Frederick William Furnival		Return
Sergeant Frederick William Furnival Service Number: 24/1048 Regiment & Unit/Ship New Zealand Rifle Brigade "D" Coy. 2nd Bn. 3rd Date of Death Died 20 May 1918 Age 27 years old Buried or commemorated at HEBUTERNE MILITARY CEMETERY III. C. 2. France Country of Service New Zealand Additional Info Son of Frederick and Agnes Furnival, of 64, Falkland Rd., Dorking, Surrey, England. Born at Marshfield, Gloucester, England. His brother Leonard Thomas Furnival also fell. War History Surrey and the War Threefold Sacrifice Among those who have been sadly stricken by the war is Mrs. Furnival, 64 Falkland Road, Dorking, who has lost one son killed in action, another wounded and in hospital, and a third missing, all in the space of less than two months. Her oldest son, Sergt. F. W. Furnival, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, was killed on May 20th. He was hit on the head by a brick thrown up by the explosion of an enemy shell, and died within a few minutes. He joined up in May 1915, immediately he heard that the Germans had been bombing London, and sailed from New Zealand, where he had a teaching appointment, in the following October. He first proceeded to Egypt with his regiment, and arrived in France in April 1916. He was shortly expecting to come home to take up his well-earned commission. A comrade writes "There is no need of my telling you how much we all thought of Fred and how we shall miss his cheery presence. There is not one of us who is not the better for having known him, and proud to remember him as his friend." In a very sympathetic letter to the bereaved mother the Chaplain says: "His absolute devotion to duty cost him his life. He knew the shells would be coming thick and fast in a few minutes, and it was his anxiety to see that all his men got safely in that cost him his life… You can be proud of him. He was a clean straight manly boy, a son of whom any parent could be proud, and there was genuine sorrow among the headquarters men when they knew he had gone. I buried him next morning in a military cemetery in Hebuterne. He sleeps his last long sleep among the apple trees in an orchard, and all around him lie others of England's sons who have given their lives during the course of this war. I know what his officers thought of him; he was one of the oldest and most trusted of the N.C.O's, and his men had absolute faith in him. As a soldier he is a great loss to us. But our sense of loss cannot be compared to your and those of your home." Mrs. Furnival's second son Signaller Leonard Thomas Furnival, Royal Naval Division is in hospital at Rouen suffering from a severe wound in the right foot received on May 15th, and her youngest son Pte. Harold Edgar Furnival, of the Queen's has been reported missing since March 23rd. "Recovering, Leonard Thomas Furnival re-joined his unit, and died of a gunshot wound to the abdomen on 14th October 1918 in France." HEBUTERNE MILITARY CEMETERY       The village gave its name to a severe action fought by the French on the 10th-13th June 1915, in the "Second Battle of Artois". It was taken over by British troops from the French in the same summer, and it remained subject to shell fire during the Battles of the Somme. It was again the scene of fighting in March 1918, when the New Zealand Division held up the advancing enemy; and during the following summer it was partly in German hands. It was later "adopted" by the Borough of Evesham. Hebuterne Military Cemetery was begun by the 48th (South Midland) Division in August 1915, and used by fighting units and Field Ambulances (particularly those of the 56th (London) Division) until the spring of 1917; and it was reopened in 1918. The conditions of burial explain the irregularity of the rows. There are now over 750, 1914-18 war casualties commemorated in this site. Of these, nearly 50 are unidentified and special memorials are erected to 17 soldiers from the United Kingdom, known or believed to be buried among them. The graves of two American soldiers have been removed from the South-West corner. The cemetery covers an area of 6,502 square metres and is enclosed by a red brick wall.   Fred Furnival, died in 1916, two years before the deaths of three of his sons; Frederick, Leonard, and Edgar. Frederick Furnival died on 25th February 1916 at 64 Falkland Road in Dorking. Dorking Advertiser Death of Mr. F. Furnival - Greatly respected by all who knew him, Mr. Frederick Furnival passed away at his residence, 64 Falkland Road, Dorking, on Friday. At an early age he took up the teaching profession. His first mastership was at the British School, Marshfield, Gloucester, and his subsequent appointments included Chelton the Downs, Salop, 1891-1896, Broadwas, Worcester, 1896-1906, and Coldharbour, Surrey, 1906-1911. At Coldharbour he succeeded Mr Colyer on his retirement, and in all these appointments Mrs Furnival had been associated with her husband as schoolmistress. Their daughter is also assistant schoolmistress at Coldharbour, being organist of the Parish Church as well. Since 1912 Mr. Furnival had been on the supply staff of the Surrey County Council, and in this capacity was connected for sometime with St. Martin's National School. During his five years' residence at Coldharbour he actively interested himself in the affairs of the parish, and acted as secretary of the Coronation festivities. He had been in failing health for some months past, having undergone a serious operation in the summer of last year. His death at the age of 59 will be very generally regretted. The funeral took place at Coldharbour on Tuesday, when the Vicar, the Rev. L. Denman, officiated, assisted by the Rev. N. King, of St. Martin's, Dorking. The chief moarners were Mrs. Furnival (widow), Mr. Edgar Furnival, Miss Furnival, Mr. Alfred Furnival, and the Misses F. E. And A. I. Furnival. Mr. Furnival leaves a family of eight. Two sons are in the Army; one is with the New Zealand Contingent, and the other is now in the Mediterranean. Furnival Memorial Coldharbour Graveyard. Photograph courtesy of Mary Hustings In Loving Memory of Frederick Furnival who died Feb 25 1916 aged 59 years Also of Anne Agnes his wife who died Dec 21 1927 aged 68 years Also of Frederick, Leornard and Edgar, Sons of the above, Killed in France in 1918. 'Until the day break'