Frederick John Marchant

Story:
Frederick John Marchant was born in Semley, Wiltshire, on 3rd November 1881 and baptised at St. Leonard's Church on 6th January 1882, the son of Henry Thomas Marchant and Elizabeth Marchant (née Burt).  His early life was spent with his family at the The Glebe, Semley, Wiltshire.   He married Edith King on 9th April 1913 in Holt, Wimborne, Dorset and they went on to have one child. 

Frederick enlisted on 27th June 1916 as a Private with the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 18657) and attached to the Duke of Edinburgh's (Wiltshire) Regiment on 28 Jun 1916. He reverted back to the Dorsetshire Regiment (Service No. 27863) on 22 Aug 1916 and on 29 Jan 1917 he was transferred to the 1st Garrison Battalion of the Cameron Highlanders as a Lance Corporal. His moves continued with one to the 1st (Reserve Battalion) of the Worcestershire Regiment on 27 Jul 1917 (Service No. 48995) then to the Royal Warwickshire Regiment (Service No. 37618) on 17 Oct 1917 at which time he was posted to Egypt.  He was assessed with poor eye sight and finally transferred, on 12th March 1918, to the 36th Battery Hospital of the Royal Army Medical Corps (Service No. 145481).  He was discharged on 4th March 1919 and awarded the Victory and British War medals.  The 1921 Census shows him living at The Shop, Witchampton, Wimborne, Dorset, working as a Draper and Grocer and by the 1939 Register at The Stores, Cranbourne, Dorset, now described as a Master Grocer as well as being an ARP Warden.  He died in the Jan/Mar Quarter of 1961 in the Poole, Dorset, Registration District.