Brighton soldier killed at Passchendaele finally laid to rest

All photos courtesy of Eric Compernolle

A World War One soldier who was injured and sent home, but then returned to the front where he was killed, has finally been buried close to where he fell.

The burial service for Rifleman (Rfn) Frederick Thomas Adams which was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) and took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Passchendaele New British Cemetery, in Belgium on Wednesday 16 October 2024. 

Bob Adams, Rfn Adams’ first cousin twice removed, who aided JCCC by providing the DNA sample used to identify him and attended the reburial said:
“I was intrigued to receive an e-mail last year asking me to carry out DNA testing in connection with Frederick, and once a positive result had been established, I had no hesitation in accepting the invitation to attend the burial service.

We are very proud to be related to someone with such a distinguished service record, and we want to give him the respect that he truly deserves. We are honoured to be invited to attend the burial service today, to commemorate his life that was sacrificed in the service of his country.”

Rfn Adams, who hailed from Brighton, was a career soldier who arrived on the Western Front immediately after the outbreak of hostilities. Having been wounded near Armentieres, on 25 October 1914, he was sent home and did not return to the fighting until 1917, when he was sent back into action as part of a citizen Army. He was killed in Passchendaele on 19 November 1917. As he was missing Rfn Adams was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.

In 2018, the remains of a soldier of The Rifle Brigade were discovered during roadworks in Passchendaele. He was found with two chevrons, indicating that he may have either have held the rank of corporal or that he may have been wearing or in possession of two Good Conduct Stripes. After extensive research and DNA testing, the soldier was identified as Rfn Adams.

JCCC Caseworker, Rosie Barron said:
“It has been an honour to work with The Rifles to give Rfn Adams the full military funeral that he deserves and to have conducted the research which led to his identification. It has also been a priviledge to meet Bob and to have shared this experience with him and his family. Rfn Adams was a career soldier, and I am sure when he returned to the Western Front in 1917, his knowledge and experience would have been invaluable to the men around him. May he now rest in peace alongside his comrades.”

The service was conducted by the Reverend Huw Ryden CF, Chaplain to 3rd Battalion The Rifles and was supported by a bearer party from that battalion.

The graves will now be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC.

Director for Central and Southern Europe at the CWGC, Geert Bekaert, said:
"As we move closer to the period of Remembrance, we are honoured to be able to commemorate Rifleman Adams from Brighton, who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we enjoy today. "We will care for his grave, and those of his comrades, in perpetuity."

Rifleman Frederick Thomas Adams

Frederick Thomas Adams was born in Brighton, Sussex, on 25 April 1891. He was the eldest of two children born to Walter Adams and his wife Sarah Ann. Frederick enlisted into The Rifle Brigade on 1 March 1909. He had previously worked as a clerk and had served with a territorial unit of The Royal Army Medical Corps. On 10 July 1909, Rifleman Adams was posted to 3rd Battalion The Rifle Brigade. His first Good Conduct Badge was awarded on 1 March 1911. His second Good Conduct Badge would have been awarded on 1 March 1915.

At the outbreak of war on 4 August 1914, 3rd Battalion The Rifle Brigade was stationed in Cork, Ireland. The battalion embarked at Southampton on 8 September 1914 and sailed onboard the SS Lake Michigan for France. They disembarked in St Nazaire on 12 September. Having been involved in the Battle of the Aisne and subsequent fighting, Rfn Adams was wounded in the left knee by a piece of shrapnel, in the Bois-Grenier area, south of Armentieres, on 25 October 1914. He was evacuated back to the UK and treated at 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth.

Rfn Adams was discharged from hospital on 30 November 1914. On 8 July 1915, he was deemed unfit for war service but remained in the Army and deemed suitable for clerical work. On 26 June 1916, Rfn Adams was transferred to 2nd Garrison Battalion The Northamptonshire Regiment. On 12 June 1917, Rfn Adams returned to The Rifle Brigade and was posted to 6th (Reserve Battalion). On 3 August 1917, he joined 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade in the field in Belgium.

On 17 November 1917, 2nd Battalion The Rifle Brigade moved into the frontline north of Passchendaele. They were heavily shelled during the relief and that night. They remained in the frontline on 18 November and were again heavily shelled. The battalion received orders to establish a line of posts in a straight line from Vox Farm. During the night they advanced their line in the centre to straighten it. They were heavily shelled again on 19 November and were relieved that night.

Rfn Adams was posted as missing, and his death was accepted as having occurred on or since 19 November 1917.