Name
Frank Page
1898
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
09/12/1917
19
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Rifleman
12833
King's Royal Rifle Corps
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
TYNE COT MEMORIAL
Panel 115 to 119 and 162A and 163A.
Belgium
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Baldock Town Memorial, St Mary the Virgin Church Memorial, Baldock, Not on the Clothall memorials
Pre War
Frank was born in 1898 in Clothall, Herts, the son of Frederick and Annie Isaline Page (nee Covington), and baptised on 5 February 1899 in Clothall. He was one of ten children, but two died in infancy.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at Hickman’s Hill, Clothall, where his father was working as an agricultural labourer. Three brothers, George, Frederick and Alfred are recorded there, but older brother Leonard was working as a barman at Grand Parade, Tottenham.
Sometime between 1907 and 1910 the family moved to Prospect Terrace, Baldock and were recorded there on the 1911 Census, with four more additions to the family, Harry (1901), Ethel, (1904) Willie (1907) and Mary (1910, but Frank’s elder brothers were absent from the family home. Before enlistment, Frank was employed by F. Palmer, a fruitier, in Letchworth.
Wartime Service
Frank attested on 20 September 1915, and gave his age as 18 years 1 month, when actually he was 16. He joined as Rifleman 12833 in the Kings Royal Rifle Corps at Winchester and on 1 October 1915 he was posted to 5th (Reserve) Battalion for further training.
On 8 March 1916 he was posted to the BEF and proceeded to France, landing at Boulogne and, after more training at the Base Depot at Etaples, Frank was posted to the 8th (Service) Battalion, KRRC in the field on 26 May 1915. When it became apparent that he was under age, he was returned to the Base Depot on 27 June 1916 and repatriated to Base Depot in the UK on 31 July 1916. His records were marked ‘under age’ on 11 July 1916.
When he attained the age of 18 (the minimum age for overseas service), he was again posted to BEF on 29 September 1917 and landed in Boulogne on 1 October 1917, joining the 7th (S) Battalion on 26 October 1917. He may have been involved in the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele (26 Oct – 10 Nov 1917).
He served as a Brigade Runner, one of the most dangerous jobs on the Western Front and on 9 December 1917, after leaving a pillbox with a group of runners to return to the front line a shell fell among them killing him instantly.
Frank has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Ypres.
Additional Information
His parents jointly received a war gratuity of £9 10s and pay owing of £8 18s 8d. His mother received a pension of 4 shillings, later increased to 5 shillings.
Brother Leonard enlisted in May 1915 in the Army Service Corps as Private 95485 at the Remounts Centre, Romsey, Hants but was discharged on 22 May 1915 as "unlikely to become soldier". Brother George had enlisted in 1906 joining the 4th Battalion, Bedfordshire Regt, and had transferred to Regular service. (Nothing further has been found but he did survive the war). Brother Alfred served as Serjeant 3/6527, 1st Bedfordshire Regiment, dying of wounds 18 June 1918.
Acknowledgments
Neil Cooper, Brenda Palmer
Adrian Pitts, Paul Johnson, Jean Handley
