Chester-le-Street Chronicle 1917
Level Crossing Cemetery Fampoux
Pauline Priano has submitted the following:-
George Franklin was born 1891 at Brandon, County Durham, the youngest of 6 children 4 boys and 2 girls born to coal miner Matthew Franklin 1853 of Wingate, Durham and his wife Ann Taylor born 1852 at Crook, County Durham, whom he married in the district of Bishop Auckland in 1874. Ann Taylor, born Ann Baker, was a widow and already had a son, Thomas William born 1873, from her first marriage. After their marriage they lived at 74 Auckland Terrace along with his widowed father William and sister Ann, by 1881 they had two children of their own Mary Jane 6 years and Henry 8 months. By the time George was born they had moved to 18 Poplar Terrace, South Moor, his father still working as a coal miner, unfortunately George’s mother died in 1904 when he was only 13 years old.
In 1909 George married Elizabeth Ann Brown born 1888 at Newbottle, County Durham, in the district of Lanchester, their daughter Margaret Ann was born in 1910 and were living at 17 Sixth Street, Horden in 1911.
George Franklin enlisted at Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1914, joining the Northumberland Fusiliers as Private 226, assigned to the 26th (3rd Tyneside Irish) Battalion, “A’ Coy. After initial training near home they joined the 103rd Brigade, 34th Division at Ripon in June 1915, moving on to Salisbury Plain in late August for final training. They embarked for France in January 1916, initially concentrated near La Crosse to the east of St. Omer, entrained and then marched they made their way to the Western Front where they saw action on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, July 1st 1916 followed by the attack at Bazentin Ridge, Pozieres Ridge and Flers-Courcelette. 1917 was the beginning of the Arras Offensive, April 9th-May 16th, during which the 26th Battalion Northumberland Fusiliers participated in the First Battle of the Scarpe. April 9th-14th and it was during the Second Battle of the Scarpe that Private 226 George Franklin Northumberland Fusiliers was killed in action April 25th 1917, aged 26 years.
Private Franklin is interred at Level Crossing Cemetery Fampoux, Pas de Calais, France, grave I. B. 53, the cemetery was begun by the bringing in from the surrounding battlefields those who had died in the field during April and May 1917.
His widow Elizabeth Ann paid 4 shillings and 1 pence to have his gravestone inscribed with the additional words, “Ever Remembered”. She received all monies due to him, a pension and his awards of the British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to her at the address of 59, Pine Street, Grange Villa, County Durham.
George’s father, Matthew Franklin, died in 1926 in the district of Lanchester.
In God’s safe keeping. Rest In Peace.
George Franklin is remembered at Craghead on C120.02 and at West Pelton on W112.02
