Felix Edmund John Sainsbury

Personal Information
Date of Birth	unknown
Place of Birth	West Lavington, Devises, Wiltshire, England
Death	9 Jun 1917
Place of Death	9th Field Ambulance, Messines, france
Age at Enlistment	30 years, 6 months
Description	5'2½" (1.59m) tall; weight 108 lbs (49 kg); fresh complexion, hazel eyes, brown hair.
Occupation	dairy hand
Religion	Church of England
Address	NOK: Frost Hill Farm, Overton, Hants, England
Next of Kin	Father Mr William Sainsbury
Military Information
Reg Number	2729
Date of Enlistment	26 Apr 1916
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	51st Battalion, 6th Reinforcement / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	10 Oct 1916 - 2 Dec 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A23 Suffolk
Fate	Wounded in Action 9 Jun 1917, later Died of his Wounds
Monument	none at present Bedfordale Honour Board
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

A week after entering Blackboy Hill camp, Felix was allocated to the 6th reinforcement draft for the 51st Battalion, and following preliminary training he travelled with them to England.

On arrival in England he was posted to the 13th Training Battalion until he proceeded to France on the HMT Victoria from Folkestone on 3 Feb 1917.

Taken on the strength of the 51st Battalion in France on 10 Feb 1917 near Flers, a few days after his arrival. In Apr 1917 he had a case of scabies and was treated by 8th Aust Field Ambulance, before spending time in the 3rd Stationary Hospital in Rouen.

In June 1917 the 51st Battalion supported an attack on Messines Ridge by other units, and on the 9th came under heavy German artillery fire. Felix's injuries were GSWs to right Humerus, scalp and right leg.

In his Red cross file we find a statement by Pte T Terry 2007, of 9 Platoon C Coy.

"...I was with him when he was wounded on the 9th June at Messines, two days after the push started. He walked out towards the Dressing Station and that was all we knew of him till we found his grave after we came out, in a cemetery on the left hand side of the road going towards Armentieres, at the next little village past Neuve Eglise - I think the name was De Soule." Another witness tells us that he was wounded about 8:00pm in the front line by a piece of shrapnel. While walking back for medical help he was "practically blown to pieces. He was between the 1st and support lines at the time."

One of 107 casualties suffered by the 51st Battalion during a 3 day period.

Neville Brownings hisoty of the 51st Battalion For King and Cobbers at page 137 describes how an artillery duel raged across the front lines during the day of the 9th March and that a few casualties had resulted amongst the 51st Battalion including Pte F.E. Sainsbury from 9 Platoon who was wounded and later killed during the barrage

Both his parents died in February 1920 and it is left to his school teacher brother (Cavrani G. Sainsbury) in Mount Barker, WA to administer his estate.

In March 1960 an I. Jordan of 128 Leake Street, Bayswater wrote to the Military authorities seeking details of Pte Sainsbury for his/her family genealogy.

Notes

Buried in PONT-D'ACHELLES MILITARY CEMETERY 2 , NIEPPE - Plot II, Row A, Grave No.6. 3.5 kilometres north west of Armentieres. Native of Newlands Manor, England. Son of William and Susan Sainsbury.