All Saints Cemetery
In All Saints Cemetery, Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a family headstone which reads:-
in
Loving Memory
of
Margaret
dearly beloved wife of
William Vincent
who died 18th Nov. 1927
aged 72 years
also the above
William Vincent
who died 12th July 1944
aged 92 years
Henry Algernon Vincent
fourth son of the above
who died 9th April 1885
aged 10 months
Frederick Vincent
Gunner RGA
fifth son of the above
Killed in Action 1st July 1917
aged 30 years
Interred in
Kandahar Farm Cemetery
Neuve Eglise Belgium
Jean Longstaff has submitted the following:-
Born in the spring of 1887 Frederick was the fifth son of master fruiter William Vincent and his wife Margaret (nee Todd). His older siblings were Margaret born 1877 four years after his parents’ marriage, Ralph, Henry (who died in 1885 aged 10 months), Jane, William, Thomas and Elizabeth, and after him came Albert, Mary and lastly Septimus born in 1890. The family lived in Oxford Street in the centre of the city, and father William was a City Councillor.
The 1911 census shows that aged 24 Frederick was still living with his parents and was working as a clerk for the local Education Committee. On 26th July 1915 Frederick married Wallsend born Ethel Watson and the couple started married life living in Heaton. Five months after his wedding Frederick enlisted with the Royal Garrison Artillery at Forest Hall, becoming Gunner 108040 and was posted to 15 Company who were based in Londonderry and responsible for Irish north coast defences.
From November 1916 he was posted to 12 Company in Tynemouth responsible for North Eastern coast defences, then on 17th March 1917 embarked from Southampton to Le Havre as part of 280th Siege Battery. Attached to 2nd Anzac Ordnance Corps for two weeks he then joined his new unit west of Arras. At the end of April the guns moved to a forward position near St. Martin sur Cojeul, moving to Estrée-Caycgue in early June. 24th June saw the battery taking up positions at Souchez, near Cote de Caumont and it was near here that Gunner Frederick Vincent was killed on 1st July 1917.
Items returned to his wife Ethel were a cigarette case, 2 letters, a religious book, a pocket knife, a key, a pair of eyeglasses, a wallet and an Australian badge. Ethel signed to say she had received these items but asked that she would like to have is watch returned to her if it was found.
Of the four sons and two sons-in-law of William and Margaret Vincent who fought in World War One, Frederick was the only one who didn’t return.
Frederick Vincent is remembered in Newcastle upon Tyne on NUT159 and NUT181
