Peterborough & The Great War

Biography

Frederick was the son of Frederick and Louisa Burgess, and was one of eleven children.  Born in Ipswich on 02 November 1894, Frederick joined his father working for the railway.  He was an engineering department clerk in 1911, a line of work he returned to after the war.  In December 1917, he married Elsie M Finter, (her father worked in the same department as Frederick’s father), in Ipswich and the couple went on to have two sons after the war, Eric Charles in 1919 and Peter J in 1929.

Corporal Frederick Charles Burgess served with the 4^th Battalion Suffolk Regiment in the British Expeditionary Force in France having embarked at Southampton on 22 January 1916.  On 4 February 1916, he was in A Company 4th Battalion and promoted in July and again in December achieving substantive Corporal rank on 1 January 1917.  On 11 January 1917, he returned to England to undertake officer cadet training and passed through Peterborough East Station on 24 January 1917.  He wrote in the visitors’ book “As a token of gratitude for a pleasant two hours spent at the Soldiers & Sailors Rest room”.

He was posted to the 9^th Battalion Essex Regiment as a 2^nd Lieutenant on 27 June 1917, and was promoted to  Lieutenant on 27 December 1918.  He continued in the Essex Regiment until May 1920.  His medal card also records service as a Lieutenant with the Royal Sussex Fusiliers.  He was awarded the British War and Allied Victory medals.

In 1939, the family lived at 11 Blyth Road Norwich and Frederick was employed as a railway clerk.  It is thought that he died in his home town of Ipswich in 1946 at the age of 51

With gratitude to the Suffolk Regiment Museum whose assistance enabled us to identify this soldier.

Do you know this soldier?  Do get in touch if you can tell us more about him.