A Bud Between Two Roses
Battery Sergeant Major Frederick George William Manning Royal Artillery
The Man Frederick George William George Manning (Fred) was born on Saturday 27th October 1917 at 7 Rock Road, Ightham, Malling, Kent, son of Rosalie Maria Manning.
Rosalia was born in 1898 and lost her Brother Albert Manning, a Private, 12970, in the 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment on 25th September 1915, aged 22 who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He is buried at Maple Cross Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium. She lost another brother Frank Herbert Manning, a Private, 201759, in the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment on 23rd April 1917 aged 21 in the Battle of Arras. He is commemorated in Bay 4 of the Arras Memorial. Her Father Amos also passed away on 6th July 1917 and it is likely her partner was also killed in action; thus Fred was born with no father. All this personal trauma by the time Rosalia was aged just 19.
In December 1920 however, she married Frederick Arthur Rice and had two more children, Fred’s half siblings. Albert F Rice born in 1921 and Rosalie M Rice 1929.
Soon after his birth Fred was adopted informally by Ernest Sion Rose and his wife Mary nee Chalklin, in Borough Green. They had five other children, Frederick’s step siblings, Ernest H A Rose born in 1920, Madeline Mary 1922, Sion Thomas 1924, Rosemary Amy 1928, Janet Phyllis 1931 and Margaret 1935. Sadly, Fred had no contact at all with his mother or half siblings after his adoption.
During his childhood, Fred had a lazy eye and this was operated on, tragically the operation went wrong and he became blind in that eye. Following his education, he became a brickmaker and by 1939, aged 22 was living at 9 Crow Hill, Borough Green with the Rose family, the annotation on the census says ‘Of military age’.
Following the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Fred enlisted into the Royal Artillery in 1941 aged 24 and with service number 1552836. During the first quarter of 1942, aged 25 he married Rose Beatrice Hissey in Maidstone, whereupon he acquired the nickname ‘Bud’ as in rose bud.
Rosalia was born in 1898 and lost her Brother Albert Manning, a Private, 12970, in the 2nd Battalion Suffolk Regiment on 25th September 1915, aged 22 who was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Loos. He is buried at Maple Cross Cemetery, Ypres, Belgium. She lost another brother Frank Herbert Manning, a Private, 201759, in the 4th Battalion Suffolk Regiment on 23rd April 1917 aged 21 in the Battle of Arras. He is commemorated in Bay 4 of the Arras Memorial. Her Father Amos also passed away on 6th July 1917 and it is likely her partner was also killed in action; thus Fred was born with no father. All this personal trauma by the time Rosalia was aged just 19.
In December 1920 however, she married Frederick Arthur Rice and had two more children, Fred’s half siblings. Albert F Rice born in 1921 and Rosalie M Rice 1929.
Soon after his birth Fred was adopted informally by Ernest Sion Rose and his wife Mary nee Chalklin, in Borough Green. They had five other children, Frederick’s step siblings, Ernest H A Rose born in 1920, Madeline Mary 1922, Sion Thomas 1924, Rosemary Amy 1928, Janet Phyllis 1931 and Margaret 1935. Sadly, Fred had no contact at all with his mother or half siblings after his adoption.
During his childhood, Fred had a lazy eye and this was operated on, tragically the operation went wrong and he became blind in that eye. Following his education, he became a brickmaker and by 1939, aged 22 was living at 9 Crow Hill, Borough Green with the Rose family, the annotation on the census says ‘Of military age’.
Following the outbreak of World War II on 3rd September 1939, Fred enlisted into the Royal Artillery in 1941 aged 24 and with service number 1552836. During the first quarter of 1942, aged 25 he married Rose Beatrice Hissey in Maidstone, whereupon he acquired the nickname ‘Bud’ as in rose bud.
Fred was promoted to War Substantive Sergeant, serving in the UK until late 1944 when he was posted to France as part of the advancing Allied Army on Germany. Following the War, Frederick remained in the Army, possibly as part of the occupying force in Germany and awarded the France and Germany Star, Defence Medal and War Medal 1939-45. On 26th October 1947, the day before his 30th Birthday he enlisted into the Regular Army, Royal Artillery, becoming a Gunnery instructor and in May 1950 had a son, Nigel Frederick (Fred) Manning.
Fred consistently received good annual appraisals, praising his knowledge, instructional skills, common sense, example and ability to get the best out his men. He was promoted to Battery Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class II) in late 1953 and continued to receive glowing reports; interestingly the report from 1955-56 said ”Has no fear of stating his opinion and putting his Battery Commander right when necessary. He has a firm grip of all subordinates of all subordinates, including subalterns and deserves far more scope than is possible at a Selection Regiment. His failing is that when he has a good head of steam up, he sometimes acts without due thought’’.
By March 1956 he was serving on the permanent staff at 147 (Meiktila) Battery, 68th Regiment RA based at Oswestry and transferred to the 25th Regiment RA in 1957. He was posted to Cyprus in 1958 during the conflict following the founding of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston - EOKA), who on 1st April 1955 opened an armed campaign against British rule in a well-coordinated series of attacks on police, military, and other government installations in Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca, and Limassol. The RA were based in the Panhandle, RHQ at Boghaz, 35 Bty at Lefkoniko, 54 Bty at Dhavlos, 93 Bty at Akrades Camp, near Yialoussa. Theyserved as infantry on internal security duties with no guns. For this he was awarded the General Service Medal with ‘Cyprus’ clasp.
