Frederick Hambro Sims
The son of a Police Superintendent James Sims, Fred was born in Poole in June 1895. At a time when Policemen lived in Police Stations, Fred moved around with his father’s postings. In 1901 the family lived in Dorchester, by 1911 they were living in Blandford. Fred by this time had left Blandford Secondary School and is listed in the census as ‘Apprentice to Outfitter.’
Darcy Court in Salisbury Road, the former Police Station
Fred’s father, Superintendent James Sims (L)
Fred and his family were members of the Congregational Church (Now the United Reformed Church in Whitecliff Mill Street) and this appears to have been a large part of Fred’s life. He won essay prizes awarded by the Dorset Association of Congregational Churches at their yearly meeting in April 1913.
Also in 1913 he moved to Poole to work for Alex J Hicks Outfitters in the High Street and is noted in the Roll Book of Skinner Street Congregational Church as joining in that year.
Fred often attended the meetings of the PSA Brotherhood at the church. The ‘Pleasant Sunday Afternoon’ was a meeting for men which was not solely limited to religious activities and in Poole could attract up to 400 attendees. Fred had been a member in Blandford and in January 1914 took on the role of Secretary in Poole.
Skinner Street Congregational Church, Poole
Along with most other soldiers of the First World War Fred’s records were lost, but we can surmise from the fact that because he was serving with 9th Bn KRRC (King’s Royal Rifle Corps) that he must have been a very early Kitchener volunteer. 9 KRRC was one of the first Kitchener battalions to move to France. As was common in the early days of the ‘New Army’, men with any experience at all of leading others were quickly promoted. Fred was a Serjeant* when 9 KRRC landed in France in May 1915 and almost immediately was fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres.
Western Gazette July 9th 1915
A later part of that battle was named the Battle of Hooge at the end of July 1915. This saw the first use of Flammenwerfers (Flame-throwers) by the Germans and it was during an action to re-take trenches, as the 9KRRC War Diary puts it: that had been ‘lost under liquid fire attack’ that Fred fell on the 30th July 1915. He was 21 years old.
Western Chronicle August 13th 1915
As well as being on the school War Memorial, Fred’s name also appears on the Menin Gate memorial to the missing and in Poole United Reformed Church.
The Menin Gate memorial to the missing, Ypres.
Skinner Street Church Memorial
*This is the spelling used by Light Infantry units.
Blandford Schools' Combined War Memorials 