Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Frederick was the son of Thomas and Christina Ayre and was born in South Shields on 8th July 1891. His father was not at home at the time the 1901 census was taken, only listed are his mother, four brothers and a sister. At some time Frederick was part of the Tyneside Naval Volunteer Reserve, but he left that behind in April 1912 when he sailed to Canada, making for Saskatchewan and a job as a painter. Thirteen months later he was followed by both his parents, his two younger brothers and Elsie his only sister, and they found a house together in Saskatoon, and Frederick found work as a bricklayer.
On 11th August 1915 Frederick travelled just over eighty miles to Prince Albert and enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, where he became Private 826008 in the 65th Battalion, and no sooner had he enlisted than he was granted “harvest leave” for a month, and on his return was promoted to corporal. October saw the Battalion in England having sailed from Halifax to Liverpool on board the SS Olympic, and based at Westenhanger in Kent, Frederick was soon promoted to sergeant and transferred to the 188th Battalion.
At the end of November 1916 Frederick reverted to his original rank of private to go to France with the 28th Battalion where they were deployed near Souchez. It was on 7th April 1917 during the preliminary attacks by the Canadian Corps on Vimy Ridge that Frederick William Ayre was “dangerously wounded in the head and leg whilst with the Battalion in the front line at Neuville de Vaast”, he was taken to a dressing station and then to #3 General Hospital where he died from his wounds.
His name does not appear on any local war memorial.
In Canada he is remembered on their Virtual War Memorial and in their Book of Remembrance
Canadian Book of Remembrance
Canadian Virtual Memorial
The CWGC entry for Private Ayre