Frederick John STANTON b. 16 FEB 1882 St. Mary's Parish, Southampton, Hampshire, England d. 05 AUG 1940 : Stantonetal

1882 - 1940

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Birth 16 Feb 1882 St. Mary's Parish, Southampton, Hampshire, England

Gender Male

Occupation 1898

Coal Trimmer

Occupation 31 Mar 1901

Railway Engine (Census)

Occupation 31 Mar 1922 The Royal Exchange, Corn Street, Bristol, England

Uniformed Commissionaire/ Messenger

Died 05 Aug 1940

Person ID I00004 Family Tree

Last Modified 14 Apr 2010

Father William John STANTON, b. 13 Apr 1851, Weymouth, Dorset, England

Mother Caroline TARGETT, b. 08 Jan 1854, 2 James Street, Southampton, Hampshire, England , d. 16 Mar 1899, 5 Wharf Street, Southampton, Hampshire, England

Married 20 Apr 1873 Holy Trinity Church, Southampton, England

Family ID F00078 Group Sheet

Family Annie May HEATH, b. 26 May 1892, 34 Brindley Street, St. Mary Paddington, London, England , d. 28 Nov 1986, Bristol, Avon, England

Married 04 Aug 1913 St. Paul's Church, Bedminster, Bristol, England

Children

	1. Ronald Geoffrey STANTON, b. 09 Jul 1914, Military Hospital, Devonport, Plymouth, England , d. 07 May 2003, Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England
	2. Clifford Leslie STANTON, b. 12 Mar 1917, Bristol Maternity Hospital, Bristol, England , d. 01 Dec 1974, Morchard Bishop, Devon, England
	3. Living

Family ID F00003 Group Sheet

Event Map

Event

	Birth - 16 Feb 1882 - St. Mary's Parish, Southampton, Hampshire, England
	Married - 04 Aug 1913 - St. Paul's Church, Bedminster, Bristol, England
	Occupation - Uniformed Commissionaire/ Messenger - 31 Mar 1922 - The Royal Exchange, Corn Street, Bristol, England

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Photos	At least one living individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Histories	Fred Stanton 1882-1940 - A Portrait As described by his wife Annie May Heath (1892-1986) in an audio recording from 1978.

Albums	Stanton (25)

