An Officer’s Second Battle of the Somme Memorial Plaque issued in memory of Second Lieutenant Frederick William Gibbon, 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers, attached 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who having initially served with the 28th Battalion, London Regiment Officers’ Training Corps would be commissioned into the 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers. He would serve on the Western Front attached to the 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment and was killed in action on 25th August 1918 initially being buried in a grave to the north west of Le Sars before being re-interred at Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont. He was the son of the owner of Gibbons and Sons Ltd, Timber Merchants, Gloucester Lane, Richmond Road, Cardiff, Wales.
Great War Memorial Plaque; (FREDERICK WILLIAM GIBBON)
Condition: Nearly Extremely Fine
Frederick William Gibbon was deemed to have been enlisted from 24th June 1916, initially as a Private (No.765542) with the 28th Battalion, London Regiment – Officer Training Corps before being called up for service on 20th April 1917 and attached on 8th September 1917 before being discharged to a Commission on 17th December 1917. Subsequently serving on the Western Front as a Second Lieutenant, 1st Battalion, Northumberland Fusiliers attached 1st Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment he was killed in action on 25th August 1918 initially being buried 500 yards north west of Le Sars, south west of Bapaume, before his body was later moved to Adanac Military Cemetery, Miraumont, north-east of Albert.
The War Diary for the 25th shows that Gibbons battalion was ordered to continue to advance, the objective being the sunken road running south east from Le Barque, there was a very heavy mist which lasted until 6.45am and the advance was at first held by very heavy machine gun fire from the heights to the west of Le Sars, resulting in artillery being called in from 10.30am to 11am in an attempt to clear them, while a Stokes Mortar was directed onto the most active machine-gun nest which was silenced at 10am. The enemy then withdrew and the battalion was organised into the formation for advance. Owing to a break in communication the artillery strike that had been ordered could not be cancelled so the advance was delayed until 11am. The advance then continued successfully throughout the day.
The War Diary notes on 28th August that during the advance during the operations of 21st to 28th August 1918, 3 officers including Second Lieutenant F.W. Gibbon were killed, 1 died of wounds and 5 others were wounded.
Gibbon’s civil occupation was given as an accountant, but he was the son of the owner of the Welsh Family Business – Gibbons and Sons Ltd, Timber Merchants, Gloucester Lane, Richmond Road, Cardiff, Wales. His wife lived at the family home at 2 Archer Road, Glamorgan, until after his death she moved to Cardiff. The family were Freemasons in Cardiff and his name appears on the Cardiff Masons WW1 Memorial.
