Introduction
Frederick Arthur Goldring lived at Hardington for about seven years before the First World War. He served in the army during the war and lost his life on 17 September 1916.
Childhood
Frederick was born at Yetminster on 18 September 1894, the elder of two sons born to George and Mary Goldring.[1] His father, George, was a dairyman.
The family moved to Corscombe in about 1900 and then to Hardington in about 1907.
On 4 February 1907, Frederick and his brother, Herbert, were admitted to Hardington School.[2] In May 1907, they were among the fourteen village children who passed the diocesan temperance examination.[3] In June 1911, they took part in games to celebrate the coronation.[4]
By the age of 16, Herbert had left school and was working in his father’s dairy.
First World War
Both Frederick and Herbert joined the army. Frederick had been a member of the Territorial Force before the war and became a private with the 1/4th (City of Bristol) Battalion (T.F.) of the Gloucestershire Regiment.[5] Their mother worried constantly about their safety while they were at the front. On 12 September 1916, she hanged herself after receiving news that Frederick had been severely wounded in both legs.[6] He died from his injuries five days later and was buried in Mont Huon Military Cemetery in France.[7]
References
[1] Yetminster baptism register; Civil Registration Birth Index.
[2] Hardington School admissions register.
[3] Western Chronicle, 31 May 1907, p.6.
[4] Western Gazette, 23 June 1911, p.4. The report only mentions the name Goldring with no first name, but both brothers were probably present.
[5] Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919.
[6] Western Chronicle, 22 September 1916, p.3.
[7] Soldiers Died in the Great War, 1914-1919; Geneanet Cemetery Index.