Notes	06/02 Background comment regarding "Frederick John STANTON - His Life" : 1. The job of "coal trimmer" apparently involved the loading and 'balancing up' of coal cargo aboard ship, presumably sailing with her to ensure that there occur no shift of cargo in high seas sufficient enough to capsize her. Nan (his wife) on audio-tape said "he was at sea when he was 16", so, for at least some part of the time between 14 to 19 years of age he'd had a pretty hard life. 2. His age at enlistment in the army (01/04/1901) was recorded as 19 years 1 month; so there seems no question of his having 'put his age up' in order to get away from home. He was very fond of his mother, and Nan said on the audio-tape that when he returned home after having been away at sea , he was very shocked to find his mother had died whilst he was away. Is this why he decided to enlist in the Regular Army? Nan said that she could recall as a small girl being impressed by the celebratory street parades of soldiers returning from the Boer War around 1900, and the general atmosphere of pride and patriotism very prominent at this time. 3. Being posted to Malta for a year, after only 5 months in the Army, he was then sent direct from there to India to serve a further 6½ years out East. It looks as if the award of each Army Certificate of Education he gained served as the qualification for a move or promotion: e.g. on 18/06/1901, 3rd Class Certificate, posted to 13 Company; on 16/02/1902, 2nd Class, appointed Acting Bombardier; 29/09/1908, 1st Class, posted to 107 Siege Company. (During his time in India he taught himself the Urdu language, and many years later he wrote an example by signing his name in Urdu in his youngest son's autograph book - unhappily long since defunct! - i.e. the book not the son!!) 4. His service in the 'Royal Garrison (later Field) Artillery and in WW1 was noted by: 9th July, 1914. Corporal FJS declared father of a son, Ronald. 4th August, 1914. Great Britain declared war on Germany. 25th August, 1914. FJS promoted Sergeant. 27th September, 1914. Sergeant FJS embarked for France, -by now German troops had swept through Belgium and had invaded France, storming Lille, and at the beginning of September were within 15 miles of Paris. The early German advances had surprised the Allied Powers by the use of new 'secret' heavy artillery (for example, a new 16" howitzer could 'throw a ton weight' shell for a distance of 10 miles) so British artillery had some catching up to do. [N.B. FJS, since returning from India in 1909, had been serving on Seige (heavy) Units, though with nothing as large as the German 400mm series]. 27th September, 1914. Sgt. FJS's first spell with British Expeditionary Force in France with No.3 Ammunition Column, RFA. 12th Oct.-11th Nov.1914. First Battle of Ypres which drifted to an end with both sides weighted down in heavy rain with mud and casualties. 10th - 13th March, 1915. Battle of Neuve Chapelle in which British efforts were rather more prominent but hampered by shortage of ammunition (as a result Lloyd George was appointed Minister of Munitions to solve the problem, partly by the introduction of liquor-licensing laws to try to reduce absenteeism at the workbench due to alcohol). 22 April - 25 May, 1915. Second Battle of Ypres with heavy Allied casualties due to the German first use of poson gas. 25 Sept. - 8 Oct., 1915. Battle of Loos when Gen. Douglas Haig's 1st Army attacked German positions at Loos. The British used gas for the first time causing many casualties to their own side due to unpredictable winds, for no significant positive advantage. The preliminary bombardment which covered the 18-mile frontage of the Army was carried out by 110 heavy guns, and 84 guns and howitzers began at first light on 21 September and continued day and night until the moment of the assault on 25 September. Many of the British shells fired turned out to be duds, and on finding much unexploded shot lying around the area where now the Loos Memorial now stands, the troops nicknamed the spot 'Dud Corner'. 18 January, 1916 Sgt. FJS returned to Base Depot in England. [N.B. There was no general compulsory mobilisation into the British Forces until June 1916, so until then all participants had served as volunteers] - there had been a very heavy German offensive on Verdun towards the south of the Front from about April to June 1916, but now pressures were tending to equalise leading to entrenched territorial deadlock once again, in the terribly bleak and muddy conditions, adding considerably to tremendous loss of lives. 21 August, 1916 Battery Sgt. Major FJS's second spell in France, with 147 Seige Battery, in time to back and continue the great Allied offensive at the 1 July - 17 Nov. 1916. Battle of the Somme, in which it was said over-reliance on the destruction of enemy defences by preparatory artillery bombardment led to almost 60,000 British casualties on the first day, and more than 400,000 before the fighting ended on the 17 November 1916. German casualties are estimated to have been about the same as the British - which might well have been, in some strange way to some strange official masterminds, quite some consolation! The British introduced the first ever mobile Tanks at the Somme in September, whilst the Artillery had long been mobile albeit mainly horse-driven; and both were faced with severe difficulties in the thick mud, although of course the Germans were too! A reliable supply of ammunition must have presented tremendous problems in these conditions. The maximum advance of the Front Line made in all that time was no more than 6½ miles. 