Frederick Langmaid was born on the 1st of September 1916 according to the 1939 National Register which was taken on the 29th of September 1939. WW2 being declared on the 3rd of September 1939. There is a Birth certificate at the Flintshire Registrar’s Office in Mold that may be his (Flintshire (Mold) HAW/21A/31). On the “Births Registered in July, August, September 1916” (Page 212) there is an entry that gives his mother’s Maiden name as Parry (Hawarden Vol. 11b Page 391). This would have to be purchased to confirm/deny.
There is a family listed on the 1911 census that may very well be his, although, it was before Fred was born, but it does mean that Fred could have had a sister Minnie, who was born in 1910 in Queensferry. They were living at 4, William’s Terrace, Pentre, Hawarden, Flintshire, and head of the household was George Langmaid, 26, a Blacksmith’s Striker at Hawarden Bridge Steelworks, he had been born in Cornwall, his wife Annie, 21, had been born in Connah’s Quay. On this census they tell us that they had been married 1 year and that 1 child had been born to them and was still living.
We see the family on the 1921 census, which was taken on the 19th of June 1921. George Langmaid was now 36 years and 5 months old and was a Blacksmith’s Striker at J. Crichton’s Shipbuilders, Connah’s Quay, but was “Out of Work.” Annie Langmaid was now 30 years and 6 months old and was doing “Home Duties.” Their children were Minnie age 11 years and 5 months old, born Queensferry, Flintshire, Annie, age 9 years and 1 month old and Fred Langmaid, 4 years and 9 months old, born Pentre, Flintshire.
This information is the most I have on Fred’s family, I have no definitive information on Fred’s life before his marriage but suspect that Fred had lost both his parents, his mother Annie in 1922 age 31 and his father George in 1923, age 39. Their deaths have been confirmed by the different Registrar’s of Deaths in Mold and Chester. Therefore, Frederick (Fred) was only age 6 when his mother died, a year older when he lost his father.
Annie Langmaid had given birth to twins, Kathleen, and Dorothy, in the December Quarter of 1922 and she died in the same Quarter, I believe in Chester. 6 months later George was to die in an Accident at Summer’s Steelworks.
A Minnie Langmaid, (Number 783 on the Register of Queensferry School), daughter of George, address, William’s Terrace, Pentre, started school on the 31st of March 1913, her birthdate was given as the 1st of January 1910.
St Ethelwold’s Church, Marriages
Page 36 No. 71 5th August 1939 Fred LANGMAID, 22, Bachelor, Steelworker, 10, Ryeland Street, Shotton, George LANGMAID, Blacksmith (Dec.) & Ethel Rosina WYNNE, 21, Spinster, 25, Ash Grove, Robert WYNNE, Steelworker. (After Banns)
Witnesses: – John Alfred MOUSEDALE & Lilian Amelia WYNNE.
The 1939 National Register taken on the 29th of September 1939 shows that Fred was also a Special Constable. They were living at 21 Salisbury Street, Shotton, Flintshire, and Fred was head of the household, his date of birth was the 1st of September 1916 and he was a Sheet Metal Inspector and a Special Constable. His wife Ethel R (Rosins) Langmaid had been born on the 15th of August 1917 and was doing “Unpaid Domestic Duties.) This source also gives us the clue that she remarried after Fred had died, to a gentleman named Hall.
Fred is entered in the Royal Artillery attestations 1883-1942 book, but the only thing entered is his death on the 31st of October 1942 and of course, his Regimental Number, no date of enlistment.
Casualty Form (No. 975 – Page 25) states that Frederick Langmaid died as a result of an accident on the31st of October 1942 at Home (UK)
On the “Deaths Registered in October, November and December 1942” (page 21) there is an entry for Fred’s death in Barton (Lancashire) Vol. 8c, Page 551, he was 25 years old.
I asked on the WW2 Talk Forum if there was any information on how he died, and they came back with this website about Frederick Langmaid, https://paradata.org.uk/people/frederick-langmaid
It appears he volunteered for the airborne forces, and he died as a result of a parachuting accident two days into the course: –
“Roll Call GUNNER FREDERICK LANGMAID – 21 OCTOBER 1942.
Gunner Frederick Langmaid was the son of George and Annie Langmaid and husband of Ethel Rosina Langmaid, of Shotton. He served with 501 Battery 72 Searchlight Regiment Royal Artillery, before volunteering for Airborne Forces in 1942.
He attended Parachute Training Course 35 which started at RAF Ringway on 29 October and died just two days into the course as a result of a parachuting accident.
Gunner Langmaid died on 31 October 1942. He is buried in the North part of St Deniol’s Churchyard, Hawarden, Flintshire –“
Many thanks to Clive from that Forum who specialises on Casualty Lists.
He must have been taken to Davyhulme Hospital as that is where he died according to the Parish Registers in Flintshire Record Office in Hawarden: –
Page 48 No 382 Fred LANGMAID Military Hospital, Davyhulme* 4th November 1942 age 25 years. A.E. EVANS, Vicar of Shotton.
*Davyhulme is in an area of Trafford, Manchester. See https://www.cmft.nhs.uk/media/595590/history%20of%20trafford.pdf
Fred and Rosina Ethel had been married just 3 years. If anyone has any information to add to his story, it would be very much appreciated as he mustn’t be forgotten.
I believe that Ethel Rosina remarried in 1954 to Ronal Hall, in Manchester (Vol. 10e, Page 753. (See the 1939 National Register)
I was contacted by Dave Alderman (Squadron Leader David ALDERMAN R.A.F.) as Fred was his grandfather. He had seen Fred’s name on flintshirewarmemorials.com and I had been able to send him my notes and documents that I had found re his family. He came to the Remembrance Day Ceremony on the 11th of November 2018 at the Connah’s Quay & Shotton Cenotaph. I had sent him his Great Grandfather’s Attestation papers for WW1, and he had the medal that is shown in the papers. He was really pleased, and it was so nice to see him as he had travelled all the way from Lincoln with his father, who went to see where Fred and Rosina had lived in Shotton.
Since our meeting in Shotton in November, Dave & I have corresponded and he recently sent me more details of the family, including a sheet of paper that was placed in Fred’s sister Minnie’s Funeral papers, she was to live to be nearly 100 years old, and her memories “From Queensferry to Cornwall” has added another dimension to the family and explains better than I what happened to the family.
Minnie also disclosed when her father George died, and I was able to find the Coroner’s Inquisition and send it to Dave and his family. He died accidentally being crushed between a roller and a log wheel of an engine; he was 39 years old.
He was missed and remembered, even to today, by his family, as his name was put forward to be added to the WW2 War Memorial for perpetuity.
