Captain, 17th Battalion Sherwood Foresters.
Died 3rd September 1916, age 26.
Buried in Knightsbridge Cemetery, France.
Former student of classics.
Frank was born in 1890 at Newton-Le-Willows to James, headmaster of St. Peter’s School, and Eleanor Singleton. He won a Foundation Scholarship to Manchester Grammar School in 1902he obtained his cricket and football colours. He entered Manchester University in 1907, gained his B.A. Classics in 1910 and then completed an M.A. and Teaching Certificate in 1911. He was the secretary of the classics society and won his hockey colours as a member of the first team. He became an assistant master at County School, Richmond, Surry and from there moved to Sheffield Central School which was well known for it’s success at sending pupils to Oxford and Cambridge.
He served in the University Officer Training Corp from November 1908 to September 1911. He was commissioned in November 1914 to the Sherwood Foresters, undertook many specialist courses to ready himself for the stern work of war, and was promoted to captain in April 1916. For some time he held the post of Commandant of the brigade bombing school. He left for France on 26th August and was killed by shell fire just over a week later while leading an attack on Beaumont Hamel on the Somme. He left a wife, Frances Muriel Lavina (nee Clark), who he had married on 2nd October 1915.
The Manchester Grammar School magazine noted that “the memory of him calls up gracious thoughts of manliness, friendliness of heart, of buoyant spirits, loyalty of nature, and high-minded principle”. His former master described him thus: “Never did a man, as he revealed himself to me, possess true Public School spirit in higher degree. The soul off honour, with all the glowing enthusiasm and generous impulse of aspiring youth. Born to lead and to inspire”. The headmaster of Sheffield Central wrote that his death “came as a grievous shock to his former colleagues and pupils” on whom he had had left a long lasting and inspiring memory.