The Conisbrough and Denaby 100 Project
Fred Nicholson
Fred Nicholson was the only surviving child of Tom Nicholson, and his wife Ada Cartwright. He was born on 5th September 1892 in Conisbrough. Sadly, the couple had two other children, but neither survived. One of these was Polly, who is seen with Ada at her parent’s house in the 1891 census.
Sadly, Ada herself died sometime in the early 1890s; she was evidently alive when Fred was born in 1892, however by the 1901 census Tom is a widower, and the 1911 census shows that he had been married for a total of 4 years. Polly was 1 year old in the 1891 census, which suggests that the couple had married at least in 1890, if not slightly earlier and thus she could have died between 1892 (after Fred’s birth) and 1894.
In 1901 Tom and Fred are living with Ada’s parents at 19 Don View. Tom is the head of the household, and works in the ‘coal pit’, while Frederick – who is only 8 – is at school. Fred’s Grandfather Edward Cartwright is 66 and recorded as a cripple, and his Grandmother Mary is 72.
By 1911, the family have moved next door, and are now living at 17 Don View Terrace. Still, Fred and Tom are living with Edward and Mary, and both are now working as fitters in the mines. Edward and Mary are 75 and 82 respectively. Fred, at the age of 18 is single.
Fred joined the Royal Marine Light Infantry by transferring from the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry (KOYLI) after just one day on his 22nd birthday; 5th September 1914. His paperwork states that he was 5’10 inches tall, had a pale complexion, hazel eyes and auburn hair. He had no marks, wounds or scars. He initially signed up for service which would run for five years, until 4th September 1919, and he was assigned to the Plymouth division and given number PLY/89 (S) and the rank of Private.
We visited Fred's grave in May 2015 and laid his tribute. Bac-Du-Sud British Cemetery is beautiful, located just off the main Arras to Amiens road.
His register of service shows that he was with the Plymouth Division from 6th September to 9th November, and that from the 10th November 1914 through to the 8th January 1917, he was assigned to the ship the Victory. His conduct was Very Good (VG), and his ability was Satisfactory (Sat). He then spent until 17th April 1918 again with the Plymouth Division, before joining the Victory I, where he served until his death on the 7th September 1918 at the age of 26 years and two days.
Bac-du-Sud Cemetery (click for larger image)
At some point during his service, Fred was promoted to Lance Corporal; his paperwork shows that this occurred on ’31 August’ but the year is illegible. As he served from September 1914 to September 1918, it could be 1916, 1917 or 1918. On 4th September 1916, Fred was awarded a Good Conduct Badge.
Newspaper reports from the time state that Fred was seriously wounded in the chest on the 2nd September, and died on the 7th at the 46th Casualty Clearing Station, which was at that time located at Bac Du Sud, Bailleulval in France. Records suggest that although he was entitled to the British, Victory and 1914/15 star medals, they were not issued; no one claimed them.
Fred is buried at Bac Du Sud British Cemetery, Bailleulval.
 Fred's Service Record |  Top panel - personal information |  Main panel - service history |
|---|---|---|
 Medals and promotions |  Previous service history |
Click on an image to view a larger version.