FITCHES, Neville


No.G/11916, Private, Neville FITCHES
Aged 20


10th Battalion, The Queen's (Royal West Surrey Regiment)
Died of his Wounds on Sunday, 25th February 1917

Neville Fitches was born in Chippenham on 21st February 1897 (Newmarket Q1-1897 3B:550) and baptised in Chippenham on 25th April 1897. He was the 3rd son of George and Emily FITCHES (née BAILEY).

1901 census... Aged 4, he was living at Palace Farm. Chippenham, with his father, George FITCHES [42] farmer; his mother Emily [40]; sister Edith [11]; brothers Philip [9] and William [6] and sister Annie [1]. The entire family were born in Chippenham.

1911 census... Aged 14, he was working for his father at Palace Farm, the same family group had been joined by another brother, Eric[8] also born in Chippenham.

His brother William was killed exactly one month earlier, in France with the Suffolk Regiment. see here.







He enlisted in Newmarket.

His Army records have not survived.

The Bury Free Press of 10th March 1917 recorded the death of Pvt Nevlle Fitches, aged 18, third son of Mr.G.Fitches, of Palace Farm. Particularly sad as it was but little over a month ago go that his elder brother had been killed

The 10th (Battersea) Battalion, The Queen's were in the Ypres salient around the time of his death. This is an extract from the war diary at the time. This shows them in camp for several days, training for a raid on 24th, which is presumably when Neville was wounded. There is no way at present of knowing for sure when or where Neville was wounded, or how many days later he died.
The Hollandscheschuur farm was close to Oosttaverne, just to the SE of Wijschate in Belgium.





© Rodney Gibson



Neville Fitches in buried in Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery, Belgium, grave 11:B:5A
This is the 2nd largest CWGC cemetery in Belgium (9,901 as well as 883 French and German).

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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