Frederick Atkinson was the second son of Joseph and Margaret Atkinson. He was born on 25th March 1917. He was one of at least four children, all born in the Armagh area. Frederick enlisted prior to the outbreak of World War Two. Corporal Frederick Atkinson was serving with the 2nd Battalion of the Irish Guards when he was killed in action at Normandy on 25th August 1944. Frederick had only been married for a few months before being killed.
The town of Bayeux, in Normandy, lies 30 kilometres north-west of Caen. Bayeux War Cemetery is situated in the south-western outskirts of the town on the by-pass (D5), which is named Boulevard Fabian Ware. On the opposite side of the road stands the Bayeux Memorial.