| Regiment | Rank | Service No | Place of Birth | Date of Death | Age | Burial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st/6th South Staffs | Private | 2662 | Coseley | 13 Oct 1915 | 25 | Loos Memorial, France |
Genealogical Data
Birth of Frederick William Hunt registered September quarter 1890 in Dudley.
1901 Census
50 Brook Road, Woodsetton, Staffordshire.
James Hunt (33, Iron Plate Worker, born Sedgley), his wife Anne E. (37, born Tenbury), and their 4 children: Frederick W. (10, born Sedgley), Charles (8, born Sedgley), Elsie (6, born Sedgley), and Ernest (5, born Sedgley).
1911 Census
10 Tipton Road, Woodsetton, Staffordshire.
James Edward Hunt (45, Ironworks Labourer, born Sedgley), his wife Annie Elizabeth (47, born Tenbury), and their 4 children: Frederick William (20, Iron Moulder, born Woodsetton), Charles (18, Iron Moulder’s Assistant, born Woodsetton), Elsie (16, born Woodsetton), and Ernest (15, Gardener’s Assistant, born Woodsetton).
Personal Life
Charles and Frederick Hunt were brothers. It is likely that they enlisted together at Wolverhampton Drill Hall during the first week of September 1914, and certainly both landed in France on 5th March 1915. Sadly Frederick was killed with in 7 months of landing, and Charles was killed 10 months later.
Outstanding Army pay of £0/17/10d (17 shillings and 10 pence) was paid to Frederick’s father, James, in November 1916; his War Gratuity of £4 was split between his mother Annie, and his brother Ernest in February 1920.
Cause of Death
The 1/6th South Staffs arrived in France between the 3rd and 5th March 1915. They moved to Armentieres on 20th March and then to Fletre for further training. In April the battalion marched to Wulveringhem in Belgium alternating between trench duties and further training. In June 1915 they moved nearer to Ypres, and for the next 2 months spent time at the feared Hill 60. On 2nd October the 1/6th moved back into France to take part in the second stage of the Loos Offensive. Further training preceded the march to the assembly trenches near Vermelles on 12th October.
At noon on 13th October, a fine sunny day, the attack commenced. The 1/5th and 1/6th South Staffs were to attack the West Face of the heavily defended Hohenzollern Redoubt, from the trench known as Big Willie which was already partly held by the 1/5th South Staffs. The South Staffs battalions were to attack in 4 waves; ‘B’ and ‘C’ companies of the 1/5th, followed by ‘A’ and ‘D’ companies of the 1/5th, followed by ‘A’ and ‘C’ companies of the 1/6th, and finally ‘B’ and ‘D’ companies of the 1/6th. The first wave hardly got out of their trench due to devastating machine gun fire decimating their number. The second wave made their advance unaware of the disaster in front of them and suffered similarly high casualties. The third wave followed on as ordered, as they too were unaware of the situation in front due to lack of communication and the smoke intended to mask the South Staffs advance. The fourth wave also took losses, but at this point the attack was called off.
The attack was a costly failure and this in effect was the culmination of the Battle of Loos. The Division had casualties of 180 Officers and 3583 Other Ranks. As Edmonds wrote in the Official History, “…it was a long time before the Division recovered from the effects of 13th October.”
Frederick Hunt, like the majority of the men killed here, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Loos Memorial at Dud Corner, in sight of the Hohenzollern Redoubt.
Lest Woodsetton Forget 