Blucher (Arthur) FREEBODY (1881-1918)

Name:	Blucher (Arthur) FREEBODY
Sex:	Male
Father:	Warwick FREEBODY (1844-1902)
Mother:	Julia Ann MCAVOY (1846-1926)

Individual Events and Attributes

Birth	16 Apr 1881	Woking
Death	30 Jan 1918 (age 36)	Ferozepore, India
Christening
Occupation		L/Corporal 1/9th Batt'n Royal Hampshire Regiment

Individual Note

Birth (Register 2a 60), Death Abroad - See later notes.

 

1891 Census: 3, Gloucester Terrace, Portsea, Portsmouth. Because of the unusual name, it appears that Blucher was recorded as a female at the time of the census. Even later on, some transcriptions show the name as Blanche.

1901 Census: 15/ 16, Miller's Temperance Hotel, Hampshire Terrace, Portsmouth. Occupation was recorded as "Book Domestic".

1911 Census: He was a boarder at 19 St Mark's Road Southampton. His occupation was a "Billiard Marker".

 

After a moderate amount of research, there is reason to doubt that Arthur was the registered name at birth. There is no doubt he was buried with the name Arthur. His memorial at the Kirkee Cemetery 1914-1918 Memorial, Maharashtra State, India is marked.

 

It is probable, that Arthur was registered at birth as Blucher Freebody. The birth year 1881 for Blucher fits in with the details of Arthur's death in 1918 aged 37. There isn't an Arthur Freebody registered anywhere near that time. In the 1901 Census of Portsmouth, Blucher appears as a servant in an hotel in Hampshire Terrace (Book Domestic?), aged 19, and gives that he was born in Woking, Surrey. The PRO index confirms the name. No record has been found to indicate Blucher/Arthur married.

 

Arthur served in India at the time of the first world war. He served with the1/9th Battalion Royal Hampshire Regiment.

 

Arthur died in India and was buried there . According to Douglas (Arthur's brother/nephew), Arthur died of tetanus after having an injection with a dirty needle. His cause of death though as read on his service record was Malaria. As a point of interest Blucher comes from Gebhard von Blucher, Field Marshal of Prussia, 1742-1819. Some accounts describe him as a brave yet somewhat crazy soldier who had a passion for fighting the French.

 

The service death records show:

 

Name: Arthur FREEBODY

 

Rank: L/CPL

 

Initials: A

 

Birthplace: Woking, Surrey

 

Residence: Portsmouth

 

Enlisted: Southampton

 

Regiment, Corps etc.: Hampshire Regiment

 

Battalion etc.: 1/9th (T.F.) Battalion.

 

Number: 355914

 

Date died: 30 January 1918

 

How died: Died

 

Theatre of war: India

 

Misc

 

Main Sources of Information: Close family member, service record, war grave photo, Census Returns, BMD Indexes.