adrian 1008 Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 A recent acquisition and a local connection, has got me back into the study ! BWM and VM to 242630 Pte Thomas Edward Flack Born 23/07/1887 KIA 23/04/1917 serving with 1st /6th Btn Notts and Derby Rgt (Sherwood Foresters) Came from Rede near Bury St Edmunds, Father Aaron Flack , Mother Francis Flack BWM & VM to brother Sidney Charles Flack born 29/11/1893 KIA 28/03/1918 ? served with 1st Btn Suffolk Rgt and cousin Frederick John Flack ? born 1886 KIA either 15/09/1916 or 23/09/1918 Frederick was serving with 1st Btn Cambridgeshire Rgt service No 201344 Once again any assistance with meat on the bones would be appreciated, links to war diaries especially helpful, as I struggle to navigate the National Records ! These men are commemorated on the War Memorial in the Church at Rede and I would like to make up a presentation for Remembrance Sunday Thanks in anticipation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 47 minutes ago, adrian 1008 said: links to war diaries 1/6 Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) | The National Archives Reference: WO 95/2694/1 Description: 1/6 Battalion Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) Date: 1915 Feb. - 1919 June Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonbem Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 52 minutes ago, adrian 1008 said: 1st Btn Cambridgeshire Rgt Search results: 1 battalion cambridgeshire | The National Archives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 (edited) Poor image but refers to TE Flack. Bury Free Press 23/6/17. Courtesy BNA. Article says joined army March 1916 and went to France in Dec 1916 There is a death notice (no pic) for SC Flack KIA 28/3/18 in the same paper on 27/4/18. A memorial notice for TE appears in the same edition, Edited 29 October , 2022 by Mark1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 FJ Flack was born 11/12/1885 according to baptism on 14/3/1886 - Suffolk Baptism Index A soldiers will for TE exists. A copy can be obtained from https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/#wills. Small charge, Usually just a short entry in paybook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 (edited) Several pension cards at WFA/Fold3 with both lads' names and names of parents - Parents living at Croft House, Rede. [But you knew that from CWGC ] Initially awarded 7/9 from 15-10-18 for life, then 8/6 pw from 6-11-18 for life, then 12/6 pw 29-1-19 to 14-4-20 [would have been kept under review for a while longer - Aaron died 25/4/25] Image from WFA/Fold3 M Edited 30 October , 2022 by Matlock1418 add image of card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock1418 Posted 29 October , 2022 Share Posted 29 October , 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, adrian 1008 said: Sidney Charles Flack born 29/11/1893 KIA 28/03/1918 ? Sidney Charles FLACK, 24162, Suffolk Regt. One pension card records KiA 11.4.18 [C/w CWGC 28 March 1918 https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1557136/sidney-charles-flack ] M Edited 29 October , 2022 by Matlock1418 add CWGC link & then correct date typo! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 30 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 30 October , 2022 Thank you, thats a great help. I will write this up and have it on display for the remembrance service Below is the memorial in Rede Church Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 30 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 30 October , 2022 Reading the war diary there is an account of the night attack at ?? Fosse du Lievin, have i read this correctly and where is it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 (edited) Which Flack are you referring to in your last post? edit - See it refers to TEF You may wish to read this page. This seems to use the War Diary as a resource and appears a well researched article complete with pictures and map of the attack. It names Flack as a casualty. https://derbyshireterritorials.uk/the-great-war-1914-1918/1917-2/fosse-3-de-lievin/ The reports at the end of the April in the WD also give details of the attack. Fosse 3 is a Mine. 42 men were killed there in a mining disaster on 27/12/1974. Lievin is in/near to Lens and north of Arras. Edited 30 October , 2022 by Mark1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 30 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 30 October , 2022 thank you Mark, really helpful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 30 October , 2022 Share Posted 30 October , 2022 (edited) On 29/10/2022 at 17:24, adrian 1008 said: and cousin Frederick John Flack ? born 1886 KIA either 15/09/1916 or 23/09/1918 Frederick was serving with 1st Btn Cambridgeshire Rgt service No 201344 Frederick Flack 4069 has a hospital admission record on FindmyPast for 1916. It says he was 4th Suffolks attached 239 Army Troops Company RE, admitted 34 CCS 23/12/16 with 'Trench Fingers' Right. Discharged to No5 Ambulance Train 24/12. He is shown as aged 31, 10 months total service incl 3 months with Field Force. Charlie Ps War diary 4th Suffolks here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7353842 War diary 239 AT RE starts Dec 1916 here at NA. