering company as was William as an apprentice pattern maker, neither of their younger siblings are listed as scholars though this may be an over-sight.
Aged 19 years of age Frederick enlisted at Sunderland, January 3rd 1915 and was embodied 2 days later, assigned as Private 3429 Durham Light Infantry to the 7th Battalion. Once mobilised Private Thwaites was sent with his regiment to the coastal defences. The men were split into two groups those of the 1st line were designated for service overseas, the 2nd line for home service. The first draft of men departed from Newcastle railway station, April 17th 1915, bound for France, his training complete, having been posted to the 1st/7th Battalion Private Thwaites departed via Southampton, June 27th 1915, arriving at Rouen the following day, joining his regiment in the field July 20th on the Ypres salient in Belgium. September 9th he was taken ill with bronchitis and transported to the Divisional Resting Station at St. Jude where he was admitted for treatment, however, a week later he was transferred to Monts de Cats and did not return to duty until the end of the month. The battalion spent winter in the trenches as part of the 151st Brigade, 50th Northumbrian Division, until being transferred from the role of infantrymen to that of Pioneers, November 22nd 1915, their new role was to dig and repair trenches and dugouts, move supplies, only to fight as infantrymen as and when needed. Private Thwaites received a shrapnel wound to the knee, January 28th 1916, taken by the 1st Northumbrian Field Ambulance he was admitted to the 50th Dressing Station receiving treatment until February 5th when he again re-joined his unit.
Private 3429 Frederick Thwaites Durham Light Infantry was killed in action 12 days later, February 14th 1916, and is at rest within Ypres Reservoir Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium, grave I. B. 46 flanked by Private Avery resident of Stanley and Private Brady of Gateshead.
As per his will all monies owed to him were assigned to his mother, his personal belongings and awards of the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were posted to his father.
In the midst of their grief the Thwaites family was dealt a second blow, little more than 5 months later their son William was killed in action.
Rachael Thwaites nee Anderson died aged 47 years in 1918, Frederick Thwaites Snr in 1943 aged 72 years.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
Frederick Thwaites is remembered at Sunderland in S140.048 Part 02 and at Seaburn on S142.06
He is also remembered in The DLI Book of Remembrance page 27
