Name
Frank Ashton
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Pirton School Memorial
Biography
Frank is recorded in the Parish Magazine of July 1916 as enlisting between March 2nd and July 1916 and serving in the Army Veterinary Corps. He also appears on the School War Memorial, confirming that he attended the school.
Stan Ashton, Frank's son, confirms that Frank was the son of Arthur and Emma Ashton and that he had two siblings, one who died at a very young age and Harry. The 1911 census records that he was born in Shillington around 1894, so he would have about twenty when war was declared. Before the war he had worked in the family bakery business, which was in the Knoll at 1 Burge End, (now 17 Shillington Rd), but by 1911 was recorded as a farm labourer.
His brother Harry also served and survived, as did their cousin Jack Ashton. Frank joined up at the same time as John Kingsley (another survivor) and underwent training at Wardown Park in Luton. By 1918 he was Lance Bombardier 196695, 1st Battery, Royal Horse Artillery, with his home address as near Burge End, a name then given to a much larger area than the current road. He returned to Pirton after the war and continued to work in the bakery, which he later took over from his father and ran until 1958 when he in turn retired.
He married Edith Bertha Kingsley and they had three sons, including Stan. Both Frank and Edith are buried in St. Mary’s churchyard. Frank died in 1974 and Edith in 1984.
Intriguingly, Stan is convinced that there was a photograph of his father, in uniform, in St. Mary’s Church. It was in a frame, but behind a copy of some records relating to the bell ringing of quarter peals. Unfortunately this has yet to be found, but hopefully it will be, in the future.
Acknowledgments
Text from the book “The Pride of Pirton” by Jonty Wild, Tony French & Chris Ryan used.
