A family photograph of Kew Gardener Frederick Honey died Arras April 1917 WW1

 

I heard through Ancestry.co.uk from Kelly and Claire Thomas, great-nieces of Sergeant Frederick Honey who worked at Kew Gardens and was killed at Arras in April 1917.

Sergeant Frederick Honey of Kew Gardens  (right) with his brother Chris (left) (Family photo from Kelly and Claire Thomas family collection used with permission / via Ancestry.co.uk)

On their family tree they had this interesting photograph of Fredrick and his brother Chris in uniform.

“Fred and Chris were our great uncles. We are more than happy for you to use the photo on your blog, it is lovely for him to be remembered. Christopher was also killed at war within about 2 months of Fred.
Though we knew Fred was a gardener, we had no idea until very recently that it was at Kew Gardens and certainly no idea of the memorial. We live fairly local so it would be lovely to go and see it.”

RBG Kew’s war memorial, Temple of Arethusa, Kew (Image copyright : Kew website)

He is mentioned in a list of “Gangers, labourers and boys” in Kew’s 1914 staff list and as one of “six Members of the labouring staff killed in action” in the Kew Guild Journal 1919 Roll of Honour.

You can read more about Frederick Honey here https://worldwarzoogardener1939.wordpress.com/2017/04/17/remembering-frederick-honey-of-kew-gardens-died-ww1-17-april-1917/

and at my main WW1 Kew Gardens blogpost

https://worldwarzoogardener1939.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/such-is-the-price-of-empire-the-lost-gardeners-of-kew-in-the-first-world-war/

 

Frederick Honey featured on Second WW1 panel, Kew Gardens War Memorial D – M (C.L. Digoy to P.T. Martin) Image: Mark Norris, World War Zoo Gardens Project

A little more about Fred and Chris Honey.

Frederick (born 1889) was listed in the 1911 census as a garden labourer employed by the Board of Agriculture, a connection that may describe or lead to work at such an official workplace as Kew.

Frederick’s older brother Gunner Christopher Thomas Honey 68818, 51st Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery died of wounds in Base Hospital at Boulogne on 12th June 1917, aged 32.

Born 1885, in civilian life he was in Christopher was a ‘Carman‘ or Carrier of Wines and Spirits. This may suggest a working knowledge of horses and heavy work, useful in any artillery regiment.

He was the son of Thomas & Maria Honey of 64, Alexandra Road, Richmond. Thomas was a general labourer.

 

Chris enlisted in Richmond and is buried in Boulogne Eastern Cemetery plot F. 102.

The Richmond War Memorial lists him as an MM Military Medal.

 

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Remembering Frederick Honey of Kew Gardens died WW1 17 April 1917

 

Second panel, Kew Gardens War Memorial D – M C.L. Digoy to P.T. Martin Image: Mark Norris, World War Zoo Gardens Project

Sergeant Frederick Honey, G/20245, 8th Battalion, East Surrey Regiment or the Buffs (East Kent) Regiment, ‘died of wounds’ 17 April 1917, aged 28.

He is buried at Grave Reference I. K. 16, Chocques Military Cemetery. This was located next to No.1 Casualty Clearing Station for casualties from the Bethune area.

Chocques Military Cemetery (Image source: CWGC)

He is listed as the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Honey, of 64, Alexandra Rd., Richmond; husband of Ellen May Honey, of 17, Darell Rd., Richmond, Surrey.

His CWGC entry mentions no inscription chosen by family on his headstone, which is pictured on the TWGPP website.

He is mentioned in a list of “Gangers, labourers and boys” in Kew’s 1914 staff list and as one of “six Members of the labouring staff killed in action” in the Kew Guild Journal 1919 Roll of Honour.

8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment WW1

The 8th (Service) Battalion landed at Boulogne-sur-Mer as part of the 55th Brigade in the 18th (Eastern) Division in July 1915 also for service on the Western Front.

The battalion fought at the Battle of Loos and the Battle of the Somme.

One particular incident will always be remembered. On the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916, B Company of the 8th Battalion went into the attack dribbling two footballs which the Company Commander, Captain Wilfred Nevill, had bought for his platoons to kick across No Man’s Land.

Captain Nevill and many of his men were killed during the advance, but the 8th Surreys were one of the few battalions to reach and hold their objective on this day. The ‘Football Attack’ caught the imagination of the country, and illustrations of it are shown in the Regimental Museum, which also contains one of the footballs used. On that day, the 8th Battalion won two DSOs, two MCs, two DCMs and nine MMs, but 446 officers and men were killed or wounded.

Frederick Honey, remembered 100 years later, 17 April 1917 / 2017.

On Ancestry U.K. one family tree entry for Frederick Alfred Honey lists him on the 1911 census as a Gardener’s Labourer (Board Of Agriculture). There is also a photograph of him with his brother Christopher Thomas Honey, Royal Garrison Artillery, who died of wounds in France on 12 June 1917. 

A double loss for this family.

Blogposted by Mark Norris, World War Zoo Gardens project, Newquay Zoo.