Biography of Captain Anthony Lionel Fenwick
6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment
Died 16th February 1918

Soldier

  • Name: Anthony Lionel Fenwick
  • Date of birth: 16 December 1893
  • Place of Birth: Storrington, Sussex, England
  • Date of Birth Registration: January – March 1894
  • Place of Birth Registration: Thakeham, Sussex, England
Father

  • Name: Walter Lionel Fenwick
  • DOB: 1859
  • Place of Birth: Seaton Burn, Northumberland, England
  • Occupation: Justice of the Peace

Mother

  • Name: Millicent Montagu
  • DOB: 31 December 1864
  • Place Of Birth: London, Middlesex, England
  • Marriage: 27th October 1891 Kensington, London, England

Siblings: (Name), (DOB), (POB)

  • Keld Robert George Fenwick, 1892, Knightsbridge
  • Anthony Lionel Fenwick, 1893, Storrington
  • Montagu John Fenwick, 1896, Kensington

Census

  • 1901: Anthony is living at 52 Queens Gate Terrace, Kensington, London. On census night his parent’s were not at home but amongst the staff was a French Governess.
  • 1911: Anthony is a boarder at Harrow school at 11 High Street, His elder brother Keld is also listed here as a boarder. The census gives him an age of 17 and he is listed as student.
Relatives in services

  • None found
Marriage

  • No marriage for Anthony has been found and because of his age we can assume that he never had the opportunity to marry.

Newspaper and Other Mentions

  • War Office Weekly Casualty List October 30th 1917
    WOUNDED
    Fenwick, Lt. A. L., Lincs. R.

 

  • UK, De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour, 1914-1919
    FENWICK, ANTHONY LIONEL, Capt., 6th (Service) Battn. The Lincolnshire Regt., 2nd s. of the Late Walter Lionel Fenwick, of Witham Hall, Bourne, co. Lincoln, J.P., by his wife Millicent, dau. of Lord Robert Montagu; b, The Abbey, Storrington, co. Sussex, 16 Dec 1893; educ. Ladycross; Harrow, and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the O.T.C.; volunteered for active service on the outbreak of the war, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. The Lincolnshire Regt. 22 Aug 1914; promoted Lieut. 1916, and Capt. Nov 1917; went to Gallipoli as A.D.C. to Brigadier-General Maxwell in July, 1915, but in consequence of the shortage of officers was attached to the 6th Battn. The Border Regt., and acted Adjutant. On the death in action of the Commanding Offier 21 Aug. following, he took temporary command of the regiment; proceeded to France, and served with the Expeditionary Force there and in Flanders from June 1917; was wounded in the Ypres salient 10 Oct. of the same year, but remained on duty and was killed in action at Hulluch 16 Feb. 1918, while on patrol. Buried in Le Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe south of Bethune.  His General wrote saying that he was a very gallant fellow, and letters from brother officers stated that he was beloved by all the officers and men, who would follow him anywhere.  He was quie fearles, and always ready for any undertaking involving danger that had to be carried through.  He was mentioned in Despatches (London Gazette, 28 Jan. 1916) by General Sir Ian Hamilton, G.C.B., for gallant and distinguished service in the field, and was recommended by the General of his Division for the M.C. for his gallantry in action at Gallipoli 21 Aug. 1915; unm.

 

  • War Office Weekly Casualty List March 5th 1918
    MISSING, BELIEVED KILLED
    Fenwick, Capt. A. L., Lincs. R.

