Markham, Sergeant Frederick Arthur

Service highlights

  • Service number: 823627
  • Rank: Sergeant
  • Born: 22 April 1896, London
  • Occupation: railway car repairer
  • Enlisted: 3 March 1916 in London, Ontario, 142nd Battalion (City of London’s Own)
  • Overseas: boarded SS Southland at Halifax on 31 October 1916, arrived Liverpool 11 November 1916
  • Posted to: 23rd Reserve Battalion at Dibgate, then 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion, 1st Canadian Division, 30 November 1916
  • Promotions: lance corporal 18 May 1917, corporal 1 September 1917, sergeant 23 February 1918
  • Killed: 7 April 1918, likely by shellfire near Telegraph Hill in the Fouchy-Fampoux sector
  • Burial: Duisans British Cemetery
  • Commemorated: cenotaph in Rannoch

A Life and Service Remembered

Frederick Arthur Markham was born in London, England on 22 April 1896. He made his way to Canada and lived at 713 York Street in London, Ontario, working as a railway car repairer, a practical trade that kept the country moving and that demanded steady hands and patience.

He enlisted in London on 3 March 1916 with the 142nd Battalion, the City of London’s Own. He trained in London, at Camp Borden, and at Wolseley Barracks. The 142nd was troubled, and the account notes harsh discipline and public punishment at Wolseley Barracks in the fall of 1916. Not long after, the battalion went overseas, even though it was not up to full strength.

On 31 October 1916, Fred boarded the SS Southland at Halifax. The ship reached Liverpool on 11 November, and almost immediately the 142nd was broken up to provide reinforcements. The next day, able bodied men including Fred were transferred to the 23rd Reserve Battalion at Dibgate. His time there was short. On 30 November 1916 he was posted to the 14th Canadian Infantry Battalion, then serving in France with the 1st Canadian Division.

With the 14th, Fred served through some of the war’s defining battles: Vimy Ridge in April 1917, Hill 70 in August, and Passchendaele in October and November. He was a good soldier and his steady promotion reflects that: lance corporal in May 1917, corporal in September, and sergeant in February 1918.

In early April 1918, the 14th took over a portion of the front line trenches on Telegraph Hill near Neuville Vitasse. Three days later they were relieved by a British unit and moved into support positions in the Fouchy-Fampoux sector. The regimental history later described those positions as two days marked by shelling. In that short, brutal span, there were casualties, and Sergeant Markham was killed on 7 April 1918, likely by enemy shellfire.

He was buried in Duisans British Cemetery at Etrun, France. He was survived by his sister, Elsie Markham, who lived with the Robert Cooper family on a farm at Lot 20, South Boundary Concession, Blanshard Township. Frederick Markham is commemorated on the cenotaph in Rannoch.

Major battles and operations

  • Battle of Vimy Ridge (April 1917)
  • Battle of Hill 70 (August 1917)
  • Passchendaele (October to November 1917)
  • Arras sector service, including Telegraph Hill near Neuville Vitasse (April 1918)
  • Fouchy-Fampoux sector shelling (April 1918)

Learn More