There is no card for Frederick in the Flintshire Roll of Honour at the Archive Office in Hawarden. The starting point therefore for this soldier was the Commonwealth War Grave Certificate – see below.  Frederick Reynold Roberts was born approx 1894. On some sources we are told he was born in Mold, Flintshire but the 1911 census – completed by his father, Llanferres, Denbighshire is named as his birth place.

We believe  (although there is some doubt that this is the correct family ) that on the 1901 census he was living in Pen Llwyn, Llandyrnog, Denbighshire with his bilingual family. Head of the family was John Roberts a 50 year old gamekeeper. The mother was Mary, 48 who hailed from Menai Bridge in Anglesey. Their children were Richard E 22 and Elias 21  both plate layers with the NWR, John 14, Kate 11, Frederick 6 and Elizabeth 4. There are some things that don’t make sense on this – principally the children’s names. We do know, however that 4 children from this marriage had died by 1911.

The next census of 1911 the family was living in 4 rooms at Tyddyn Dows, Gwernymynydd, Mold.  The head of the household was father John  62 and a widower. He described himself as a joiner. Frederick R Roberts was 16 and a confectioner’s apprentice. The rest of the household was made up of Jane Eleanor Smith the married daughter of John. Her husband William who was a colliery worker and their 6 children – Winifred 11,John Edwin 9, Howell Owen 7, Walter 5, Ethel Mary 3 William James 2. This census form tells us that John had been married to Mary for 29 years. She had given birth to 11 children, 4 of whom had died.

UK soldiers Who Died in The Great War 1914 -19 accessible on www.ancestry.co.uk confirms the regimental details and death date/place as above. It says he was born and enlisted in Mold. And  that he ‘died’ which suggests that he died from illness or accident rather than being ‘killed in action’ or ‘died of wounds’.

His medal card also accessible on ancestry.com includes the information that he first entered a theatre of war in The Balkans on 8thAugust 1915 (Gallipoli).

Four months later he was dead in Egypt.