Frederick Isaac Taylor enlisted for General Service. He was given the regimental number GS/21459 and served in the Royal Fusiliers (London Regiment), initially going overseas to join the 4th Royal Fusiliers (in the 9th Brigade of 3rd Division) as a Corporal on 12 April 1916. He remained with the 4th Battalion until 29 July 1916, which would have put him in line to take part with them in the Battle of the Somme, in particular the 14-15 July attack on Bazentin-le-Grand. He then had a break in service shown on his medal roll entry, which may indicate that he was invalided to the UK due to sickness. At the time of his departure the battalion, having been in Delville Wood, was out of the line in the Meaulte area.
On 25 April 1917 he was posted overseas again, this time to the 2nd Royal Fusiliers, before being posted to the 22nd (Service) Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Kensington) on the 14th of the following month. Possibly he was one of a draft of 5 other ranks received on 16 May when the battalion was out of the line at Ecurie. By this time the 22nd Battalion was very low in strength, having lost significant numbers of men in both the operations to follow-up the German retreat to the Hindenburg Line, and then later in the Battle of Arras, one source suggesting a strength of only nine officers and 174 men at about this time. By 23 May the battalion was organised as two companies and holding the line in the Arleux Loop, opposite Fresnoy, and it is likely that he was in the trenches with the battalion at this time, prior to it being withdrawn to Bray for training, and later sent along with the rest of the division to the Bethune sector. After a few periods in the line in the Cambrin sector and intensive training whilst out of the line in Rambert near Bethune, and later Herzeele, in the Ypres sector, he would have been in line to serve with the 22nd in their last major action, 30 November to 5 December 1917, the Battle of Cambrai. The battalion was first committed to battle in relief of the 186th (2/2nd) West Riding) Bridge in Bourlon Wood at 4.30am on 28 November, forming a defensive flank to the 186th Brigade area, remaining there for the day under shellfire at a cost of 44 casualties, 7 fatal, before being sent to the Canal du Nord defences where it remained, assisting in fighting off a German attack on 2 December and another whilst withdrawing from its more exposed positions in Canal Trench on the night of 4th-5th December. During the period 30 November to 5 December the battalion suffered four officers and 70 other ranks wounded, six other ranks killed, and one other rank missing. Having withdrawn to Hermies, the battalion returned again to the canal defences in the right bank of the canal on 13 December and there was involved in beating-off a grenade attack on the battalion’s advanced sap on 15 December 1917.
Cpl Taylor is shown in his medal roll entry as serving with the 22nd Royal Fusiliers until 14 December 1917 and was recorded (as Lance-Sergeant Taylor) as having been captured at ‘Cambrai’ whilst serving with ‘C’ Company on 13 December (whilst the battalion was manning the Canal du Nord defences). It seems likely that both of these dates are slightly out, and that Cpl Taylor was captured in the course of the abovementioned attack (three missing other ranks are mentioned in the 99th Brigade War diary for this day).
War Office Daily List No.5476 of 26 Jan 1918 listed him as Missing, with his next of kin address being Willenhall. As of 16 February 1918 he was incarcerated at Dulmen, having been previously incarcerated at Le Quesnoy. This record confirmed that he was born on 21 January [18]?7 in Wolverhampton and gave his next of kin as Mrs Taylor, address 16 Birchfield Street, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire.
In War Office Daily List No. 5497 of 20 Feb 1918 he was Listed as Previously reported missing, now reported prisoner of war in German hands. The List also gave his Next Of Kin Address as Willenhall. War Office Daily List No.5750 of 17 Dec 1918 Listed him as Released Prisoner of War from Germany, arrived in England and gave a revised next of kin address as Wolverhampton.
