Name
Frank William Bosley
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Z. 14.
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Biography
Frank Bosley attested under the Lord Derby Scheme, and was due to be mobilised between 20th January and 8th February 1916. He was employed as a Straw Hat Blocker by Horace Slade & Co Ltd, straw hat manufacturer of Victoria Street, St Albans. A Blocker was a key skilled job in the production of straw hats. Manufacturers could not cope with losing these skilled workers to the Services, so in many cases they appealed to local Tribunals to postpone or prevent the enlistment of these key men. This might have been completely against the wishes of the individual, who wished to join up and avoid criticism for not being in the Services when many around him were serving and dying for their country.
Slade’s made their first appeal at the St Albans City Tribunal on 2nd February 1916. The appeal was successful and Frank’s enlistment was postponed to 18th March 1916. A second application was held on 23rd February 1916, and was reported by the Hertfordshire Advertiser. Horace Slade told the Tribunal that all his men workers had attested, and he now had only one third of the Blockers that he needed, and that the existing women he employed were dependent on the Blockers to continue, and if Bosley left, then the company would close. The application was successful and Frank was exempted for two months.
The third application was heard on 13th June 1916, and once again Slade explained that his business had eighteen Blockers at the start of the War, but now had only four. This time the application was refused, and on 13th July 1916 Slade appealed to the County Appeal Tribunal, but this too failed and Frank Bosley was destined to be called up, but not before 31st August 1916.
It is not known exactly when Frank eventually joined up, but in December 1916 the Abbots Langley Parish Magazine listed Frank Bosley, serving with the Army Veterinary Corps (AVC) in December 1916.
Frank was born in East Dulwich in 1894, one of six children born to George and Emma Bosley – four sons and two daughters. In 1891 George was employed as a Railway Signalman, and the family lived at Camberwell in south London. By 1901 the family had moved to Walthamstow, and George worked as a General Labourer. By 1911 George, Emma, Frank and two of his sisters lived at 3 Blacksmith’s Lane, St Michaels, St Albans. At that point George worked as a House Painter, and Frank was employed as a Straw Hat Blocker, at one of the companies producing straw hats in St Albans. By 1916 he was living at Bedmond and on 26th March 1918 he married Ellen Albina Bunker from Abbots Langley. Frank’s brother in law, Sidney Bunker also served in the Great War and died from pneumonia whilst on active service. He was commemorated on the Abbots Langley War Memorial.
Frank Bosley survived the War.
Additional Information
Rank unknown
Acknowledgments
Roger Yapp - www.backtothefront.org