On 6th May 1959 Fred was awarded his Army Long Service and Good Conduct medal appearing in Army Order 96 of 1959 for 18 years’ service and his final appointment was as Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant in the 25th Regiment, responsible for accounting and safe custody of a variety of items, including furniture, fuel, food and petrol.
Fred retired in October 1961 and indulged his interests of Freemasonry, gardening, amateur carpentry and walking, taking his Labrador, Duke, five to ten miles a day. In later life he also became a doting Grandfather to Fred junior’s children, Lee, Tina and Nicola and often seen in the garden with them playing cricket.
Fred was admitted to Maidstone Hospital on 8th October 1992, having habitually walked Duke the day before and on the same day his first Great Grandchild, Chloe Leanne was born. He was in hospital for five weeks and died 14th November 1992 aged 75 without having been discharged. The cause of his death was given as Hepatic Failure, Gastrointestinal Bleed and Liver Cirrhosis. His ashes were placed in a private plot in Borough Green Cemetery, Kent.
Rose died 15 years later in 2007 and her ashes laid alongside Fred, Fred junior died in 2019 aged 69 and his ashes laid at the same location.
CLICK HERE for more photographs of Frederick George William Manning
Fred consistently received good annual appraisals, praising his knowledge, instructional skills, common sense, example and ability to get the best out his men. He was promoted to Battery Sergeant Major (Warrant Officer Class II) in late 1953 and continued to receive glowing reports; interestingly the report from 1955-56 said ”Has no fear of stating his opinion and putting his Battery Commander right when necessary. He has a firm grip of all subordinates of all subordinates, including subalterns and deserves far more scope than is possible at a Selection Regiment. His failing is that when he has a good head of steam up, he sometimes acts without due thought’’.
By March 1956 he was serving on the permanent staff at 147 (Meiktila) Battery, 68th Regiment RA based at Oswestry and transferred to the 25th Regiment RA in 1957. He was posted to Cyprus in 1958 during the conflict following the founding of the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston - EOKA), who on 1st April 1955 opened an armed campaign against British rule in a well-coordinated series of attacks on police, military, and other government installations in Nicosia, Famagusta, Larnaca, and Limassol. The RA were based in the Panhandle, RHQ at Boghaz, 35 Bty at Lefkoniko, 54 Bty at Dhavlos, 93 Bty at Akrades Camp, near Yialoussa. Theyserved as infantry on internal security duties with no guns. For this he was awarded the General Service Medal with ‘Cyprus’ clasp.
On 6th May 1959 Fred was awarded his Army Long Service and Good Conduct medal appearing in Army Order 96 of 1959 for 18 years’ service and his final appointment was as Regimental Quartermaster Sergeant in the 25th Regiment, responsible for accounting and safe custody of a variety of items, including furniture, fuel, food and petrol.
Fred retired in October 1961 and indulged his interests of Freemasonry, gardening, amateur carpentry and walking, taking his Labrador, Duke, five to ten miles a day. In later life he also became a doting Grandfather to Fred junior’s children, Lee, Tina and Nicola and often seen in the garden with them playing cricket.
Fred was admitted to Maidstone Hospital on 8th October 1992, having habitually walked Duke the day before and on the same day his first Great Grandchild, Chloe Leanne was born. He was in hospital for five weeks and died 14th November 1992 aged 75 without having been discharged. The cause of his death was given as Hepatic Failure, Gastrointestinal Bleed and Liver Cirrhosis. His ashes were placed in a private plot in Borough Green Cemetery, Kent.
Rose died 15 years later in 2007 and her ashes laid alongside Fred, Fred junior died in 2019 aged 69 and his ashes laid at the same location.
CLICK HERE for more photographs of Frederick George William Manning
The Story The medal group awarded to Frederick William George Manning were acquired from E-Bay on 14th July 2021 following an offer made. They were of interest because of the photographs and original paperwork with the group.
The usual Ancestry.UK trawl revealed his biographical details plus several other photographs of Frederick and an interesting yet sad side story concerning his natural mother.
An interesting story of a career soldier whose memory is now preserved, in part at least, for posterity.
Shortly after their acquisition, Fred's Granddaughter, Tina made contact via this web site and kindly provided much additional biographical detail on Fred allowing is story to be embellished and personalised.
The usual Ancestry.UK trawl revealed his biographical details plus several other photographs of Frederick and an interesting yet sad side story concerning his natural mother.
An interesting story of a career soldier whose memory is now preserved, in part at least, for posterity.
Shortly after their acquisition, Fred's Granddaughter, Tina made contact via this web site and kindly provided much additional biographical detail on Fred allowing is story to be embellished and personalised.
Medal Details:
- France and Germany Star: Unnamed as awarded.
- Defence Medal: Unnamed as awarded.
- War Medal 1939-45: Unnamed as awarded.
- General Service Medal: 1552836 W.O.CL.2. F.G.W.MANNING. R.A.
- Army Long Service and Good Conduct Medal: 1552836 W.O.CL.2. F.G.W.MANNING. R.A.
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This page last updated 16 Aug 21
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