Born Beverley, 1897. Son of Charles and Hannah Freear, of Cherry Burton, Beverley, Yorkshire. His father was a cart man, probably at Queensgate chalk quarry. Richard was a farm servant (cow boy) on George Gray’s farm at the age of 14 and later worked for the NER at Straddlethorpe. He enlisted on 13/12/1915. Described as just over 5 foot 2 inches tall, he weighed 122lbs, had a 37 inch chest. He trained in Newcastle from 25/03/1916 and from there arrived at Etaples, France on 11/05/1916. He was killed in action on 13/11/1916, aged 19. There is a memorial plaque in St Michael and All Saints Church, Cherry Burton, East Riding of Yorkshire, erected by his three brothers and parents.
Hull Pals Memorial Post. PRIVATE RICHARD OLIVER FREEAR 14/170. Born in Beverley in early 1897, Richard was one of five brothers, four of whom served in the trenches. Born to Charles and Hannah Freear, of Cherry Burton, Richard enlisted in Hull on 13th December 1915, just short of his 19th birthday. Originally enlisting in the 14th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment he transferred to the 12th on his arrival in France. It is a reflection of how desperate the army was for men by this stage, that he left Blighty on 8th April 1916 after just five months training. It is also a reflection of just how much high command knew the coming Somme offensive would cost them. Far from being the expected stroll in the park of popular myth, they knew fine well the casualty figures would be high and were packing France with half-trained replacements to shore up the line. Richard was killed in action on 13th November 1916 during the last desperate attack of that sorry campaign, as fittingly, good men died gaining absolutely nothing in the mist and mud. His body was never recovered and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial; he was 19 years old. Thankfully it seems his siblings survived the trenches and returned home bearing different scars.
