Frederick John Carpenter, known as Fred, was born in Boxmoor, Hertfordshire on Tuesday, 27th April 1886 and baptised a year later on Wednesday, 13th April 1887 at St. John’s Church in the village. He was the fifth child born to Henry Carpenter and Anne Elizabeth Ellis who had eight children together. The children were: William, Annie, Alice, Henry, Fred, Ben, Rose and Walter.

Fred’s father Henry had been born and grew up in the Crouchfield area of Boxmoor and when Fred was born the family was living close to Crouchfield on St. John’s Road. Henry would remain there until his death.

Fred started his education at Boxmoor JMI School in 1891 and he successfully completed Standards I to VI by the time he left in April 1899. He left to work as a ‘Carter’ on a farm at the age of thirteen and he would continue with farm work for the next sixteen years until he went to war.

He was called up under the Group (Derby) Scheme and enlisted in November 1915, attesting in Watford and joining the Leicestershire Regiment. He was posted to 1/5th Battalion to train and although records do not reveal when Fred was sent to France, it is likely that he undertook basic training for six months, so he was probably in France by June of 1916.

When he did go to France Fred was posted to the 7th (Service) Battalion under the orders of 110th Brigade, (‘The Leicester Tigers Brigade’), in the 21st Division. He saw action the Battle of Flers-Courcelette, the Battle of Morval in which the Division captured Gueudecourt and finally the Battle of Le Transloy.

Shortly after the start of the Battle of Transloy, the Battalion moved to Bethune and relieved the Royal Irish Rifles in the Hohenzollern section of trenches. The Battalion war diary records that on the 10th October “Nothing of importance happened during tour of duty in front line” however, on the following day the only entry reads: “One man killed.” The man killed was the unfortunate Fred Carpenter.

Fred was killed on Wednesday, 11th October 1916.

Fred is Remembered with Honour in Vermelles British Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France where he is interred in Grave V.E.20. The inscription on his headstone, requested by his mother Anne reads: “HE WENT AT DUTY'S CALL NOW HE LIES IN A HERO'S GRAVE”.

He was 29 years old when he died.

Fred was entitled to the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.