| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information
Frank was born in Beverley on June 13th 1886 and baptised at the Minster on September 5th of that year. He was the son of William Richardson Brewer (1857-1910) and his wife Sarah (1862-1931), both locally born. Frank was one of seven children. The family home was initially on Keldgate but later at 5 Queensgate Villas. Frank was recorded in the 1901 census as being an errand boy at a local gunsmith, possibly Ackrills in Saturday Market. By the time of the war he worked as a tanner’s labourer. Frank was unmarried.
According to Frank’s army service documents he enlisted at Beverley on December 10th 1915, joining the 1St Battalion of the East Yorkshire Regiment as a private. He arrived in France on June 23rd 1916 and joined “C Coy” in the field on the Somme on July 10th. On September 25th 1916 he suffered a serious gunshot wound to the head and spent time at Etaples military hospital in France.
He rejoined his company on October 26th 1916. The 1st was then moved from the Somme to the Arras area of France. The 1st was involved in the opening day of the Battle of Arras (and specifically referred to as the 1st Battle of the Scarpe) on April 9th 1917. In freezing conditions and heavy snow, the 1st advanced on German lines at 3:50pm. They managed to enter the first trench of the Hindenburg Line but were unable to progress further to the second line, facing determined German shelling and machine gun fire. At the age of 31, Frank was killed in this attack. He was buried initially at Henin-sur-Cojeul, 5.5 miles SE of Arras. He was posted as missing and this was mentioned in the Beverley Guardian of April 21st and 28th 1917. Frank’s death wasn’t officially confirmed until February 1st 1918. He is now buried at Cojeul British Cemetery, St Martin-sur Cojeul. He was awarded the War and Victory Medals. Frank is commemorated on the Hengate Memorial and on the East Riding Memorial in the Minster.
Includes information taken from census, military records, newspapers |