Fred was born in Highgate, London in 1889.  The son of John William Grayston and Matilda nee Parmenter he had 2 older brothers, William b. 1884 & Edward b. 1885 and 4 half siblings, Alice b. 1876, Florence b. 1878, Ernest b. 1879 & Arthur b. 1882 whose mother Elizabeth nee Glover died in 1883. Both Alice & Ernest died before they reached 20. His father John was a Carpenter and his mother owned the Refreshment Rooms in Undercliffe Road.  In 1911 Fred lived with his parents and his sister at Bath Restaurant in Felixstowe.  His father died in 1919 and his mother continued to run the Refreshment Rooms - photo below.

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Originally serving with the 1st Battalion Suffolk Regiment (1551) Fred entered the war in 1915 in the Balkans reaching Sergeant. He then served as a Sergeant in the 15th (Suffolk Yeomanry) Battalion, Suffolk Regiment.  He was killed in action on 2nd Sept 1918, age 27, during the second Battle of Bapaume. He is buried at Peronne Communal Cemetery Extension in the Somme area of France.

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