The Great War: N–Z · Story 19

Frederick Sykes (1887-1914)

Frederick, usually known as Fred, was born in late 1887 to Henry and Rachel Sykes. Henry was an agricultural labourer from Ellington in Huntingdonshire who had married Ringstead girl, Rachel Ball, on 13th November 1873. Fred was baptised with three of his sisters, Rose, Ida and Elizabeth in Ringstead Church on the September 30th1888. There had also been three older children, Mary Ann, Henry and William and two more sisters, Maud and Gertie, were to follow. By 1891 Henry, the father, had become a platelayer on the Midland Railway. The family were living in The Terrace at the end of Shop Street (part of High Street) in Ringstead. Rachel was also working as a shoehand, as were the older children, Mary Ann and Henry.

By 1901, they were now living in Carlow. Henry was still working as a platelayer, heavy work as one gets older. In 1906 he died, aged 53, and in the 1911 Census, the widowed Rachel, aged sixty, was a “charwoman out of employment”. The only child still at home was 32-year-old daughter, Eliza, who was working as an “Army Boot Stitcher” and she was in partial employment. A granddaughter, Ivy Robinson, was also living with them. Times would have been very tough.

The children had flown the nest and Frederick, was lodging with widow, Emily Yeuell, and her family at 179 Eastfield Road in Peterborough. He was 22 years old and now working as a shoemaker. We know that he had other part-time employment that would have given him a small extra income. On 9th January 1909 he had joined the 3rd (Special Reserve) Battalion of the Northamptonshire Regiment.

Over many centuries, men had been called to serve, however unwillingly, in the armies of their lords and monarchs. We see the remnants of this in the Eighteenth Century Militia Lists for Ringstead and all other parishes. In 1801, when Napoleon threatened an invasion, a military reserve force was established and during the Nineteenth Century various forms of these part-time soldiers’ units existed. In 1908, the system was reformed and the militia infantry groups became known as the “Reserve Battalions”, mostly attached to Regiments. There were one hundred Infantry battalions, 33 Artillery regiments, and two Engineer regiments of special reservists.

Unlike the militia, which was intended solely for home duties, the new “Special Reservists” were designed to make up drafts to serve where needed in time of war, at home or abroad. Fred signed up for six years’ service and was given Regimental Number 3/8618. He first had to undergo six months of basic training, for which he would be paid as a regular soldier. After that he had to attend an annual training camp for three to four weeks each July.

Fred had been “temporarily unfit” for the 1914 training camp but now he was called upon to fulfil his contract and was transferred to the 1st Battalion of the Northamptonshires. It may be that his temporary unfitness delayed his joining with his Battalion. It crossed the Channel on 13th August 1914. Hopes were high that the war would soon be over, and cheering crowds lined the streets when they marched through Le Havre. The men then entrained and passed through Amiens, Arras and Cambrai, places they had never heard of, but which would soon be seared on their memories. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was shocked by the next month when, at the battle of Mons and Le Cateau, they were beaten and found themselves in almost constant retreat. It seemed the war would be over quickly with a German victory. The enemy had, however, as would happen again in 1918, stretched their supply lines to breaking point and the front line had become fragmented.

Through this period, although they did suffer some casualties the Battalion was largely on the periphery of the main action. At the Battle of the Marne the Allies did first push the Germans back. It was at this time at the end of the long retreat, on 11th September 1914, that Fred joined the Battalion in France. The Allies’ mood had become more optimistic believing that the tide had turned, but not for the last time, it was premature. The Germans had conducted an orderly retreat to a predetermined line that was a position of strength.

On September 13th, the Battle of The Aisne began in earnest. The British attacked all along their front. They were allowed to cross the wide Rive Aisne by an aqueduct with little opposition. The Germans held a strong position on a plateau overlooking the British who now had a deep, unfordable, river at their backs.

