Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Sanctuary Wood Cemetery | Sp. Mem. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.126 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 40B GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
He was known as 'the fighting parson'.Family :
Son of Beatrix Sams, of Sherington Lodge, Newport Pagnell, Bucks, and the late Rev. G. F. Sams. Born at Emberton, Bedford. Clergyman at Longreach (1913).Education & Career :
He was educated at Harrow School and then Trinity College, Cambridge, where he won the University featherweight boxing competitions in 1901, 1902 and 1904, also representing the university in successful competitions against Oxford.
On leaving Cambridge, Fred was ordained into the Church of England, and acted as curate in Balsall Heath, Birmingham, for three years. However Fred sought further adventure and in 1908 he travelled out to Australia to join the Bush Brotherhood in Queensland. According to local legend, Fred would ride out to conduct services in remote areas, then following his sermon, would strip off to the waist and challenge any of his parishioners to a bout.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 6th Battalion Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry |
| Action : Other actions in Spring 1915 |
The official dates cover the period from 15th June 1915 to 8th August 1915. This is the period on the Western Front following the piecemeal engagements North of the La Bassee canal at Aubers Ridge, Festubert & Givenchy but before the Battle of Loos, the largest Western Front battle of 1915.
He was the leading sporting spirit in that battalion and whether it was football, running, swimming, or boxing, he was always ready to help in providing sport for the men in their few hours of leisure. He showed that he had not lost his skill at boxing by winning the battalion championship, and captained the cross-country team which gained third place in the Divisional Championship, showing them the way to pack and forfeiting his chance of gaining the officers’ medal – for which he was only just beaten by Lieut. R.S. Clarke – in order to keep them together.
Detail :
LIEUTENANT THE REV. F. E. B. HULTON-SAMS, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry Died aged 33 on July 31st 1915 (CWGC states 30 July 1915) Eldest son of the Rev. George Frederick Sams, Rector of Emberton and Rural Dean, and of Sarah Beatrix Sams, nee Hulton. Educated at Educated at Harrow 1896 to 1899 and Trinity College, Cambridge. Won the University Feather-weight Boxing Cup in 1901, 1902, 1904, and represented Cambridge against Oxford in those years, winning each time. He was ordained in September, 1905, to the curacy of St. Paul's, Balsall Heath, Birmingham, and in 1908 joined the Bush Brotherhood, Queensland, where he worked till 1914, his skill in boxing earning him the sobriquet of the Fighting Parson. On the outbreak of the War Lieutenant Hulton-Sams applied for a Military Chaplaincy, but, failing to obtain one, enlisted in the 3rd Bedfordshire Regiment, in which he rose to the rank of Lance-Corporal. In November, 1914, he received a Commission in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry. He was killed at Hooge on July 31st, 1915, while crawling from cover to fetch water for his wounded men. His Adjutant writes : He died a glorious death, commanding a Company in an important position, and sticking to it, where others might have failed. . . . All the afternoon and all night they never flinched, though the enemy attacked again and again with bombs and liquid fire. Next morning at 10 a.m. I crawled out and talked to him. He was magnificent and very cheerful, and his last words to me were, 'Well, this is a bit thick, but we'll see it through, never fear.' . . . After that he crawled out of cover to see if he could get water for the men, many of whom were wounded and very thirsty'. He was hit by a piece of shell in the thigh and side and never recovered consciousness. He was a fine Officer, a fine friend, and worshipped by his men, and he died doing a thing which makes us proud to have known him. It was said of him when he left Australia He touched men that other Brothers failed to reach and brought the message of the Gospel to those who in the past have stood aloof: he was a man among men, and his heart was right there. Hulton-Sams is mentioned in 'Brothers in the Sun - a History of the Bush Brotherhood Movement in the Outback of Australia' - By Anglican Rev. R.A.F. Webb , which recounts short stories, tall stories, happy stories ; true stories which link together 3/4 of a century of the work of the members of the Bush Brotherhood in their native habitat - the Australian Bush. Here is the true story of the Brotherhood movement which began as an Anglican mission to the far west of Central Queensland in 1897 , and then spread to 4 Australian states - New South Wales, Victoria , Western Australia , and South Australia ... It is a movement that has provided the Anglican Church with 18 bishops ... This book is a history of all the Bush Brotherhoods that have existed within the Anglican Church in Australia.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Meteor No. 2510 E.C. | Unknown |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
12th February 1913 | 12th March 1913 | 13th August 1913 |
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley