Frederick Leivers

Frederick Leivers was born in 1894 at Eastwood and was the son of Tom a coal miner and Clara Leivers née Goddard of Hill Top Eastwood Nottinghamshire. His father Tom was born in 1866 at Hill Top, Eastwood, his mother Clara Goddard was born in 1868 at Heanor, Derbyshire, they were married in 1889 their marriage was recorded in the Basford registration district, they went on to have 5 children, sadly 1 died in infancy or early childhood, their surviving children all born in Eastwood were, Gertrude b1893, Harry b1894, Fred b1894 and Horace Leivers b1897. In the 1911 census the family are living at Nottingham Road, Hill Top, Eastwood and are shown as Tom 45 yrs a coal miner below ground, he is living with his wife Clara 43 yrs and their children, Gertrude 18 yrs a music teacher, Harry 17 yrs a grocers assistant, Fred 17 yrs an office clerk and Horace 14 yrs an office clerk.

He was an office clerk at Messrs. Barber and Walker's colliery office, Eastwood. Member of the Cadet Corps and a cornet player with the Eastwood brass band.

Private Fred Leivers served with the 485th Company Army Service Corps and was attached to the Royal Serbian Army. He died at Salonika on 12th November 1918 and is buried in Struma Military Cemetery, Greece (grave ref. VII.J.9).

CWGC headstone, personal inscription: 'The dearly loved son of Tom and Clara Leivers One of the best' He was one of two Nottinghamshire men who witnessed the arrival of the remnants of the Serbian Army in Corfu and was reported in the Nottingham Evening Post published on 26th July 1916 :- “THE SERBIANS' RECOVERY. “A NOTTINGHAM CORPORAL'S TRIBUTE. “A letter just received from the Salonika front refers to the strange coincidence of two local Evening Post readers enlisting on the same day and at the same place, and later being sent on active service with the same draft. The readers in question are Corporal Arthur Storer and Private Fred Leivers, of the Army Service Corps. Storer was born in Nottingham, but spent most of his life at Pinxton and Mansfield, and, as an assistant schoolmaster, was well known in the district. Leivers, who is a native of Eastwood, was a clerk employed in Messrs. Barber and Walker's colliery offices there, a member of the cadet corps, and a cornet player in the Eastwood Brass Band. After several months' service, both volunteered to go out with the British Adriatic Mission, as it was then termed, and now Corporal Storer expresses gratification that the Serbians have completely recovered, "thanks to their indomitable courage and the invaluable aid given them by the English and French missions in the form of stores, supplies, and equipment." “Their work actually commenced, says the writer, at Corfu. "On arrival," he writes, “the weather was very cold and wet, but, after a few days spent in tent-pitching and settling down, work commenced in earnest. What a painful sight met the gaze of the mission on landing! Here were the broken remnants of that brave Serbian army, which had struggled heroically with the Austrians and Bulgarians for such a terrible time, and when it was found impossible to hold out against such overwhelming odds, they had pushed their way through frost and cold, over the snow-clad mountains of Albania, through Medua, Durazzo, Valona, and then by boat to Corfu. “Little was it thought at the time that those heroes, broken by extreme hunger and intense fatigue, would in a few months be recuperated into such a fine army as can be seen now. Yes, they are again ready to go out to meet their common foes, and may God help them in their righteous vengeance; for the indomitable courage shown in that retreat will always be remembered in European history." Above article is courtesy of Jim Grundy and his facebook pages Small Town Great War Hucknall 1914-1918