 

  • War Office Weekly Casualty List April 9th 1918
    Previously reported missing, belived killed, now reported
    KILLED.
    Fenwick, Capt. A. L., Lincs. R

     

    • Grantham Journal – Saturday 20th April 1918
      Witham-on-the-Hill
      Captain Anthony Lionel Fenwick, Lincolnshire Regiment, killed on February 16 was the second son of the late Walter Lionel Fenwick, of Witham Hall, Bourne, and Mrs Fenwick of Tixover Grange, Stamford. He was born in December 1893, and was educated at Ladycross and Harrow and Trinity College Cambridge, where he was residence when war broke out. He immediately offered his services, received a commission in the Lincolnshire Regiment, and went out with his battalion to Gallipoli in 1915. For his services there he was mentioned in despatches and recommended for the Military Cross. In 1917 he went to France, became Captain in November of the year, and was killed while on patrol.

      Military Records

      Attestation Papers

      • None found
      Soldier’s Died In The Great War

      • These records show that T Lieutenant (A Captain) Anthony Lionel Fenwick, Lincolnshire Regiment was killed in action on 16th February 1918 in the Western European Theatre in France and Flanders.

      Pension Records

      • None found

      Effects Left To

      •  Mother Millicent Fenwick

      Medals

      • The British Medal
      • The Victory Medal
      • The 15 Star

      Memorials

       

      • Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
      • In memory of Captain Anthony Lionel Fenwick, Mentioned in Despatches, 6th Battalion, Lincolnshire Regiment who died on 16 February 1918, Age 24
      • Son of Walter Lionel and Millicent Fenwick, of Witham Hall, Bourne, Lincs.
        Remembered with honour, Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe
      • Grave III. C. 20.

      © UK, De Ruvigny’s Roll of Honour, 1914-1919

      © Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

      © Picture taken by South Lincolnshire War Memorials

      Military Service Timeline

        Although the family in later life lived at Witham Hall, Anthony was born on 10th December 1893 in Storrington, Sussex to Walter Lionel Fenwick, Justice of the Peace, and Millicent Montagu, daughter of Lord Robert Montagu. The couple were married in Kensington, London in 1891.
         
        They had three sons
        Keld Robert George Fenwick, 1892, Knightsbridge
        Anthony Lionel Fenwick, 1893, Storrington
        Montagu John Fenwick, 1896, Kensington.
         
        By 1901 the family were living at 22 Queen’s Gate Terrace in Kensington. Although on census night the parents were not in the house, the boys were well looked after by their French Governess.
         
        In 1911 Anthony was aged 17 and was attending Ladycross School Harrow. He was living as a boarder at the school at 11 High Street Harrow and his brother Keld is also there as a student. Later Anthony attended Trinity College Cambridge where the joined the Officer Training Corps. At the outbreak of war Anthony volunteered of active service and was gazetted as 2nd Lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment on 22nd August 1914.
         
        The 6th Lincolnshire was formed in the first week of the war and stationed themselves at Belton Park near Grantham, ready to receive recruits. By the end of the month they had formed 4 companies of new recruits from the men that answered Kitchener’s call. It was noted that the physical standard of troops for the 6th Battalion was high due to the high numbers of agricultural workers that joined the Battalion.
         
        The 11th Northern Division including the 6th battalion, moved from their training camps to Salisbury Plain, the 6th battalion being sent into camp at Frensham in March 1915, where final training was carried out. On the 31st of May the division was inspected by king George V on Hankey Common before entraining to Liverpool and then embarking on the Empress of Britain for the Dardanelles.
         
        They arrived in Alexandria on July 12th and once again embarked on the 16th eventually dropping anchor in Mudros Harbour on the 18th. After another 2 days at anchor the Battalion was transhipped by small river steamers to Cape Hellas and then by trawlers onto the River Clyde which was now stranded on the beach near Sedd el Bahr.
         
        Anthony was posted to Gallipoli as A.D.C. to Brigadier-General Maxwell but as a consequence of an officer shortage was attached to the 6th Battalion, The Border Regiment (another Battalion within the 33rd Bridage) and acted as their Adjutant. On 21st August their commanding officer was killed and Anthony took over temporary command of the Regiment.
         
