Frank Francis

Story:
Frank Francis was born at East Orchard, Shaftesbury, Dorset, on 21st September 1888, the son of Frederick Francis and Elizabeth Jane Francis (née Moore).  He spent all of his early life in and around East Orchard.  He married Ada Chorley at East Orchard on 13th April 1914 and they went on to have two children.  Frank enlisted on 11th December 1915 but was not embodied until 29th May 1916 when he joined the Royal Warwickshire Regiment as a Private (Service No. 5805).  He was transferred to the 25th (Reserve) Battalion of the Rifle Brigade (Service No. 2134) on 26th August 1916 and again to the Royal Surrey Regiment on 5th March 1917 and, finally, to the 443rd Agricultural (134th Labour Company) of the Labour Corps (Service No. 79957).  He had served in France from 26 Aug 1916 and was demobilized on 22nd February 1919. He was awarded the Victory and British War medals.  By the 1939 Register he and his family had moved to 24 Sackville Gardens, East Grinstead, Sussex, where he worked as a Corn Merchant's Labourer.  He died in the Hailsham, Sussex, Registry area in 1963 and was eventually buried at East Orchard, Dorset, on 8 Jan 1963 .