Six years ago I commemorated the 90th anniversary of the end of the First World War by posting various notes about the conflict on my own history blog.
On 8 September 2008 I added the following:
“Fred Garnham was killed on 8th September 1914 in the retreat from Mons. His name appears on the War Memorial in Highwood. Revd Reeve wrote: ‘We hear of the death of Private Fred Garnham, killed in action in France, early in September. Now living at Radley Green near Writtle, his father for some years held the Soap house Farm in Stondon. (His widow afterwards received on his behalf the 1914 Star and Riband issued in commemoration of the Gallantry shown by our ‘contemptible little Army’)’”.
A few months later I received contact from some of his descendants who now live in Texas. They had been trying to trace their family line without success until they stumbled across my post. “Oh my gosh,” wrote Amanda. “My great grandfather was Fred Garnham. I have been trying to find out information about him and my great great grandparents. My grandfather, Frederick Garnham was born a few days before Fred was killed. We know nothing about Fred or his parents.”
Maureen, Amanda’s mother, wrote: “Frederick Garnham, was born 25 September 1887 in Chadwell Heath, Dagenham, Romford, baptised 22 July 1894 in the Parish Church of Stondon Massey, where both his parents were living. His father was foreman at the Soaphouse Farm. Private Fred Garnham enlisted in the Essex Regiment, 2nd Battalion. He was in Norwich, market square where pictures of the troops were taken, he sent two of these photos (postcards) which were dated 10, August,1914, to his wife. He was deployed from Norwich to France, was killed in the Battle of the River Marne, 8, September, 1914 and is buried in Montreuil-Aux-Lions, British Cemetery, France. His name is on the memorial inside and outside of the church in Highwood, also inside Roxwell Church, and is on the Essex Roll of Honour in the Essex Chronicle dated Friday, 8, January,1915. My father, Frederick Wilfred Garnham was born 4, September, 1914.”