One hundred years may have passed on what was the Western Front, but the discovery of a spoon and other artefacts led to a fitting burial service for Lance Corporal (LCpl) Frederick Thomas Perkins, of the 11th Battalion The Essex Regiment, who was killed during World War One. The ceremony took place at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Loos British Cemetery, near Lens, France on Thursday 7 November in the presence of his family.

The service was organised by the MOD’s Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, who also work to identify the remains of any British fallen soldiers which are found.

Rosie Barron, JCCC said:

The identification of Lance Corporal Perkins required meticulous research from both JCCC, and The Essex Regiment Museum and our perseverance paid off. It has been an honour to work with The Royal Anglian Regiment to lay Lance Corporal Perkins to rest and to share this experience with his family today. As we build up to Remembrance Sunday, we remember all those soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Current members of the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment paid their own tribute by providing both the bearer and firing parties for the service, which was conducted by the Reverend Paul Whitehead CF, Chaplain to 3rd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment.

The Reverend Whitehead said:

It was a great honour to put Lance Corporal Perkins to rest. It was a real privilege and amazing that all of the research undertaken has led to him being found a century later.

LCpl Perkins was born in Great Waltham, Essex, and was killed in action on 22 April 1917 aged 25. He left behind his wife Florence and their three-year-old son, Philip Jethro Perkins. To honour his memory, family members including his granddaughter, Linda Cook and his great nephew, Tony Brewer, attended the service.

Linda Cook, granddaughter of LCpl Perkins said:

We always wondered what had happened to my grandfather and to be here today and seeing where he now lays is very important to me. Not in my wildest dreams did I expect that they would find him.

The remains of a soldier of The Essex Regiment were discovered at the site of a new hospital to the north of Lens in January 2018. Following the delicate recovery of the remains and a number of artefacts by CWGC, which included a spoon and part of a notebook, JCCC’s research later showed that this was most likely a soldier of the 11th Battalion The Essex Regiment who had been killed in the area in 1917.

Steve Arnold, CWGC’s Recovery Manager said:

Working as CWGC’s Recovery Manager is a great honour. I am so glad that our meticulous efforts to find every piece of evidence enabled Lance Corporal Frederick Thomas Perkins to be identified. It is a privilege to be here today to see him laid to rest alongside his comrades from The Essex Regiment in Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Loos British Cemetery.

The JCCC worked with a group of researchers at The Essex Regiment Museum before DNA testing was undertaken that finally confirmed it was LCpl Perkins.

Major (Ret’d) Peter Williamson, Chairman of the Trustees of the Essex Regiment Museum, said:

I am so pleased that we, at the Museum, were able to help to identify Lance Corporal Perkins. He was an ordinary man from our county town of Chelmsford who answered the call to defend freedom early in World War One and paid the ultimate price. We will now be able to give him a proper soldier’s burial alongside his comrades. Even today their sacrifice inspires us all to do better.

The grave will now be marked by a headstone provided by the CWGC, who will care for his final resting place in perpetuity.

Officers are calling on the public and those who work in our busy towns and cities to remain vigilant and report any concerns to staff, security or – in confidence – to the police at gov.uk/ACT.

This annual campaign asks everyone to be the extra eyes and ears of the police and work together to tackle terrorism.

Please download our toolkit and share the messages wherever possible.

The November Issue of the AAIB Bulletin was published in error this morning – it has since been removed from the website and will be published next Thursday, 14 November 2019.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Published 7 November 2019

The Charity Commission is encouraging the public to “give with their heads as well their hearts” in the run-up to Remembrance Sunday.

The British public are generous in their support for charities, and the 11 November anniversary is always a time of peak giving. Britons donate millions of pounds to charity every year during this period.

The overwhelming majority of charity collectors are legitimate but public generosity is such that the sector can be a target for criminals. The regulator therefore wants to ensure that the public know how to give confidently to registered charities.

Donors are encouraged to follow the Commission’s simple steps when supporting and donating to charity, so that all donations reach intended causes associated with the welfare of Armed Forces members.

Helen Stephenson CBE, Chief Executive of the Charity Commission said:

Giving to charity is an important way in which so many of us remember the sacrifices of serving and former armed forces. As we collectively mark 100 years of remembrance, we as regulator want to help ensure that the public know how to ensure that their donations reach those in need.

That’s why I am encouraging people to give with their heads as well as their hearts. By making simple checks part of the routine of donating, we can all become smarter donors, and together help protect and promote public trust in the charity sector.

The regulator is advising people to:

• check a charity’s name and registration number at www.gov.uk/checkcharity. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered
• make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information
• be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them
• check whether street collectors are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed and undamaged
• ask the collector for more information if in doubt
• check whether fundraising materials are genuine. They should feature the charity’s name, registered number and a landline contact number (check their contact details on the register at www.gov.uk/checkcharity)

Reporting suspicious activity

After making these checks, if you think that a collection or appeal is not legitimate, report it to the police. You can also complain about a charity to the Commission and the Fundraising Regulator. If you think a collection is fraudulent report it to Action Fraud through their website or call them on 0300 123 2040. If you think a collector does not have a licence – report it to the relevant Local Authority Licensing Team or the Metropolitan Police (if in Greater London). Also let the charity and Action Fraud know if you can.

Ends.

Notes to editors:

1. The charity sector as a whole generates an annual income of over £77 billion. More information and key statistics about charities are available on the Register of Charities.
2. The Charity Commission is the independent regulator of charities in England and Wales. To find out more about our work visit the About Us page on GOV.UK.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is investigating the deal between LN-Gaiety Holdings Limited – a joint venture between Live Nation and Gaiety Investments Unlimited Company – and MCD Productions.

The LN-Gaiety joint venture owns and operates live music venues and festivals in the UK and Ireland, while MCD is primarily a promoter of live music events on the island of Ireland.

After completing an initial Phase 1 investigation, the CMA was concerned that the deal could damage competition in live music promotion in Northern Ireland, as Live Nation could hinder MCD’s rival promoters’ ability to sell tickets through its subsidiary Ticketmaster.

However, as part of an in-depth Phase 2 investigation led by an independent group of panel members, the CMA has now provisionally found that the merger is not likely to raise competition concerns as Live Nation would not be expected to have the incentive to harm rival music promoters by making it harder for them to sell tickets through Ticketmaster.

The CMA is asking for views on these provisional findings by 28 November and will assess all evidence provided before making a final decision. The statutory deadline for the CMA’s final report is 8 January 2020.

For more information, visit the LN-Gaiety Holdings / MCD Productions merger inquiry page.