223443 Pte. Francis George Vie British Army 8th Btn. Middlesex Regiment from:Acton (d.7th June 1915) Frank Vie was sent to France in April 1915 as a replacement for some of the casualties the Battalion had suffered during the 2nd Battle of Ypres.
He was shot carrying out repair work to the trenches in Vierstraat and is buried in Ridgewood Military Cemetery. He was 19 and left a baby son and wife. His wife died a few years later leaving his son to be brought up by his wife's family.
He was lost to us as a family for many years until my father found his grave in the 80's whilst researching the family tree.
Additional Information: | Whilst researching my family ancestry I came across this record for Francis George Vie. His wife was Gertrude Emily Slade and their son was Francis Morris Vie. It would appear that Gertrude had hardly any or no contact with her son nor her own family after her husband died in Belgium. She was the eldest sister of my paternal grandmother. Whilst doing my research I found that Gertrude was still alive on the 1939 register and living in Nottingham with her second husband, Robert Burton and their family. I cannot however, find when she or Robert died. Maybe Gertrude's own family thought it better to say that she had died to Francis - no-one will know for certain.
Gertrude obviously died after 1939 and it's sad to think that Francis Morris was married himself whilst his mother was still alive but did not know her.
Jackie Brett
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