BACON, Conrad


No.8931, Sergeant, Conrad BACON
Aged 20


7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment
Killed in Action on Wednesday, 9th August 1916


Conrad BACON was born in Haverhill on 24th February 1896 at 13 Union Square (Risbridge Q1-1896 4A:729), baptised in St Mary's on 13th September 1897, only son of Abraham and Clara BACON (née WHIFFING).
His father had worked as a rope worker and hair weaver, born in Haverhill to Steeple Bumpstead born farm labourer Joseph Bacon and Gt.Bradley born Johanna née CLAGDEN. Mother was a Haverhill girl, Clara, daughter of painter Thomas Whiffing. The family moved around from Sturmer, to Burton End and then Parson's Yard.

1901 census...Aged 5, he was at 21 Crowland Road, Haverhill with his father Abraham BACON [25]; his mother Clara [27] born Haverhill; sister Olive [2], all born in Haverhill. Also there was Robert WARREN [42] farm labourer born Hadleigh. He is recorded as son, obviously incorrect.

1911 census...Aged 15, a grocer's errand boy, he was at 31 Crowland Road with his parents (father was now a hair weaver, mother a machinist) sisters Olive, Kitty Irene [9], Kathleen Winifred [5] and Ethel Freda [2]. The girls also all born in Haverhill.

The pension card (1917) has his mother at 18 Recreation Road, Haverhill.

His parents later moved to Coventry where they were killed with their daughter Kitty on 16th September 1940 when a German bomber collided with a barrage balloon and crashed into their house.

His uncle, John Bacon died in Bury St Edmunds, serving in the Suffolk Regiment in 1915 see here



He enlisted in Haverhill in the 2nd Suffolks in September 1914, being recorded on the Roll of Honour of local men serving by the South West Suffolk Echo on September 26th 1914. At some time he was promoted to Sergeant and transferred tot he 7th Battalion, Suffolk Regiment. He arrived in France on 23rd February 1915

The battalion war diary simply says " 9th- Enemy trenches in R33d and RATION TRENCH attacked..see special report attached." This special report has not been found, but 57d.R.33.d. is an area NW of Pozières astride the D73, 2/3rds the way from Pozières and Thiepval.

from Lt Col Murphy's "History of the Suffolk Regiment: In the August of 1916 the Pozieres area witnessed the severest fighting as British and Australian troops pushed doggedly towards Thiepval along the route of the old German Second Line. A series of parallel trench lines was pushed out from Pozières towards Thiepval and by the 8th August 7th Suffolks and other troops of 12th (Eastern) Division occupied the fifth line of trenches - Fifth Avenue or Ration Trench. Here they were subjected to repeated and fierce German flammenwerfer (flamethrowers)and bomb attacks, the War Diary reporting..... " 2am - Hostile fire becomes very intense and enemy assaulted Ration Trench unsuccessfully. 5am - Attack renewed and about 70 yards of Ration Trench captured by the enemy."
Later that evening and on into the early hours of the next morning the trench was retaken, the Regimental History recording ..... " Capt Isham's company attacked with great dash and gained an additional two hundred yards."

The Suffolks lost 52 men killed on 9th August 1916, of which only 8 have known graves, the rest are named on the Thiepval Memorial

The South West Suffolk Echo on 2nd September 1916 reported his death:-
"Mr Abraham Bacon of 31 Crowland Road received official intimation that his son Sergt.Conrad Bacon of the Suffolk Regiment died at the front on the 9th August as a result of wounds received in action.


That being so he was either observed to be wounded and never found later, or his grave was lost in later fighting, as he is named on the Thiepval memorial



Conrad Bacon is commemorated on the Thiepval memorial, pier/face 1C/2A

click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details


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