Frederick Charles Bladon was born at the beginning of 1898 in Hemel Hempstead, the first child of Charles Bladon and Daisy Sells. He was the first of seven children, one of whom died, and his younger siblings were; Henry, Walter, John, Mirabel, Lizzy and Berty. His brother John died shortly after birth in 1904.The family lived at 10 Cherry Bounce in Hemel Hempstead when Frederick was born, and his father worked as an Agricultural General Labourer.

By 1911 Charles and Daisy had moved with their large family to a three-room house at 31 Cherry Bounce and thirteen-year-old Frederick was about to leave school. It is not known where Frederick worked but, on the outbreak of war he decided to enlist, despite his young age.

He was sixteen years old when war broke out, but in April 1915 he enlisted in the 8th (Service) Devonshire Regiment, attesting in Saint Albans. His choice of regiment and the location of his enlistment seem to confirm his deception regarding his age. He was unlikely to enlist in a local regiment and to attest in Hemel Hempstead as he would run the risk of rejection if he was recognised.

Officially recruits had to be eighteen and would not be eligible for overseas service until they were nineteen, but recruiting officers often overlooked this rule even if they suspected a recruit was lying about his age. It is estimated that as many as 250,000 underage recruits enlisted and fought at the Front in the Great War. The youngest, believed authenticated, was twelve-year-old Sidney Lewis who fought at the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

On acceptance into the Army he was posted to Farnham to begin basic training before moving to Aldershot. The 8th Battalion was mobilised for war in July 1915 and Frederick was sent to France just over a month later on the 2nd September joining his comrades a few days later. He arrived just in time to be hurled into the Battle of Loos on 25th September. Despite German shelling and British gas blowing back on it during the attack, the 8th pressed on leading the assault and captured the enemy position. Along with the 9th Battalion Devons it held the position until being withdrawn the following day.

Young Frederick survived this baptism of fire, while his unit suffered 639 casualties, and for the rest of 1915 he saw action in the trenches although nothing as devastating as Loos.

By May 1916 Frederick was in the vicinity of Meaulte just south of Albert where the 8th Devons had taken over a section of the trenches from the 2nd Gordon Highlanders and the 20th Manchesters. On the last day of this tour and just when his battalion was due to be relieved, Frederick was killed by enemy artillery fire.

He died on Wednesday, 24th May 1916. 

Frederick is Remembered with Honour in the Citadel New Military Cemetery Fricourt, Somme, France, where he is interred in Grave V.E.5.

He was only 18 years old when he died.

Frederick was eligible for the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.