Frederick William
Yeomans was born in Chailey in 1894, his birth registered at the Lewes district in the June quarter of that year. He appears on the 1901 census living at South Common with his parents and younger sister. The household comprised: Alfred Yeomans (head, married, aged 34, working as a brick maker), his wife Elizabeth
(aged 29) and their two children: Frederick (aged seven) and Florence (aged three). Both Fredrick’s parenmst and his sister were Chailey born.
The parish magazine
first notes Frederick in its October 1914 edition, noting that he is serving his King and
Country and he was almost certainly a very early enlistment. In October 1915
it reports that Lance-Corporal F Yeomans is serving with the 8th Royal Sussex Regiment in France and in October 1916 reports that he has been awarded the DCM.
His citation,
published on page 10209 of The London Gazette (1916, volume IV) reads:
G1671 L/Cpl F W Yeoman, R Sussex R
For conspicuous gallantry in an attack, when, acting under orders of an officer, he organsied a bombing
party, and, with great courage and skill, bombed his way up a communication trench, facilitating the advance, and causing
the surrender of about 160 of the enemy.
The London Gazette
mis-spelt his name as Yeoman but in November 1916, in his parish notes, Reverend Jellicoe made no such mistakes:
Our list of officers and men will have an additional interest this month.
With “noble pride and not national swagger” as the Bishop of London recently put it, we publish under a special paragraph
a list of distinctions. The most recent of these is Lance-Corpl F Yeomans DCM. I had the pleasure of seeing him quite recently, and after considerable difficulty,
for he was very reluctant to say anything about the brave deed at all, I was able to write down at his dictation the following
account: “I was among the second wave that advanced to consolidate a position.
We were held up by Germans in the dug-outs. As soon as the first wave
had advanced the Germans left their dug-outs to attack us. I volunteered with
three others to clear a number of the enemy from their trenches. In the execution
of this duty I was awarded the DCM. We took thirty one prisoners, and when the
rest of the platoon reached us a further 150 prisoners were captured.”
In February 1917
the parish magazine notes that Frederick has been promoted to corporal and in January 1918 records that he
is now serving with the 4th Royal Sussex Regiment (a Territorial Force battalion).
In April 1918
the parish magazine reports a further promotion, this time to sergeant, and this information is repeated monthly up to
and including July 1919.
It is possible
that Frederick enlisted with Ernest Still of Chailey as just 14 digits separate their numbers.
Sources and Acknowledgements
- 1901 Census of England and Wales
- Chailey Parish Magazine
- The London Gazette
