Introduction
Frederick Haggett appears to have worked with motor vehicles from as early as 1913 and later established himself as a motor mechanic in Yeovil. The First World War had a profound impact on his family, claiming the lives of two of his brothers, while Frederick himself may also have served and been discharged through ill health. In later years, his attempts to relieve persistent head pain with sleeping medication ultimately contributed to his death in 1964.
Childhood
Frederick was born on 25 March 1892 at Pendomer, the youngest of five children of Walter Haggett and his wife Martha (née Eastment).[1] His father worked as a railway platelayer.
Around 1895, the family moved to Barry Lane, Hardington.[2] Walter continued to work as a railway platelayer, although the evidence suggests the family was under financial strain. In 1901, the household of two adults and five boys lived in a two-room dwelling, while the only daughter, Mary Jane, was already in service at Partway House.
At the age of seven, Frederick and another village boy of a similar age were summoned before the Yeovil magistrates for throwing stones at a man named Edward Marsh. The magistrate declined to proceed due to their age but expressed the hope that their parents would give them a whipping, which they said had already been done.[3]
The family’s neighbours in Barry Lane included George Sibley, an active supporter of the chapel. On Boxing Day 1901, Frederick participated in a chapel entertainment, performing a dialogue alongside George’s son, Charles.[4]
In 1906, two of Frederick’s brothers enlisted as soldiers: Walter Junior in the Dorset Regiment and Wilfred Ernest in the Somerset Light Infantry. This left Frederick at home with his brother Sidney, and they both became stonemason labourers.
In about 1909, the family moved from Barry Lane to a three-room house in Rectory Lane.[5] Around this time, Walter left his railway job to work as a farm labourer, possibly because his health was declining. By the time of the 1921 census, he was a chronic invalid without an occupation.
First World War
Frederick lost two brothers during the First World War: Wilfred in February 1915 and Walter in May 1916. His third brother, Sidney, served with the Royal Garrison Artillery.[6] His pension index card refers to Rose Cottage, Hardington, which helps confirm his identity. After the war, Sidney worked as a hotel valet and porter in Hampshire.
Frederick himself may have enlisted in the Dorset Regiment on 14 April 1915 and been discharged sick on 27 July 1917.[7] The identification is uncertain because the surviving records provide only the name, with no further details.
Marriage
In September 1920, Frederick placed an advertisement in a newspaper seeking work: “Driver-Fitter (petrol) seeks situation. Heavy or light. Own repairs. Seven years’ experience. Single. Abstainer.”[8] His claim to seven years’ experience suggests he began working with motor vehicles in about 1913, marking a significant change from his earlier employment as a stonemason’s labourer. The timing of the advert may indicate that he was seeking more secure employment ahead of his marriage to Susan Alice Hiscott later that year.
Susan was born and raised at West Coker, where her father, Albert, worked as a general labourer. During the First World War, he served as an acting corporal in the Labour Corps, and afterwards worked as a gardener for Captain Claude Ward Jackson at West Coker.[9] He died in November 1921 at the age of 56.[10] Susan’s mother, Rhoda, originally came from Dover, where her father served in the Rifle Brigade.
After their marriage, Frederick and Susan initially lived with his parents in Rectory Lane, where their first child, Wilfred Alan, was born in April 1921. At that time, Frederick worked as a motor mechanic for Mr MacDonald of Beer Street, Yeovil.
Yeovil
Soon afterwards, they moved to Yeovil, where they settled permanently. Their second child, Sidney Ernest, was born at 5 Spring Gardens, Huish, on 6 September 1922, followed by their son, Basil Austin, in 1929 and their daughter, Elsie Doreen, in 1932.[11]
On 18 January 1926, Frederick’s father died at 5 Spring Gardens from a cerebral haemorrhage.[12] By September 1939, his mother lived at 6 Spring Gardens.
By 1939, Frederick and his family lived at 1 Spring Gardens. Frederick was recorded as a “Motor Mechanic incapacitated,” indicating that he was no longer able to follow his occupation normally.
Death
By September 1964, Frederick and Susan were living at 107 Westfield Road. He was seventy-two years old and suffered from severe head pain that disturbed his sleep, for which he was prescribed barbiturate sleeping tablets.
On 22 September 1964, he took two sleeping pills before going to bed and two more on two occasions during the night because severe head pain was keeping him awake. The following morning, he took another two and died shortly afterwards. His doctor told the inquest that he should have taken only two tablets at bedtime. A pathologist concluded that he had died from carotid thrombosis due to a barbiturate overdose, and the coroner returned a verdict of death by misadventure.[13]
Frederick left an estate valued at £115.[14] Susan remained at the same address until her death on 6 February 1981 at the age of 83, when her estate was valued at £827.[15]
Conclusion
Frederick’s working life took him from employment as a stonemason’s labourer in Hardington into the relatively new trade of motor mechanics, in which he established himself after moving to Yeovil. By 1939, however, he was already described as incapacitated, although the nature of his condition is unknown. He remained in Yeovil for the rest of his life, dying in 1964 after accidentally taking too much medication prescribed to relieve severe head pain.
References
[1] Civil registration birth index; Pendomer baptism register; 1939 Register; family reconstitution.
[2] Hardington voters’ lists.
[3] Weymouth Telegram, 9 May 1898, p.7. This report states that Frederick was six years old, but he was seven.
[4] Western Chronicle, 3 January 1902, p.5.
[5] Hardington voters’ lists; guardian valuations.
[6] World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
[7] British Army World War I Medal Rolls Index Cards, 1914-1920.
[8] Western Gazette, 3 September 1920, p.6.
[9] World War I Pension Ledgers and Index Cards, 1914-1923.
[10] National probate calendar.
[11] Baptism register of St John, Yeovil; civil registration birth index.
[12] Death certificate of Walter Haggett.
[13] Bristol Evening Post, 29 September 1964, p.27.
[14] National probate calendar.
[15] National probate calendar.