from the CWGC

FOSS, FREDERICK GEORGE
Initials: F G
Nationality: United Kingdom
Rank: Lieutenant
Regiment/Service: Royal Welsh Fusiliers
Unit Text: 1st/6th Bn.
Age: 21
Date of Death: 06/11/1917
Additional information: Son of Charles Gravatus Foss and Annie Foss, of 51, Russell Terrace, Leamington.
Casualty Type: Commonwealth War Dead
Grave/Memorial Reference: F. 56.
Cemetery: BEERSHEBA WAR CEMETERY

from the SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 16 DECEMBER, 1915.
The Royal Welsh Fusiliers.
Second Lieutenant Frederick G. Foss,
from East Yorkshire Regiment, to be Second
Lieutenant. Dated 17th December, 1915.

Two photographs of the cemetery where Lt Foss lies.





The first if from the Matson Collection at the Library of Congress (USA) and dates from the early 1920s, while the second is a recent picture. Lt Foss' grave is in the group in the left foreground of the second photograph


Remembered with respect

A lovely remebrance of a young man that had it all before him.
He gave his up life prematurely in a foreign land in the service of his country.
God bless him in heaven.
mb

Frederick Foss, at rest so far from home.

Thank you for what you gave.
Stephen

I have no information as to the exact circumstances of Lieutenant Foss' death, however a possible explanation is given in 'Forgotten Soldiers of the First World War – Lost voices from the Middle Eastern Front' by David R Woodward, Tempus, 2006, ISBN 0 7524 3854 9
See pages 155/6:

"On November 6, the 1/6th Royal Welch Fusiliers, 158th Brigade, participated in an attack before dawn with the 1/7th Royal Welch Fusiliers, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel T. H. Harker, on their left. According to the official history, the 1/6th was late in starting. The reason for this, according to the future commander of the 1/6th, E. H. Evans, was that Colonel Harker's 1/7th 'went wrong at the start.' Nonetheless, the attack went well for the 1/6th, and the Turkish defences were carried by bayonet. But a heavy mist now settled over the battlefield, and 'a certain amount of mixing of units and general confusion ensued.' Evans described the tragedy that followed. 'Were doing splendidly & had just beaten of counter attack when Harker turned our artillery on us… Ran back to Bde & explained situation to BGC. Guns then off.'
Evan watched with horrified fascination as British shells blew his comrades to bits. As he later wrote to his wife,

'I wont propose writing you an account of what happened. It's all dwelling on horrors & would do neither of us any good. But oh darling the wicked waste of it & worst of all to see ones own men & ones brother officers & decent friends blown literally to pieces by ones own artillery within a few yards of one. And yet it is funny how one is made – in the middle of it one could not help admiring & being proud of the accuracy & destructiveness of their fire… Of our 16 officers who went in (I do not count HQ who were behind) 6 men were killed, 5 wounded, 1 wounded & captured by the Turks & escaped.'

Two days later, after their bodies had been recovered, Evans helped bury his brothers in arms in the rocky soil. 'It was only when one saw them lying there side by side, the pick of the Battalion, grown men & boys with all their lives before them – but such splendid fellows all – that one realized the awfulness & wickedness of it all.'"

Lt Frederick George Foss was killed in action with the 1st 6th Royal Welsh Fusiliers during the 3rd Battle of Gaza on 6th November 1917 aged 21 years.

He had entered France as Pte 2728 of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment on 22nd March 1915. He was commissioned 2nd Lt in the East Yorks Regiment (file at WO339/47644) on 3rd November 1915 and later transferred to the RWF

He was the son of Charles Gravatus Foss and Annie Foss, of 51, Russell Terrace, Leamington.


Hywyn

We Will Remember.

Gone but not forgotten

Kind regards

Steve

Remembering with respect all those of the 53rd Welsh Division who died as a result of Third Gaza.

Gwyr y cledd, mawr eu clod
Yn angof ni chant fod
Men of the sword, great their fame
They shall not be forgotten

LST_164

Frederick Foss,

You are Not Forgotten


Michael,

Thank you for posting the then and now images - may I ask if there is any family connection to the reason for your creation of this thread?

All the best,

Ian.

I have to say after all the furore there has been over RT, what a pleasure it has been to read this thread, from a genuinely randomly selected name.

RIP Lt Foss.

Ian,
Thanks for your interest; there is no family connection with Lt Foss, however, I am a believer in the value of the 'Remembered Today' banner on the GWF site. While that runs none of these men or women are forgotten
I am also a sucker for old photographs and waste a lot of time on the web looking for them.
I visited this cemetery on behalf of a GWF Pal and so had the 'recent' picture in stock ready to use here.

Matt,
Thanks for your post; I must say that I heartily agree with your comments above

Rest in Peace.