Fred Gascoigne

Born and registered as Fred Gascoigne in North Newington, Banbury, Oxon, he was the son of James Edward and Eliza Gascoigne, nee Wells. He was born in 1886, and had two brothers, James and William, who had also been born in Newington and were living at Little Lane. Their father, James, was working as a brewer’s labourer and night watchman, a job he had for over 30 years in Newington. In 1888 and 1890, the couple had two more sons, Jesse and Percy, which completed the family. Fred had started his working life at the age of 15, working as a farm labourer. In 1909, his mother died age 52 and by 1911, their long term family home was occupied only by the widower James and youngest child, Percy, (now 21). The other 4 boys had left home to make their own way in life, including Fred, who by 1911 was employed with the prestigious job of footman with the Duke of Newcastle. He was residing at Forest Farm, Winkfield, Windsor, Berkshire, sharing occupation with 6 other estate workers of varying occupations. In June of 1913 he married Eva J Donnelly at Banbury. According to his soldiers obituary in the local newspaper, he was resident at Clumber household, probably sometime after 1911, where he would have worked on the estate in order to be named on the memorial. He is also commemorated on the memorial of his home town at Broughton, Oxfordshire.

Pte. F.N. Gascoigne. Worksop Guardian 11 August 1916 News has been received at Clumber of the death of Pte. Frederick Norman Gascoigne, of the 3rd Battalion Sherwood Foresters, which occurred on July 1st, in Mesopotamia. Details as to the cause are not known but it is presumed to be dysentery. Pte Gascoigne was a footman with the Duke and Duchess of Newcastle for some five or six years, and a very trustworthy servant, who enjoyed the esteem of all the Clumber Household. He enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters after the outbreak of war, and trained at Thoresby. He went out to Mesopotania about four or five months ago. Pte Gascoigne, who was about 31 years of age, was a native to Banbury.

CWG additional information:- Son of James Edward and Mary Gascoigne, of North Newington, Banbury, Oxon; husband of Eva Jane Gascoigne, of The Nurses Home, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. He is buried in Amara War Cemetery, Iraq. There are conflicting records of this casualty regarding his Regiment. Local reports from Worksop Guardian obituary, Clumber Hardwick memorial and Worksop Priory Church memorial, all record him as being in the Sherwood Foresters. Extensive searches show no death of a Fred Gascoigne (or similar) in this Regiment but he does match with Fred Gascoigne of the Kings Own Lancaster Regiment from the CWGC and Soldiers died in the Great War. It must therefore be concluded, with this, and other matching documentation, that his regiment is the Kings Own Lancaster Regiment. Research by Colin Dannatt