PACKWOOD, Frank

Frank Packwood lived in Love Lane, Oldswinford, and attended Oldswinford C of E School. He also attended St. Mary's church, where he was a chorister and member of the Young Men's Bible Class. By 1914 he was working for Nash and Sons and living in Norton Road with his mother. He volunteered in September 1915 and joined the Gloucesters. He was sent to the 14th (Service) Battalion in the 35th Division. They crossed to France in January 1916 and went to the front line in Artois, the scene of the 1915 battles of Neuve Chapelle and Loos. It was a quiet sector at this time, which was helpful for men who had not been in battle as yet. Nevertheless, even in winter, there were raids and patrols to cope with, and shelling was a constant worry. He was under instruction in the trenches when a shell landed beside him. Private Frank Packwood died of wounds on the 3rd March and is buried in Le Touret Cemetery (III D 33) and commemorated on the Stourbridge, Oldswinford church and Oldswinford C of E School Memorials.