Frederick George Gatward was born on 20 March 1890 in Bromley-by-Bow, London, the eldest of the eight children of George Frederick Gatward (1868-1922) and Sarah Gatward née Impey (1872-1943). His birth was registered in the 2nd quarter of 1890 in the Poplar Registration District. On 10 April 1890 he was baptised in St Mary's Church, Bow, in the parish of Bromley St Leonard's, London, where the baptismal register confirms his date of birth, that the family resided in Bromley and that his father was a firewood dealer.
His seven siblings were: Ernest Albert Gatward (1893-1895); Grace Edith Gatward (1895-1964); Ella Beatrice Gatward (1897-1977); Cecil Albert Edward Gatward (1901-1968); Lilian Violet Gatward (1904-1983); Rose Nellie Gatward (1907-1970) and George William Gatward (1911-1932).
On 15 June 1896 he was admitted to the Holy Trinity with St Paul’s Infant School, Waverley Road, Paddington, London and the school's register shows his family were living at 6 Senior Street, Paddington. On 29 August 1898 he was transferred to the Amberley Road School, Paddington and the family were now living at 21 Braden Street, Paddington.
He was shown as Fred Gatward, aged 11 years and a scholar in the March 1901 census, living in four rooms at 68 Amberley Road, Paddington with his parents and three siblings: Grace Edith Gatward; Ella Beatrice Gatward and Cecil Albert Edward Gatward. His father was now listed as a policeman.
He left school on 17 March 1904 and in May 1905 he was employed by the Great Western Railway as a van guard and was stationed at Paddington Goods Depot. He was paid 10 shillings per week, and that was increased to 12 shillings per week on 11 May 1906 and to 14 shillings per week on 11 May 1907.
He resigned in June 1909 and enlisted in the Royal Field Artillery on 27 October 1909, service number 59810, giving his occupation as a town carman. His records show that he was admonished and lost 1 days pay for overstaying his furlough from 10pm on 10 October 1910 to 6pm the following day and that he was also sentenced to 72 hours detention on 7 November 1910 when he was found sleeping on his sentry post onboard the S.S. Soudan on way to a posting in Bloemfontein, South Africa. In the 1911 census he is shown as aged 22 years, a gunner attached to the 97th Battery of the Royal Field Artillery, based at Tempe, Orange Free State, South Africa (now called Free State, Republic of South Africa). He left the army, transferring to the Army Reserve on 19 December 1912.
In October 1913 he was appointed as a Postman in Paddington and the London Gazette confirmed his appointment with effect from 15 November 1913.
On 8 March 1914 he married Millicent Kate Nappin (1890-1974) at St Peter’s Church, Paddington, where in the marriage register he is shown as aged 23 years, a bachelor and a postman, residing at 65 Amberley Road, Paddington, whilst his wife was described as aged 23 years and a spinster, also living at the same address and the daughter of the late George James Nappin, a carman.
On 10 August 1914 he was recalled to the Royal Field Artillery and entered France on 6 November 1914. On 22 December 1914 his wife gave birth to their only child Frederick George Gatward (1914-1965). He was attached to the Royal Field Artillery's 5th Battery, 45th Brigade when he died of wounds, aged 26 years, on 3 November 1916. His body was buried in Plot 2, Row F, Grave 13, in the Grove Town Cemetery, situated on an unnamed road in Meaulte, 80300 Bray-sur-Somme, France.
On 5 February 1917 his army effects totalling £7-6s-1d were sent to his widow and on 14 May 1917 she was awarded a pension of 18s-9d per week for herself and their child. On 13 October 1919 she was sent his £12-10s-0d war gratuity. He was posthumously awarded the 1914 Star with the '5TH AUG-22ND NOV 1914' Clasp, the British War Medal 1914-1918 and the Victory Medal.
He is shown as 'GATWARD, G.F.' on the Western Postal District war memorial at Mount Pleasant, London, WC2. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website, on the A Street Near You website and on page 140 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them