‘B’ Battery, 124th Brigade, Royal Field Artillery
Frederick George King was born in Gloucester in about 1885, the son of William Charles and Elizabeth Ann King, who at the time of the 1901 Census lived at 4 Raglan Street, Gloucester. William was a plasterer and at that time the couple had eight children. By the time of the 1901 Census the family was living at 2 Gertrude Villa, Gloucester but it appears that Elizabeth King may have died sometime in the previous decade, as William was the head of a family of nine children. According to a report of his death in the Cheltenham Chronicle of 9 November 1918 he lived at Tudor Street at Gloucester and was one of five brothers to have served in France during the Great War.
The Gloucester Journal of 9 November 1918 stated that Frederick had sixteen and a half years’ Army service, which means that he must have enlisted (probably in Bristol) in about 1902: the 1911 Census shows him as being with 69 Battery, Royal Field Artillery (RFA) in India, a single man, aged 26.
He appears to have had two Medal Index Cards at one stage – one from 1914 showing him as ‘S/S F W King’, who went to France on 23 August 1914 with 29 Brigade, RFA and the other showing his correct name, with rank of Farrier Serjeant or Serjeant but entry into France on 1 August 1915. The latter notes that he was entitled to the 1915 Medal but the entry has been corrected to confirm qualification for the 1914-15 ‘Mons Star’ and cross referenced with the earlier card. The later card also notes that he received the Military Medal.
This fact is recorded on his headstone and is confirmed by an entry in the Supplement to the London Gazette No 31142 published on 24 January 1919, which states his unit as ‘B’ Battery, 124 Brigade, Royal Field Artillery and his place of residence as Gloucester.
According to the above Gloucester Journal he served throughout the Great War.
He died at the Priory Hospital, Cheltenham, aged 33, on 6 November 1918. The above Cheltenham Chronicle gives some detail of the circumstances of his death. Evidently he had returned home on leave and on Monday, 28 October 1918 he came to Cheltenham with the intention of being married on the following Thursday (31 October). On the day after his arrival he was taken ill with influenza, which was followed by septic pneumonia. He was at once taken to hospital but died eight days later.
He was buried in Gloucester Old Cemetery, where a large private stone headstone marks his grave.
Researched by Graham Adams 22 April 2014 (revised)