No.8433, Sergeant, Frederick Charles POWELL
Aged 25
Born at 35 Cannon Street,Bury St.Edmunds on 12th July 1891,(3rd qtr Bury St.Edmunds 4a:744) son of Frederick Charles and Sarah Ann Maria POWELL (née
WISEMAN). Baptised at St.John's, Bury St.Edmunds on 26th November 1891
1901 census...Aged 9, he was at 57 Long Brackland, Bury St.Edmunds with his father Frederick POWELL [39]labourer; his mother Sarah [38] trousers machinist born Mildenhall; brother Walter [9]; sister Lily [5]. All except his mother were born in Bury St.Edmunds. His father seems to have died in 1906. 1911 census...Aged 18,a sawyer, he was at 69 Risbygate Street, Bury St.Edmunds with his aunt Elizabeth POWELL [69] single, born Bury St.Edmunds; his widowed mother( housekeeper) and his sister Lily His mother's address on the pension card is 24 Ipswich Street, Bury St.Edmunds |
He enlisted in Bury St.Edmunds.
His 1914-1915 Star and War medal were sold by Lacey,Scoot and Knight for £70 in December 2019 ( the Victory medal was not there).
The 2nd Suffolk moved into the area behind Serre in the middle of October 1916. The weather prevented any large scale operations for some time, but eventually they were ordered into their assembly positions, across open the open such was the state of the trenches. At 05:00 on the 13th November they floundered forward into No Man's Land, a sea of mud, movement being almost impossible. The mist, added to the smoke from the barrage, made direction very difficult to maintain and within a short time all the officers in the leading companies had fallen, and little progress had been made. In spite of the conditions, some leading Suffolk companies did reach the German second line, but in vain as they were forced to return to their original front line, waiting there the rest of the day before marching back to Courcelles the next morning. CWGC records 82 killed, of which 37 have no known grave. click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details |