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/1cf4bd160325471b83048e990db537fa War diary 1/1 Cambridgeshires to April 1918 here https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7354226 War diary 1st Cambridgeshires May 1918 onward here. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C7352673 Edited 30 October , 2022 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 31 October , 2022 Author Share Posted 31 October , 2022 Thank you, what would 239 Army Troops Coy RE do? are they like a maintenance unit ? Is it possible to identify where 34 Casualty clearing station was located and No 5 Ambulance train Presumably Trench fingers is similar to Trench foot ? @seaJane could you help please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark1959 Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 (edited) https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/army/regiments-and-corps/locations-of-british-casualty-clearing-stations/ You will see that from Sept 1916 to April 1917 it was at Grovetown (somme). This I believe is at/near Meaulte just south of Albert, Also see https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/evacuation-of-casualties-from-the-somme-1916/ Unfortunately only covers up to Nov 1916. But think you will get the idea. Edited 31 October , 2022 by Mark1959 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie962 Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 (edited) Army Troops companies were smaller units than Field Companies. Typically one per Division plus some more for Lines of Communications work. Duties included: Establishing and maintaining water supply. Work on maintaining and developing Corps defence lines. Preparing and maintaining observation posts for Artillery. Gun positions for Heavy Artillery. Laying, maintaining and developing trench tramways. Etc (Source Howard Williamson Great War Companion vol3) Edited 31 October , 2022 by charlie962 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seaJane Posted 31 October , 2022 Share Posted 31 October , 2022 3 hours ago, adrian 1008 said: Trench fingers is similar to Trench foot ? @seaJane could you help please I don't know for certain - I can't find any articles in English in the literature - but I suspect you are correct. sJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 15 November , 2022 Author Share Posted 15 November , 2022 Thank you to all who have contributed, as a post script the medals were displayed at Hawkedon Church for the remembrance service, and afterwards I was asked to give an impromptu talk to the congregation on the Family and their losses Due reference was given to GWF and the great support network. A week before the service an entry was made in the Rede Church visitors book stating "remembering the Flack family and the losses they sustained losing 3 sons" the writer came from Bury St Edmunds there is now an attempt to trace this individual as it suggests they may be related, and it would be nice to reunite the medals with the family. An article is also being prepared for the parish magazine As my wife and I left the church, an elderly lady came up to us and asked if I would look at some family medals she had in an old cupboard................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adrian 1008 Posted 10 November , 2023 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2023 As a postscript Thanks to the early morning programme on BBC Radio Suffolk who ran the story of me looking to reunite the medals with the Flack family, a descendant has come forward and we are due to meet next week and I will pass the medals back to the family for their safe keeping along with the research I have learnt from the forum members. I will ensure that due credit is passed on and GWF gets a prominent plug on air. Thanks once again for all the help, you have made a family very proud of their great uncles, especially ahead of Remembrance Sunday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LouP Posted 30 December , 2023 Share Posted 30 December , 2023 I go to Rede Church every year to pay my respects to the boys of Rede, my great grandfather’s younger brother’s Sydney and Thomas, and their cousin Edward. Thank you so much for preserving these medals and spending your time researching their lives. I am so glad that a member of the family now has them and I hope I’ll be able to track them down to see them too. Thank you. These boys were related to another William Flack (their cousin) who was the first Suffolk soldier to die in WW1 at Mons. He has a cul de sac named after him - William Flack Place and my dad and his late cousin planted a holly tree in their remembrance. It means a great deal to the family. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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