For the first time, the Northamptonshires faced an enemy determined to stand their ground and in a naturally strong position. The Germans also held a sugar factory, north-west of Troyon, which provided a base for their artillery. This stronghold resisted the British attacks. The weather was cold with persistent rain. The Northamptonshire were stationed on a small hill trying to work out what was happening, through the driving rain. At 11.30 am the Battalion was ordered to back-up the preliminary attack on the guns at the sugar refinery and on the ridge. The German firepower inflicted heavy casualties particularly on the Loyal North Lancashires, but also on the battalion, which was forced to dig itself in for the night on the slope of the German-held ridge.

Over the next two days the holes that they had dug into the ridge were desperately turned into shallow trenches. There was one notorious incident during this time when a group of Germans, under the pretence of surrendering, reached the Northamptonshires trenches and then began firing. They were saved by a nearby battalion’s machine gunners who saw what was happening and mowed them down from the side and the survivors fled back to their own trenches.

The British High Command were concerned that the troops were too far away from their supply bases in the Channel Ports. Liaising with the French who filled the gaps they moved west. The Germans too were looking to cut off the supply to the British and to get around the Allied Front Line. The result was a westward movement which became known as the “Race to the Sea”. The Northamptonshires entrained at Fismes and travelled through Amiens and Étaples to Cassel where they rested in billets.

The rest was brief for, on the 19th October, they marched to Elverdinghe (Elverdinge) and then moved up to Pilckem where they occupied trenches dug by the French. There was now persistent heavy fighting as the campaign, known as the First Battle of Ypres, began. The 1st Camerons, despite a gallant resistance, had been driven out of their trenches and the Battalion moved forward to assist them and to mount a counter-attack.

The town of Ypres was, at this time, described as a “lovely place”. It was soon to be a shattered ruin. The Germans were attacking with a much larger force along the British lines and the Northamptonshires were constantly on the move trying to shore up one position after another as the German attacks ebbed and flowed.

On October 30th 1914 the Battalion, with the Royal Sussex, were ordered to a place later called Bodmin Wood, south of the Menin Road, due west of Gheluvelt (Gueluveld) where they dug temporary trenches. The next day saw the critical action of the Battle of Ypres. The Germans mounted an attack and the Northamptonshires were forced to withdraw. The battalion on one side of them had retired which forced the Northamptonshire to do the same in order to keep the line. Unfortunately, they were badly hit by enfilading fire along the road which had protected them and suffered many casualties.

They now held a position on a crossroads in what was known by the troops as “Shrewsbury Wood”, but the Germans were already inside the wood. The Northamptonshires, with the Royal Sussex, and Gordons, with loud cries charged the enemy with fixed bayonets. They killed some two hundred and routed the rest. It was the brutal hand-to-hand fighting that soldiers, going back through the centuries, would have recognized.

The Germans, however stood firm in their positions and both sides tried to straighten and strengthen their trenches. Continual German attacks and bombardments led to many casualties and even the reserve trenches were often under fire.

On November 8th, the depleted Battalion moved to a trench in the support line on the north side of the Menin Road and came under heavy shell fire. On November 11th the elite Prussian Guard launched an attack, but they were repulsed. The battalion was then ordered to advance into Polygon Wood where the men again came under heavy shellfire.

It was during this time, on 11th November 1914, that Fred Sykes was killed. This was to be the last significant action of the First Battle of Ypres. Both sides were utterly exhausted.

Fred Sykes is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial at West Vlaanderen (West Flanders) on Panel 43 & 45. He is also on the Ringstead and Irthlingborough War Memorials. Besides the British War and Victory Medals he was entitled to the 1914 Star with Clasp. The Clasp was awarded to those who had been under fire between 5 August and 22 November 1914 but was said to be only awarded to the recipient if he claimed personally, Frederick must have made a Will before he was posted abroad because he left his War Gratuity divided almost equally amongst his mother and his eight siblings. Each received eight shillings two pence or eight shillings one penny. A Mary Ellen Cappo was also left the latter amount.