27 February, 1917. BSM FJS returned to England. 6 April, 1917. America declared war against Germany. 26 June, 1917. American troops ('Doughboys') landed at St. Nazaire, in N.W.France; 1 million by July 1918. 25 July, 1918. BSM FJS's third period in France, now with 514 Seige Battery, in time to join a major British, Canadian and Australian attack on 8 August, 1918. against the German invaders at Amiens; theMeuse-Argonneoffensive began under the overall strategic direction of Marshal Foch on the western front between Ypres and Verdun, with the Americans in the south around Verdun, the French in the middle and the British at Ypres. The official German account described this day as ' the greatest defeat the German army has suffered since the 'beginning of the war', and General Ludendorff wrote later 'August 8th was the blackest day of the German Army in the history of this war' and promptly offered his resignation, which the Kaiser refused. 514 Siege Battery consisted of a "12-inch railway howitzer battery section of 1 gun" (http://www.1914-1918.net/rga.htm) 26 September, 1918. The final Allied offensive involved the movement by night of half million men, 2,000 guns and over 900,000 tons of supplies and ammunition to an area over the only three available usable roads. The opening bombardment began at 02.30 hours with 2,700 guns. Three hours later the US First , with the French Fourth, Army went over the top in dense fog, to advance over ground churned up as if by a giant plough by bombardments as far back as Verdun, confused by thick belts of wire and tangled woods made almost impassable by fallen trees. Advance was slow and hard and casualties were heavy; communications broke down, and by 1 October they had reached some 7 to 10 miles into the German lines, having taken 18,000 prisoners. The Americans, from 26 September to 20 October, lost 5,158 men in battle, for small gains on a narrow front, but over particularly difficult country and against serious enemy resistance. . . . . . . . . . At 0555 hours on 29 September the British 46th Division and the American 27th and 30th Divisions set off behind a creeping barrage to attack the Hindenburg Line defences. As always supported by artillery, the 46th broke the line by nightfall and the Americans, fighting alongside three Australian Divisions, did so the following day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 November, 1918. FJS was still in France for the Armistice, and until the 9 January, 1919 when he returned to England as Artillery Reserve and ready for recall if necessary; for, although the fighting stopped on 11th November, 1918, peace was not signed until 28 June, 1919. 5. There is no specific mention in the Ministry letter regarding his service in Ireland in 1919-20 where he received a head-wound, at the time of the 'Black & Tan' uprising whilst supervising the collection of illicit arms. Ireland must not have been officially considered an Overseas posting. This event may have been when with 533 Battery he was appointed Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant; he was brought back to Kent and Sussex Fire Command for 4 months before being posted to a new Brigade, promoted Warrant Officer I, and then became Regimental Sergeant Major, a rank he held for 14 months before finally relinquishing Army service. 6. As Warrant Officer First Class and Regimental Sergeant Major FJS had reached as high as he could get below the rank of a Commissioned Officer. Despite the huge efforts being made by the War Office after WW1 to disband the thousands of Army personnel in excess of their now drastically reduced Service requirements, FJS was in fact offered a continuation of Service with a Commission, but he decided that, with his 21 years of experience, he could not face the prospect of 'starting all over again' as a junior officer, and being treated on a par with new and untrained direct entrants so much younger than himself. (He was 40 years old at this time). And so, with his young family in mind, he decided to request release from the Army and to take his chance, and with his knowledge and experience of administration and organisational abilities, to compete among the teeming ranks of civilian unemployed. He joined the Corps of Commissionaires,. anticipating that they at least would recognise his level of experience, and may be able to use their influence in finding him suitable employment. It was a hard blow for him to discover that 'rank' no longer counted in civilian life, (only 'privilege', as ever!), and that there was no demand for his particular skills. Necessity finally forced him into accepting a job as Insurance Messenger which he considered "merely running errands", and often at the command of very young 'self-opinionated upstarts' straight from school. It seems he never really 'found his feet' in Civvy Street . . . . . . . Of course it is not now known in which of these war activities he was personally involved, nor to what extent. He would never speak about it (least of all to me, who was really too young to understand) and now, at my ripe old age, and with having gained the above amount of knowledge and some latterly-gained personal experiences of my own, thoughts of having missed so many possible opportunities to have learned more and to have discussed things with him are now a matter of great regret. - Mervyn. 