Francis John Bailey

Memorial: Kingswood - Holy Trinity Church

Regiment: Royal Engineers

Medals: 1914–15 Star, British War Medal, Silver War Badge, Victory Medal

Rank and number: Sapper 1526

Parents: Francis and Emily Agnes Bailey

Marital status: Married

Home address: Home Address: Gee Moor, Kingswood, Bristol. Lived: The Moors, Cock Road Kingswood, Bristol

Pre-war occupation: Acetylene welder at iron foundry

Date of birth: 1889

Place of birth: Bitton, Bristol

Date of death: 30/04/1916

Buried/Commemorated at: Buried and commemorated at Kingswood Holy Trinity Church

Age: 26

Further information:

Francis was born in Bitton, the son of a shepherd and a middle child of seven children with four sisters and two brothers. Francis enlisted in November 1914 in the Royal Engineers and married Ethel Mabel Freke in late Spring 1915 just before he embarked to France with the British Expeditionary Force in June 1915.

On enlistment he was described as 5’ 8 “ in height with dark hair and brown eyes and in good physical health. However, during the seven months he spent in France he had frequent admissions to hospital with chest problems and was sent home on 28th January 1916 as medically unfit for further military service. He died three months later in the 1st Southern General Hospital Stourbridge. The most likely cause of his death was tuberculosis. He served with 2/1st Fortress Company South Midland, Royal Engineers.

Note: He is not on CWGC website.

By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):

This information has been provided by Sarah Hands, Volunteer Researcher for the South Gloucestershire War Memorials Web Site.
By kind permission, this information is based on the following source(s):
https://www.cwgc.org/
https://www.ancestry.co.uk/
https://www.findmypast.co.uk/
https://www.forces-war-records.co.uk/