        He was mentioned in despatches (London Gazette 28th January 1916) by General Sir Ian Hamilton, G.C.B., for gallant and distinguished service in the field, and was recommended by the General of his division for the M.C. for his gallantry in action at Gallipoli on the 21st August 1915.
         
        At the end of the Gallipoli Campaign the 33rd Brigade of the 11th (Northern) Division being evacuated from Gallipoli on the 19th and 20th December 1915, moving first to Imbros and then on to Egypt by the end of January 1916. The 6th lincs were sent to Alexandria as part of the guard for the Suez canal.
         
        On the 2nd July 1916, the second day of the Battle of the Somme, The Battalion embarked in HMT Huntspill and on the 8th July entered the harbour in Marseilles.
        By the 11th they were n their way to the Western Front, entraining at Marseilles and eventually detraining in St Pol two days later after marches eventually entered the trenches near Hooteville on the 18th July 1916
         
        Having been promoted to Lieutenant in 1916 the 6th battalion Lincolnshire regiment was to spend the rest of 1916 in France seeing action in Thiepval, Arras and Hozollern areas, and eventually in June 1917 on to Flanders after the Battle for the Ancre.
         
        Thae battalion took place in the Battle of Messines on 31st July 1917, first day of the Third battle of ypres (Passchendaele).
         
        On October 10th 1917 fighting in the Ypres Salient, Anthony was wounded but remained on Duty. Unfortunately the diaries for the 6th Battalion have large parts that are missing and so we cannot really see what Anthony and the Battalion were doing in any detail.
         
        The Battalion spent their time between the 11th October 1917 and 23rd August 1918 in the Lens and Hulluch area.
         
        In November 1917, during this period, Anthony Fenwick was promoted to Captain.
        The History of the 6th Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment by Colonel F G Spring we have the following account of that their time in that sector.
        “Then followed a period during which the division had two brigades in the line and one resting. The sixteen days spent in the line would be alternately in the Hulluch ad Saint Eloi Sections, and our period of rest at Mazingarbe, Noeux-les-Mines and Hersin. This system of relief was naturally a great improvement on the previous one, under which we were always in the line or in support, and never got further back than Mazingarbe. Life became a routine and with few exceptions, nothing of importance occurred. On eof these exceptions was a gas projector discharge by the enemy at the end of May, with our own gas projectors captured on the Somme. We were in the right sub-section of the Saint Eloi Section at the time. The wiring party was caught and several casualties occurred, most of them unfortunately proved fatal. Second Lieutenant Lockyear, our intellegence Officier, who was out putting up notice boards, was severely wounded by a projector burst, and was gassed so badly that he died a few hours later. Second Lieutenant Pocklington did several exciting patrols. During one of which he was wounded. Captain Fenwick, commanding A Company, who joined the Battalion on its formation in England, was killed whilst on patrol.
        Anthony was killed in action on 16th February 1918 at Hulluch, France while on patrol. He is buried in Le Philosophe British Cemetery, Mazingarbe, South of Bethune.
        His General wrote saying that he was a very gallant fellow, and letters from his brother officers stated that he was beloved by all the officers and men, who would follow him anywhere. He was quite fearless, and always ready for any undertaking involving danger that had to be carried out.
         
        On 22nd June 1918, Fenwick, Anthony Lionel of Tixover Grange, Rutland, Temporary Lieutenant, acting Captain 6th Service Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment, who had been killed In Action on the 16th February 1918 in Belgium, Probate in London awarded to Millicent Fenwick, Widow, Effects £14334/16/10. (His mother)
        On his medal card is a note that Mrs M Fenwick makes and application for her son’s medal. 31st march 1921.

        Sources

        • WW1 Soldier’s Records (www.ancestry.co.uk)
        • British Newspaper Archive.
        • Fold 3
        • Find My Past
        • Genealogist
        • Forces War Records
        • British Army Service Numbers
        • War Gratuity Calculator
        • Commonwealth War Graves Commission
        • National Archives – Battalion War Diaries
        • General Registry Office