06/03 Nan (Annie May Stanton - nee Heath), on her husband Fred Stanton. Recorded January 1978 Conversation between Annie May Stanton, and son Ronald Stanton. Ronald speaks first. It's been a year since we last made that recording. And here we are, January 1978. Yes, it doesn't seem possible does it? Time seems to fly so quickly. We enjoyed celebrating your 85th birthday. Coming to visit you just for the day in Weston. Oh that was lovely wasn't it? Didn't we have a lovely meal?! Ah! Fish and Chips at "Coffins"?! It was lovely I did enjoy it! I never get tired of going to Weston, got such lovely memories though there really. From childhood when I used to go with the Sunday school when I was about ten. You used to go didn't you..? Yes from St..? Yes it was lovely. Well we thought we'd like to record something about my father Fred. You said he'd be over ninety? Oh he was born in 1882. 1882 in February 1882, he was ten years older than me? First of all we'll go back as far as I can to his childhood. I think he was at sea when he was about sixteen, and he was very, very fond of his Mother, when he came home his mother had died. He lived in Southampton? Southampton yes. He had four sisters, yes four sisters and another brother. And he was so broken hearted when he came back and found his Mother was gone, he joined the army, and I don't know where he was stationed. Oh, he went to Malta I know for about 12 months, then he was in India for 9 years. He was stationed mostly at Karachi. And I remember him telling me he was on duty at the Delhi durbar. Now what king was that? Edward? Edward VII. Yes Edward VII. Because I can remember Queen Victoria dying, in fact I remember her jubilee And I can remember her death because I was at school, and we remember the incident if you can call it that. Then of course King Edward VII was the next on the throne. Well he was over there for 9 years. Well, when I was in London, 18, this is where I came in contact with him. The cook was his cousin, and she used to keep up a correspondence with him. And when he came home on leave I met him then. But she became engaged to him, but he was engaged for quite a while, and for some reason or other it ended. Well I kept up correspondence with him after that, well he used to write to me and I did to him, quite friendly. And he said he would like to come to Bristol, to visit Bristol. So he came to Bristol, and that was how it came about that he was your Mother? he was your?. He was? he was your Father! But he used to visit you in London did he where you were working? Oh he used to come there to see the cook of course, I mean? that was where I met him first of all you see. Well when he came to Bristol as I say, he came for a fortnight and then, there he asked me if I would marry him and I was twenty-one at the time. And he asked me, I think about the May, and we were married the following August, at St Paul's church in Bedminster? on Coronation Road. What year was that? 1913. Must have been because you were born 1914 weren't you? Yes. Oh I thought I was very smart then. Course the brides, in our position you never see a bride? they couldn't afford white. I had a lovely navy blue costume and a big white "negorn?" hat with the roses round it. Everybody thought I looked marvellous! Course I had a veil round under my chin, one of those veils, not at the back of the head. But it looked very attractive, in those days. We really thought it looked nice. Was dad married in uniform? Oh yes! He was in full uniform? oh he was very smart. What was his rank then? Corporal. And that was the Royal Garrison Artillery? Yes. The Royal Garrison Artillery which was stationed in Plymouth. Course we couldn't afford a honey- moon that was entirely out of the question. We couldn't even afford a wedding cake, we didn't have anything 'cause Mother couldn't afford to buy one and I couldn't afford to buy one. But I was absolutely amazed after the wedding when we got back to see a wedding cake on the table because Fred had bought it! Your father had bought a wedding cake himself! But still it was a thrill for me that day the same as any other. It was very, very nice. Well then I moved to Plymouth with him into married quarters, it's what they called then "being married on the strength of the regiment". And we had quite? well it was just up and down stairs it was. But it was partly furnished, and we had bread, meat allowance, coal, paraffin for lamps 'cause there