Gallantry At High Wood, September 1916.

GV Military Medal.
3950 Pte. F. A. G. Stodart, 15th London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles).

Frederick Adolphus Gerald Stodart, the son of James William and Isabel Stodart, was born in 1888. The family are listed on the 1911 Census as living in an 8 room house at 77 Lucien Road, Tooting. By this time, James (62) and Isabel (51) had been married for 28 years and had had nine children, seven of whom were still alive. The oldest was William James Walter, aged 27, a clerk with an engineering firm. He would enlist in the Royal Engineers in 1916 but see only home service during the war. Next was Constance (25), Isabel (24), a basinette saleswoman, Frederick himself (22), a clerk with the railways, Percival Ernest (20), an advertising agent's clerk who would enlist in 1915 and serve with the Middlesex and Essex Regiments and the 2nd Life Guards, Norman (18), a clerk with an engineering firm and Archibald (16), a patent agent's clerk.

Following the outbreak of the Great War, Frederick Stodart, now residing with the family at 2 Charlemont Road, Tooting, enlisted in the 3/15th London Regiment (Civil Service Rifles) at Somerset House on 7th June 1915. His Attestation Papers describe him as just over 5' 5" tall and of good physical development. His religion is noted as Presbyterian. Following a period of basic training, he was sent to the Western Front to join the 1/15th Londons late in January 1916.

The 1/15th Londons, as part of the 47th (London) Division, were involved in the later stages of the Somme campaign and took part in the attack on High Wood on 15th September. A description of the battlefield can be read here. Zero hour for the attack was fixed at 5.50am but "B", "C" and "D" Companies of the Civil Service Rifles had been instructed to crawl out of their trenches and form up in No Man's Land before the actual time in order to be aligned with "A" Company, who were on the extreme right. The former Companies drew a murderous fire from rifles, machine guns and German artillery but "A" Company were able to get across to the German front line with comparatively little loss and were soon engaged in hand-to-hand fighting for the German first and second trenches. Bombing along the trench, trying to establish contact with "B" Company, they soon realised they were alone and, to make matters worse, the tanks that should have led the attack had failed to show up. The attack was in danger of stalling but the situation was saved by the Brigade Stokes mortar battery, which fired nearly 800 rounds in 20 minutes, pounding the German line in front of "C" and "D" Companies and enabling them to get forward and take their objectives. By evening, the whole of High Wood was in British hands and the 15th Londons were digging in in their new trench.

The following day was spent consolidating the new position, all the time under heavy shelling. In the evening, the men moved forward again to a half scraped trench only two feet deep. They set to digging decent cover and no sooner had they finished than they had to stand to in expectation of a German counter attack. And so it went on: a succession of alarms, intense bombardments and standing to. "It was indeed a trying time for all", according to the regimental history. Frederick Stodart had distinguished himself in the fighting and his bravery was recognised by the award of the Military Medal. On the 17th September, he suffered a shrapnel wound to his right hand and thumb. This heralded the end of his active service and on 21st September 1916, Frederick was invalided back to England. He was discharged from the army in March 1917 and awarded a Silver War Badge (no: 152101) and a pension of 20 shillings a week, subject to review after six months. He died in 1955 in Southend on Sea, leaving a wife, Gladys Eva Millicent, whom he had married in 1934 and who lived on until May 1981.