Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen | Officers, A. 3. 3. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.138 | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Born at Abbey Field, Colchester. Son of the late Maj. Gen. Henry Ernest Thesiger Williams and of Mary Elizabeth Williams.Education & Career :
Williams went to Cheltenham College as a day boy between 1889 and 1895.
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 2/Northamptonshire Regiment |
2nd Battalion August 1914 : in Alexandria, Egypt. Returned to England, landing October 1914. October 1914 : moved to Hursley Park near Winchester and attached to 24th Brigade in 8th Division. 5 November 1914 : landed at Le Havre. |
| Action : The Battles of the Somme 1916 |
The Battle of the Somme 1st July - 18th November 1916 is inevitably characterised by the appalling casualties (60,000) on the first day, July 1st 1916. Having failed to break through the German lines in force, and also failed to maximise opportunities where success was achieved, the battle became a series of attritional assaults on well defended defence in depth. The battle continued officially until 18th November 1916 costing almost 500,000 British casualties. German casualties were about the same, and French about 200,000. The Somme could not be counted a success in terms of ground gained or the cost, but it had a strategic impact as it marked the start of the decline of the German Army. Never again would it be as effective whilst the British Army, learning from its experience eventually grew stronger to become a war winning army. The German High Command recognised that it could never again fight another Somme, a view that advanced the decision to invoke unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Britain of food and material, and in doing so accelerated the United States declaration of war thus guaranteeing the eventual outcome. 287 Brethren were killed on the Somme in 1916.
Detail :
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Thesiger Williams (commanding 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment) died of wounds at Rouen at age 38.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Excelsior Lodge No. 2832 E.C. | East Punjab |
| Joined : | Old Cheltonian No. 3223 E.C. | London |
| Joined : | Devon No. 1999 E.C. | Northern India |
| Joined : | Triune Brotherhood No. 2121 E.C. | East Punjab |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
5th August 1902 | 4th November 1902 | 2nd December 1902 |
Initiated into Excelsior Lodge No. 2832, Dagshai, Punjab
Joined Devon Lodge No. 1999 11th April 1904
Joined Lodge Truine Brotherhood No. 2121 16th August 1905.
Frederick became a founder member of The Old Cheltonian Lodge No. 3223 which was warranted on the 14th July 1907 and consecrated on 5th November 1907.
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