was no gas then we had just paraffin lamps. Of course I had a little range in the kitchen you know to do the cooking. And that was all, that was an honour you know, to be married on the strength of the regiment. There were only 12 in his company that were married, 'cause other people had to live out in the village nearby and that. He was getting 18 shillings a week one week, and 21 the next week. And I managed to save 5 shillings a week out of that, the whole of the time, even when you were coming along. I managed to buy your little bits at a time, all your baby clothes. It was lovely. I made a little embroidered robe with "pintups" in it. And it was really such a sweet little thing. To me you looked lovely in it. Were there many other soldiers wives...? In the quarters, there were about 12 married quarters altogether. And children? Yes. Oh yes there were several children. And you were christened in "Lair?" Church. Which is near Plympton. I don't know the name of the church now it was a long time ago, my memory can't go back. But I can remember taking you there to be christened. Then I brought you home, then you were 9 weeks old. The war broke out, you were born in the July, the 9th of July and the war broke out on the 3rd of August. 1914 that's right. Well then I brought you home to Mother to Bristol, and stayed with mother and you were 9 weeks old then. Of course they all idolised you being the baby! Made a fuss of you. Then your father was in France, when he went to France he landed at St "Loizaire?" that? well round? in the bay round Brest, round that way I think, and he didn't come home on leave? oh for nearly 12 months. And it was terrible to see him when he did come home, he came? I think the whole of the war, the whole 4 years that the war was on, he only came home about 4 times. It was a terrible time for him there, he was on the Somme. One nice thing, when he came on leave once, he was staying at a farm, and there must have been a little girl that he was very fond of, and when he was home on leave he took back a little pair of shoes for her, and that was ever so nice. But that was typical of him though. From then, when the war finished, he was sent to Ireland, there was a lot of "Sein Feign" trouble over there, in Southern Ireland round Dublin, Cork round that part of the country. Which he said was far worse, the atmosphere and everything there in general was even worse than the war. Because of the fighting that went on so indiscriminately with the people among themselves, as well as the troops. It seemed that they? well I don't understand what it was By then he had been promoted? Oh he was a sergant then. He was sergeant. Well then of course 21 years? when he had put in 21 years service he was demobbed as they called it, and came out on pension - 26 shillings a week pension from the army. We were living then at Clifton if you remember Ronald? Yes, Richmond Terrace. Richmond Terrace at Clifton. And we had a happy time with us all there, and you were at school, I used to take you up on the downs do you remember meeting you from school and take you up on there to tea upon the down? It was lovely. Well as regards your father, he was out of work then? it was a very, very bad period that time from 1921 to 1923 there was a terrific lot of unemployment, and your father was unemployed for about 18 months. Now by this time of course Clifford Oh Clifford had arrived! Clifford yes, and Mervyn. Clifford was born in 1917, and Mervyn was born in 1921. So we had the three of you. You three children and your father was out of work. He was getting 26 shillings a week unemployment pay, for 6 weeks, and then the next 6 weeks he drew nothing. We had to live on what I had managed to save during the war. But it was a bitter, very bitter blow to him when he used to have to stand in queues for this money. A very bitter for him he didn't like that at all. All events he went to the Corps Commissionaires to get a job, and they couldn't give him one because he had held too high a position then, because he was a Regimental Sergeant Major. And they didn't take Regimental Sergeant Majors. So they said they couldn't give him a job, so he was still out of work, so finally he went back to them and said he would revert to Sergeant Major, if they could then provide him with a job he couldn't get anything else, and you know really he was most proficient in office work. But of course at the age he was 40-41 he was of an age when everybody in his type of work were really settled in it. I mean he could do shorthand, bookkeeping but there were no jobs available in? well I presume it was because he was too well up in it, you see everyone was all settled. In all events he finally managed to get a job in an insurance office at £2 12s 6d a week. And he? at that place I know he stayed there for 18 years, but he was never happy there, because the job was really inferior to what he was used to for one thing. And the whole time he was there he had one half a crown a week rise. Well now that would be equivalent to what 50 pence today? 