Personal History
Frederick Spriggs
Frederick William Spriggs, the youngest of the five sons of William and Elizabeth née Hewson Spriggs was born on the 27th June 1897 in Lemsford and baptised on the 28th November 1897 at St. John's church, Lemsford. He attended Lemsford School from June 1901 to March 1911 when he left to work on the Brocket Estate.
Attended St Johns School June 4th 1901 to March 31st 1911
War Record
2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment
By October 1914 Frederick Spriggs had enlisted at Hertford and joined the 2nd Batallion of the Bedfordshire Regiment as Private 14200. The Bishops Hatfield parish magazine reported that he was at the Front in November 1915.
Frederick, aged 19, was killed on the 11th July 1916 during the Battle of the Somme at Trones Wood, a wood near the village of Guillemont, about 6½ miles east of Albert. The wood, which formed part of the German second defence line, needed to be cleared of Germans before the British could advance on Longueval, a heavily fortified town. On the 11th July the 2nd Battalion of the Bedfordshire Regiment was part of a pre-dawn attack force which attempted to capture the wood. They suffered many casualties trying to enter the wood which was strongly held and full of trenches and dug-outs. The fighting was fierce within the wood, several units had to withdraw and regroup, it was not finally cleared until the 15th July.
War Memorial
Frederick Spriggs is buried in the Serre Road Cemetery No. 2 XXIX J 5. The cemetery is situated just off the D919 on the Arras to Amiens road, south of the village of Pusieux.
The Bishops Hatfield parish magazine reported that a short memorial Service was held on Wednesday September 20 1916 in St. John's Lemsford in memory of these men belonging to this parish and neighbourhood, who have fallen in the war:- Thomas Cole, Herbert Freeman, James Halsey, Frank Mardle, Frederick Spriggs, James Strong, Cecil White and Christopher Wren. Frederick's older brother George Spriggs was killed on the 29th October 1917 during the second battle of Passchendaele.
