BRISTOW, Frank

Frank Bristow was the son of William Bristow of 109 Stourbridge Road, Lye, and he attended Valley Road School, Lye. He enlisted in the Somerset Light Infantry but was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps to serve in the 34th Battalion. In March 1918 they faced two of the German Spring offensives in quick succession. From the 21-23rd March they fell back over the Somme battlefield and then moved to Artois for reinforcements. There they faced the second offensive on the Lys and fell back again with serious casualties. So great were the losses that the Division was broken up. It was reconstituted in June 1918 and the Machine Gun Company rejoined. They took up a position alongside the French in the valley of the Aisne near Soissons with the intention of starting the recovery. An attack on the village of Tigny was undertaken by the new Division on the 23rd July with the machine guns giving protective fire but German resistance was strong and casualties were high. Among them was Private Frank Bristow who was killed in action on that day. He is buried in Raperie British Cemetery, Ville Montoirs (IA C 2) and is commemorated on the Lye and Wollescote, Lye church and Valley Road school Memorials.