No.1001266, Private, Frederick Ivor ATKINSON.
Aged 19
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Frederick Ivor Bishop Atkinson was born in New Brighton, Cheshire on 14th December 1899 , (Birkenhead Q1-1900 8A:556), baptised in Wallasey on 11th February 1900, son of Edward James Fairhurst and Alice Sarah ATKINSON (née BISHOP).
1901 census...Aged 1 he was at Middlesmoor, Stonebeck, Yorkshire with his father Edward ATKINSON [45] schoolmaster born Liverpool, his mother Alice [38], born Liverpool, sister Mary E [10] born West Hartlepool, Durham and brother Edward James [4] born Parkgate, Cheshire. 1911 census...Aged 11, he was at the School House, Swaffham Prior with his parents. He apparently was the 16 years old Frederick Atkinson who sailed from Liverpool to St Johns, Newfoundland on the "Megatama" arriving on 17th April 1916 . His parents were at Woodhall, Sudbury in 1921. The grave registration forms have his mother at 23 Blair Street, Upper Stanhope Street, Liverpool. Quite possibly his mother at least was returning closer to home. His sister, now Mrs Mary Baker, was at 17 Grove Park Bury St Edmunds.
There is always confusion over the 78th Battalion, whether they were the Winnipeg Fusiliers or the Manitoba Regiment. Both titles are used in various records. He enlisted in Camp Hughes, Manitoba on 16th September 1916. Resident in Gladstone, Manitoba, he gave his date of birth as 14th December 1897, in New Brighton , Cheshire. His next of kin was his mother Alice Atkinson of Swaffham Prior, Cambridgeshire, he was single, a teamster, living in Gladstone, Manitoba. He was 5 feet 8.5 inches (174 cm)tall, chest 30" to 34.5" (76.2 to 87.6 cm), weighed 144 lbs (65.3 kg), brown eyes, brown hair, Church of England. Initially in 225th Overseas Battalion transferred to 14th Reserve Bn, CEF,and then to the 78th Battalion. He embarked in Halifax 0n 15thth December 1916, arriving in Liverpool on 26th December 1916 and was in France by May 1917. He was complaining of ill health by August 1917. This must have led to more thorough examinations and questioning and the Army acquired a copy of his birth certificate which showed his date of birth as 14th December 1899, which resulted in him being sent to UK as under age on 2nd October 1917, with explicit instructions that he was not to serve overseas until 14th December 1918. Unfortunately his health deteriorated and he was sent to 12 Canadian General Hospital at Bramshott in February 1918 and thence to the Canadian Specialist Hospital at Lenham, Kent where he was diagnosed as a carrier of TB. He was then ordered back to Canada for further treatment, embarking on HMHS "Llandovery on 28th March arriving in Canada on 8th April. He was eventually discharged as unfit for service on 20th May 1918. He died on 18th February 1919. The cemetery is close to Ninette Sanitorium which specialised in TB, but he is not named on the sanitorium's memorial. He has no circumstance of death card, presumably due to discharge from the Army.
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