Private Fred Hill

Private Fred Hill, 2nd Battalion, Royal Scots. (This soldier served under the name of Frederick Barnett ). He was killed in action in France on the 13th November 1916 during the Battle of the Somme. He had been born in Salford in 1884 and was the son of Samuel and Martha Barnett of 34 West Fleet Street, Salford. He had originally enlisted in the 16th Battalion, Lancashire Fusiliers, ( 2nd Salford Pals). It is recorded he deserted in June 1915 but re-enlisted in the 12th Royal Scots in October 1915. In March 1916 after being wounded hr was posted to the 2nd Royal Scots. He was wounded again in July and evacuated Home, re-joining his Battalion in October 1916. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France. He fell in a failed raid against the very strong German positions in the village of Serre.  Nowhere could the troops reach the enemy trenches due to the intense machine gun fire and losses were heavy.  2 Officers and 19 Other Ranks were killed and 10 Officers and 151 Other Ranks were wounded. In addition 92 Other Ranks were posted missing. The photos show the glutinous state of the Somme battlefield in late Autumn after the rains and the colour image shows a peaceful Somme landscape today with ” no gas, no barbed wire, no guns firing now”.

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