2 and 6? I don't know. I get "comp?" with this money business. That would be? it's ten times as much today. So it would be worth £1.25. Yes but then his wages then were only £2 12s a week, you see so there you are. And although? which was so marvellous really we managed to keep you boys in school. You then had passed Cotton Secondary school which was a good School. Clifford in the meantime had passed for the technical school, which was another good school. But we did struggle for Mervyn and thank goodness with your help Ron, or else I should never had been able to do it, Mervyn went to St George Grammar school, and that's how you boys really had your education. But, nobody could have been a more wonderful man than your father with his money, whatever was wanted, what ever was needed, he'd hand over every penny he had, even his pension for anything that you boys wanted. And you managed to buy a house Oh! Yes we bought a house. In Whitehall Road? Yes. And how much was that? The house itself was £575. Of course then there was all the mortgage rates on top, it really worked out into the late hundreds you see then. But, it was so marvellous we bought it within 8 years. You started that in 1928 was it? Yes, yes. Ron, can you remember all those trains you had in the front room? Oh yes lovely models. Weren't they lovely models? Hornby... King George V wasn't it? I don't know Caerphilly was one, yes you had that one. ? Castle? ...and you had a station? all round the floor! I daren't go into the front room because all the trains used to be set round. But I can remember your father used to buy these things quietly, and just bring them home and just hand them to you. And he really used to spend quite a lot of money on them. And every Saturday regularly, he used to bring me home half a pound of sweets. It was lovely you know?. different sorts. (Ruby) Half a pound! It was? you know it was the thought that was so nice. And then another time on my birthday? I've still got pieces of the tea service left now, that he bought me for my birthday. He didn't tell me he was buying it, but he brought on this lovely china tea service for me from "Lawleys" once for my birthday. You know he'd do things so quietly and you used to wonder what he was going to do next. Now you know those two beds in your bedroom? your guest room that you've got up there. He bought those. I didn't know he was buying them, now they're nice beds aren't they? They're lovely beds. Mahogany tops. Mahogany tops, carved tops aren't they the rounded tops. And he came home to me one day and he said "I'd like you to come and see two beds in Jones' I've earmarked." And I said "Beds?" So he said "Yes I thought perhaps we'd like single beds." And he said "You said you'd like single beds." So when I went in "Oh!" I said "You can't afford those!" Do you know how much they were? £8 10s each! And two mattresses aren't there? And even now aren't they in a lovely condition? Mind you've kept them nice but still? it's been so lovely to think that you've got something that he bought and bought on his own I feel, you know. He went in and saw them, but he was really so quietly good-natured. I never really knew how ill he was before he went, but I think his job really got him down, in the end. He really was disappointed with it because he couldn't get anything at his age, he couldn't get anything different at all. It wasn't his job, he was really a man that was better suited to something else. At all events what is so nice to think, at the end, what I can always remember, and I shall always be grateful for, I'd been up several nights with him and he was terribly ill. It was heart trouble. I had his bed downstairs, and I'd been up several nights and was really tired. It was a bank holiday Monday 4th August. And Ron and Ruby? Ruby came over with Ronald, of course they weren't married then. She came over with Ronald, and they knew that Fred was very ill, and they came over and stayed. Well I said to Ronald "Would you stay with your Dad while I have a little rest 'cause?" I said " ?I shall have to stay up all night." and of course Ronald was only too delighted to do it. I can remember I said, I was only upstairs for about half an hour, I hadn't even fallen asleep and Ronald really quietly came to the foot of the stairs and just said "Mum can you come down a minute" and I said when I got down Ronald was with him at the end, and I said "Ah?" He was just going, just as I got down. But it was so lovely to think Ronald was there and Ruby. I said I don't know what I should have done if they hadn't been there. And strangely enough, this is another queer incidence... Clifford was away at camp, and he came home that same evening. He said he felt that there was something happening and he had to come home. Do you remember that Ronald? No I don't remember, where was he camping with the scouts? With the scouts at camp, yes. And he said he felt that there was something happening. But I've often felt though how lovely it was that I had Ron and Ruby with me of course they've always been my backbone and still are. So my father Fredrick John Stanton, died the 4th August1940. Written on tape by Ronald - "(NB. My diary shows he died 5th August 1940)"