Source: Michael Doyle Their Name Liveth For Evermore: The Great War Roll of Honour for Leicestershire and Rutland.
He was the son of George J. G. and Amy M. Stafford.

Source: Leicestershire War Memorials Project.
Coalville Times article - Friday September 13th, 1918

LOCAL CASUALTIES

Mr and Mrs Stafford, of Coalville, have received the news of the death of their son, Pte. F. Stafford, of the Machine Gun Corps in France. A letter was received from a soldier comrade on September 8th in which the writer stated Pte. Stafford was in hospital wounded, having been hit by a shell whilst going for the team’s rations at 11.30 am on September 2nd. The letter continues, “Lance-Corporal Swinbourne and Pte. Woodward, of his team were with him and I am sorry to say they were both killed by the shell that wounded our young Stafford, but we have kept the news from him. Now, do not worry yourselves at present, he is quite alright; he was wounded very badly in his head, and not so badly in one leg and both arms, but no bones are broken in any of his limbs as far as I could see when I bandaged him. Of course, his head is cut. I sent for a stretcher, and also for our section officer and the sergeant, and while we were waiting for them, Stafford spoke very cheerfully. He asked me to take a field card from his pocket, which is addressed to Mrs Stafford, and give it to the postman, and I have done so. I thought every moment he would give way under his pain, but he managed to keep him as cheerful as I could, and before leaving he thoughtfully remembered his mates and told me (I am the officer’s servant) to tell them to share his parcel that he is expecting from home. Mr Lloyd and the sergeant then arrived, and with them a stretcher, and four German prisoners as stretcher-bearers, and that was only fifteen minutes after being wounded, and I was so glad he didn’t ask me where his two mates were, for the news might have been more than he could bear. Just a hand-shake all round, including Mr Lloyd, and then “good-bye” and “good-luck, Stafford lad,” and that’s all. A formal acknowledgement of this letter is all I expect from you, his people, for the present, but when you hear from him himself, I should like to know if he is going on alright.” This was followed by another letter, received the next day (Monday) from a hospital: “I regret to say your son, Pte. F. Stafford, died here 1.10 pm today. He was admitted on the 2nd of this month suffering from multiple wounds. We did all that could be done for him, but he died today. There really was no hope for him. The Roman Catholic priest and saw him and administered the last sacraments to him. He was wonderfully comfortable, poor boy. Please accept our sincere sympathy.”

St Saviour’s Bulletin - Vol. 1. November 1928 No. 4.

Published by Father Degen, The Catholic Church, Coalville, Leicester

Price – One Penny.

St. Saviour’s Roll of Honour

Edward Henry Hunt.
Joseph Sheffield.
Francis Edward Stafford.
Harold Edwin Ketcher.
William Ducksbury.
Allan Thorpe.
George Herbert Saddington.
Arthur Lovell.
John Mulrooney.

How vain is the wealth of flowers,
How vain is the mourner’s wreath,
How useless the marble tombstone,
To the dust that lies beneath.

How futile the empty praises,
How futile the tears that fall,
The sable and crape of mourning,
How empty and vain are all!

The voice of the dead is calling,
All through the wealth of flowers,
Not for our grief and tears.

Our own, our lost, our lov’d ones,
Oh! Could we but hear them speak;
Prayer is the flower they ask for,
Prayer is the wealth they seek.

More dear than the flower-lit grasses-
The fragrant churchyard sod-
One prayer for their souls to Jesus,
One prayer to the heart of God.

We can open the gates of heaven
By the wondrous key of prayer,
That the suffering souls may enter
The joy that awaits them there.

Research undertaken and submitted by Andy Murby 2/6/2018