Frederick Fidgeon was the son of William Fidgeon, joint general manager of the National Provincial Bank of England. He oversaw the expansion of the bank to over 200 branches, which later became the National Westminster Bank, now NatWest Group. Frederick joined the bank in 1908 and remained with them until 1951.
He grew up in London. He became a Life Member of the National Rifle Association in 1906. By 1931 he was living in Worthing where he was treasurer of the Worthing Gliding Club and also an observer for them. In Aug 1932 he was the Acting Branch Manager of the South Street, Worthing Branch of the National Provincial Bank.
He married Dorothy M Hammonds in 1919 after his release from the Army. Their daughter Joan Claire Hammonds was born in Portsmouth in 1920. During the war she was an ambulance driver for the ARP. She would marry Lieutenant Colonel William James Eldridge OBE, solicitor and later Chair of the board of the Isle of Wight County Press
| Unit or location | Role | Posted from | until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calbourne Patrol | Patrol member | 02 Jun 1943 | 03 Dec 1944 |
Highgate School
Bank cashier National Provincial Bank
As a cadet drummer at Highgate School he took the silver medal in the Spencer Cup in 1908, part of a public schools shooting contest at Bisley only losing in a tie-breaking shoot off. He enlisted in the Number 1, Honourable Artillery Company, a Territorial Army unit, in 1909 from his home in Buckingham Mansions, Baker Street, London, his height recorded as 5 foot 10 inches. He and his three brothers, all members of the Honourable Artillery Company, were renowned shots with both match and service rifles, shooting regularly at Bisley.
He served during the First World War. He was commissioned on 12 Jul 1915 to the General List and then served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as Second Lieutenant, transferring to the Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) on 11 Apr 1916, later becoming a Lieutenant in Machine Gun Corps on 1 Feb 1917. He was posted to the 25th Battalion during 1918 as one of the officers in B Company, serving on the front line in the Ploegsteert sector during the German offensive. He relinquished his commission on 29 Jan 1919.
His First World War medals can be seen here.
TNA ref WO199/3391,
1939 Register
Littlehampton Gazette, 12 Aug 1932
www.foncc.org.uk/burials/research/mj-blow-10236.pdf
https://www.foncc.org.uk/burials/research/mj_cheverton_13040.pdf
British Gliding Association Handbook (1931)
https://www.surreyinthegreatwar.org.uk/story/captain-henry-cave-fidgeon…