Military History

Frank is listed as dying of wounds on 29 May 1918 whilst a Prisoner of War. The Warwickshire Roll of Honour gives the events leading to his capture thus:

"During a bombardment [by the enemy on British lines] on the night of Sunday 26th May 1918 at Berry-an-Bac, France, he was hit by a shell splinter in the stomach and was bandaged by a stretcher-bearer in the trenches. The following morning he and his companions were taken prisoner and he was carried on a greatcoat for a distance of 9 miles to a dressing station from where he had to wait to be taken to hospital by Ambulance. His companions gave him soda water to drink as he lay on the ground. They never saw him again".

International Red Cross Record PA 34777 (click) relates to his capture and the entry roughly translates as "The identification tags listed below were received by v.s.1 (central office for probate matters) without further details on July 22, 1918. Designation of the transfer office: Reserve field hospital"

Therefore it seems that at some time after he was last seen by his colleagues on the 27th May 1918 he died in a Reserve Field Hospital and his identity tags were sent to a German Central Office for Probate matters. His CWGC Grave Registration document (click) shows that Frank was buried in a grave at Sevigny, which was behind German lines in the Ardennes region of France. His remains were moved from this grave to his current resting place at Rethel on 18 Jul 1923.

The following article appeared in the Leamington Spa Courier on 27th December 1918.