Frederick Marsterson was the youngest child of Mary Anne and William. He was born on the 24th June 1892 in Melton and four months later, on 9th October, he was baptised at St Andrew’s Church. The following year, his father, William, died. In 1911, Frederick was living with his mother and stepfather in their shop while working as a railway porter for the Great Eastern Railway. By 1913, Frederick had left home and was living and working in Witham, Essex, with the Great Eastern Railway.

In May 1915, Frederick enlisted in the Suffolk Yeomanry before being transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. His time with this regiment was limited as his skills as a railwayman were required by the Royal Engineers, where he spent the remaining years of the war.

Once the war was over, Frederick returned to Essex and, by 1925, he was a station foreman on the Sudbury branch line. In 1929, Frederick married Gertrude Dyer in Colchester. By 1931, the couple were living in the Sudbury area with their young son. In 1939, the family were living in Great Cornard, Suffolk, and Frederick was still employed on the railways as a guard.

For his war service, Frederick received the British War and Victory Medals.