Frederick Henry Chick was born in Gillingham on 9th March 1879 to parents Richard H and Sarah Chick. His father was born in Wincanton, Somerset but moved to the Medway area where the 1901 Census shows the family living in Fair Row, Chatham. At that time Frederick was 22 years of age and he had three siblings, William, 30, a shop labourer, Louisa, 16, a general servant and Arthur 12. Frederick’s father worked as a hairdresser and later as a laundryman and his mother was a laundress. Frederick married Emily Chick nee Adams at Christ Church, Luton, Hertfordshire on the 23rd May 1904. They had no children and they lived at 3 Osborne Villas, Upper Wickham Lane, Welling, Kent. Frederick’s first recorded job was as a shop labourer but he later became the owner of his own grocery business at 95 Upper Wickham Lane, which he managed until his death.
Frederick enlisted at the age of 36. We know from his Service Records that he was 5 foot 5 3/4″ tall, had black hair, brown eyes, a fresh complexion and a 35 1/2″ chest. He joined the Royal Army Ordnance Corps on 1st December 1915 but was not mobilised until 4th August 1916. However he was only to serve 6 months in France. In mid 1916 he began to experience pains in his abdomen, became unfit for duties and declared sick on 5th June 1917 at Granville. He was admitted to No. 2 General Hospital in Le Havre and underwent an exploratory operation on 15th June 1917 where doctors found he had cancer of the colon and removed a cancerous nodule. He was sent to the 1st Scottish General Hospital in Aberdeen, clearly very ill. Doctors observed he was “thin and worn” but they must have decided there was no further treatment to give as they discharged him back home to Welling on 2nd August 1917. He took with him his possessions he had brought back from the Front together with a civilian suit he had been given: – 1 pair of ankle boots, 1 pair of drawers, 1 kit bag, 1 pair of braces, 1 waistcoat/cardigan, 1 waterproof coat, 1 muffler, 1 cap, 2 flannel shirts and 2 pairs of worsted socks.
Frederick was discharged as medically unfit on the 17th August 1917. The officer completing his medical report at first wrote that he considered Frederick’s illness to have been caused by active service, but crossed that out and wrote “not so caused”. However when the medical board met to consider the case for his pension they decided that although his illness was not the result of active service, it had been aggravated by it due to the heavy lifting. He was declared to have a “permanent total incapacity” and was therefore awarded a pension from the Army of 27/6d per week. His discharge papers describe him as “having a very good character”.
In August 1918 Frederick received the King’s Certificate with the wording that he “served with honour and was disabled in the Great War”. He wrote back to acknowledge receipt saying he was “very pleased” to have received the certificate.
Frederick died on 14th March 1919, aged 40, of a carcinoma of the colon ascending. He died, leaving £518.18s.0d.to his wife Emily in his will, quite a substantial sum of money in 1919. He was buried at St. Michael’ s Church, East Wickham,Kent on 20th March 1919 where his wife had the following epitaph engraved on his tombstone.
The task was hard and the pain severe. to part with a husband loved so dear
In Loving Memory of Frederick Henry Chick, Died March 14th 1919 Aged 40 Years
On the 8th August 1919, five months after his death, his wife received a widow’s pension of 13/9d per week, backdated to 13th March 1919.
As Frederick Chick died of illness, he is not commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Commemorated
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