Private Frederick CALLIS (1873/4–1898)

Frederick Callis was born at Cane End, Caversham, Oxfordshire and baptised there on 22 February 1874. (Caversham was in Oxfordshire until 9 November 1911, when it was transferred to Berkshire.)

He was the son of the labourer Robert Callis and Harriett Ann Alexander (Ann), who were married at Woodcote Chapel in South Stoke, Oxfordshire on 7 July 1866. He had four brothers and three sisters, all of whom survived to adulthood.

At the time of the 1881 census Frederick (7) was living in a cottage at Cane End, Caversham with his parents and siblings. By the time of the 1891 census 17-year-old Frederick was a dairy labourer and his father and older brother George were agricultural labourers: he was living with his family at Chalk House Green in Caversham.

Frederick joined the Militia on 4 March 1895, and on 7 August 1895 when he was aged 21 years and 7 months he signed up at Alverstoke, Hampshire for seven years with the Oxfordshire Light Infantry. which he joined at Oxford on 9 August (regimental number 5083).

He served at home from 7 August 1895 to 1 February 1898, and was at Cunagh Camp in Dublin on 12 April 1897 when he damaged his thumb while marking the butts when setting up a target, but the Court of Enquiry at Beggars Bush Barracks on 8 May 1897 came to the conclusion that the injury was not likely to affect his future efficiency as a soldier.

Frederick Callis served as a Private in the 2nd Battalion of the Oxfordshire Light Infantry on the Punjab Frontier in 1897/8 but not at Tirah.

He died of disease in 1898 and was posthumously awarded the India Medal with one clasp.