Remembered Today

Driver Frederick Percy TESTER, L Battery Royal Horse Artillery who died on 8th September 1914, Baron Communal Cemetery

CWGC Information

TESTER, FREDERICK PERCY

Rank: Driver

Service No: 68411

Date of Death: 08/09/1914

Age: 21

Regiment/Service: Royal Horse Artillery

"L" Bty.

Grave Reference 1. Cemetery

BARON COMMUNAL CEMETERY

Additional Information:

Son of Mr. C. and Mrs. H. Tester, of Stoney Lane, Goudhurst, Kent.

Frederick Percy Tester was born in Farningham, Kent in 1894. The son of Charles and Harriet Tester, the 1901 Census records him living in Goudhurst, Kent with his parents, two older brothers, two younger brothers and a younger sister. His occupation is recorded as agricultural labourer.

He enlisted as a regular soldier in Horsmonden, Kent, and was a Driver in the Royal Horse Artillery. A member of L Battery RHA, he entered France 15th August 1914, and consequently qualified for the 1914 Star with Clasp. L Battery RHA were part of the divisional artillery of the Cavalry Division and would have been in action around Mons, at Elouges, before being engaged at Nery 1st September 1914.

Source: http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20REPORTS/GOUDHURST.pdf

At dawn on Tuesday 1 September1914, during the advance by the German 4th Cavalry Division, it took the British1st Cavalry Brigade, and "L" Battery, Royal Horse Artillery by surprise, and attacked them whilst they had been camped in the village of Néry in northern France. The German attack was supported by 12 field guns which devastated Frederick’s battery. However in the action which followed, a single 13 pounder field gun of “L" Battery, which was manned by Captain Edward Kinder Bradbury, Battery Sergeant Major (later Lieutenant-Colonel) George Thomas Dorrell, and Sergeant David Nelson, and Gunners Osbourne and Darbyshire, managed to keep the single field gun in action against three German batteries of field guns which were located a thousand yards away. It was mainly due to the fire that was put down by this gun, together with the rifles and machine-guns of the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) held off the Germans long enough for elements

of the 1st and 4th Cavalry Brigades to counter attack and drive away the enemy attackers in disorder, and the German division was then withdrawn to the reserve

corps.

Resulting from the enemy attack at Néry on Tuesday 1 September 1914,there were 135 casualties, and Frederick was amongst the members of his battery that had been badly wounded. Baron Communal Cemetery where Frederick is at rest contains 16 Commonwealth burials of the Great War, all dating from September 1914, and are a combination of soldiers killed at Néry on Tuesday 1 September 1914, or later dying from their wounds which they received there on that date. The 16 casualties are comprised of 8 officers and other ranks of the 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays), 6 of "L" Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, an officer of the 1st (King's) Dragoon Guards, and an officer of the Royal Horse Guards.

Driver Tester died of wounds 8th September is buried in BARON COMMUNAL CEMETERY in the same grave as Gunner Edward Marsh, the 16 casualties from the RHA and 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) being grouped together in two plots.

http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1cemeteries/ww1cemeteries_ext/baron_cc.htm

Gunner Marsh and Diver Tester are buried in the front right grave left hand plot (no 1)

http://www.inmemories.com/Cemeteries/baron.htm

http://www.twgpp.org/information.php?id=2313053

Driver Tester's older brother Jesse served in the RFA for a very brief period, 22nd Feb 1916 to 10th July 1916, being posted to and discharged for medical reasons from a Reserve Battery in the UK. An older brother Charles William may have served with the Leicestershire Regiment.

Frederick Percy Tester is remembered on the war memorials at Farningham and Goudhurst.

Farningham http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20reports/FARNINGHAM.pdf

Goudhurst http://www.kentfallen.com/PDF%20REPORTS/GOUDHURST.pdf