Genealogical war memorials for Bournemouth’s fallen.
Battle of the Aisne: September 14th, 1914
Introduction
Tales from the Front (7) tells the story of Frederick Wills, Bournemouth-born, who served with the 1st Battalion, Loyal North Lancashires. He had already enlisted by 1911, as shown by the census in Poona, India. The 1st Battalion fought with the 2nd Brigade, part of the 1st Division, 1st Corps. Frederick will have fought at Mons and during its retreat. He went missing in chaotic fighting at the Battle of the Aisne.
Tales from the Front (7): Part 1
Sound of cracking whips
Wills had spent the last few years under the hot skies of Poona (Pune). The routine would have consisted of polishing his boots, bashing the parade ground, and patrolling resentful bazaars. All that had changed into the very different world of European warfare. Warm welcomes awaited them as they marched through peaceful villages. The inhabitants offered coffee, wine, and friendships. The certainty of marching around a square parade ground vanished. In its place came the uncertainty of defensive retreat, hunger, and sudden counterattacks. Survival required acquiring new skills. For example, the increasing sound of whips cracking overhead signified an imminent enemy attack. A sudden, mistaken bayonet attack might occur, delivered by a confused, adjacent British battalion. Also, strange sights to see. As the Loyal North Lancashires began their part in the terrible Battle of the Aisne, they beheld a large group of German prisoners in tears.
Tales from the Front (7): Part 2
Military footsteps
For generations, the Wills family had lived in Merriott, a Somerset village much engaged in flax production. According to local tradition, Merriott had a rough society, at times labelled ‘Little Ireland’. Arthur, Frederick’s father, served in the army for many years. He may have started with the Somersets, but by his marriage (1873), he had joined the 47th (Lancashire) Regiment. For much of his time, he may have served overseas. Stationed at Preston, he will have met his first wife, a weaver. After this, he mustered out, beginning a trail back down to Somerset, then to Boscombe, baptising children in several locations. Arthur’s employment as a bricklayer’s labourer may have meant that the family lived close to the edge. His second wife, born in Bethnal Green, had worked in domestic service all her life. In 1891, she worked in a boarding school on Knyveton Road, a smart address.
Poona
Frederick grew up in Boscombe and Pokesdown, suburbs of Bournemouth, ghettos for the area’s labouring people. In childhood, Frederick lost his mother, acquiring a stepmother before long. According to the 1901 census, he supported himself by running errands. Another disaster hit the family in 1907: his father died. According to subsequent census reports, however, his stepmother remained in the family home until at least 1921. Thus, she may have kept a sense of continuity for Frederick during a difficult period of his life. He chose the army as an employer, enlisting with his father’s regiment. It seems plausible that a positive military tradition had existed within the household. Furthermore, for somebody living in Bournemouth to join a Lancashire regiment suggests that his father may have maintained a friendship network from his time in the ranks. If his father recounted tales of overseas postings, this may have inclined Frederick to India.
Tales from the Front (7): Part 2
The sad day
The BEF would experience a difficult time on September 13th and 14th. According to Sir John French, the British would lose three colonels. A great deal of confusion happened, made worse by thick fog. They stumbled into an area where helmets lay strewn on bloody grass. Orders came in for an attack on the nearby factory. Bullets came from all directions. A singing arose above the noise, the sound of eight-inch shells bursting on the ground. Men flew in the air. Enemy machine guns traversed the British lines. Two lieutenants sat down to eat; one had the bread, the other had the jam. Friendly fire created havoc. Some of the wounded, as they lay on the ground, continued to call out ‘North Lancs’. No reinforcements or replacement ammunition arrived, so stocks became exhausted. That day, the battalion’s casualties consisted of 4 officers and over 500 other ranks, including Frederick Wills.
Tales from the Front (7): Part 3
Aftermath
Of the sons of Arthur and Rachel Wills, one died in his teens, and the other three participated in the war. Frederick’s elder brother, Frank, had received training as a motor engineer. In 1911, single, he lived in Pokesdown. At some point early in the war, although aged over thirty, Frank had enlisted with the 1st Battalion, Dorsetshire Regiment. He fell in battle towards the end of November.
In mid-October, the battalion moved north to Ypres, where it participated in extensive fighting. On October 23rd, they endeavoured to reclaim trenches from the Germans. They took many prisoners but suffered many casualties. Digging trenches here proved difficult: bodies already buried came to light. The battalion had the ‘worst day of all’ at the end of October. The action killed 68 men. Just before Christmas, however, they lost almost 100 men. Over 400 had gone in under four months.
Takeaway
Tales from the Front (7) has explored the life, world, and military service of Frederick Willis (1884-1914), an infantryman serving with the 1st Loyal North Lancashire Regiment. Following his father’s military footsteps, he became a professional soldier, stationed in India (1911) before returning to Europe. Having crossed the River Aisne, Frederick and many others fell on a day of much confusion and carnage.
‘Tales from the Front’
A collection of personal stories honouring the Bournemouth natives who gave their lives on the battlefield and the regiments with which they served. Blending social and military history with genealogical insight, it explores their roots, families, occupations, and the ultimate sacrifices they made for their country.
Set against the backdrop of regimental war diaries and enriched by period media accounts, the series offers a powerful and intimate portrait of Bournemouth’s wartime heroes — a mosaic of personal courage within the broader sweep of history.
Serving as a companion and continuation of Victorian Bournemouth, Tales from the Front forms part of News from the Past: History for the Rest of Us.
References
For references and engagement, please get in touch. Main primary sources: here and here (subscriptions needed). For War Diaries, go here. See also here. The featured picture shows an imagined scene.
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