Photo Brian Chandler

Carole Fife has provided the following:

Frank is one of the oldest men named on the Bedlington Station School War Memorial, and one of the few never to serve abroad. He was born in 1877 in Ednam in Berwickshire. His father, James, was an agricultural labourer, and his mother was named Agnes. In the 1891 census, when the family was living at Clarabad Farm, Hutton, in Berwickshire, Frank was an agricultural labourer like his father, but in 1901, when the family was living at Hutton Castle Barns, Frank was a ploughman. Shortly after that he left his family and moved to Northumberland, and at the end of 1901 he married Jane Chapman in Wallsend. They had four children: James (1906), Frank (1909), William (1912) and Agnes (1916). In the 1911 census Frank was living and working as a barman at 1, Pioneer Street, Blaydon.

Frank attested on 9th December 1915, and was places in the reserves. He was mobilised on 5th July 1916 as Private 32709, joining the Northumberland Fusiliers while living and working at the Clayton Arms, Bedlington. He transferred to 84th Training Battalion N.F. as Private 5/56526 on 1st September 1916, and then to 527 H.E.S. Company, Labour Corps as Private 343647 on 14th July 1917. He was admitted to Chepstone Camp Military Hospital in Nottinghamshire on 17th April 1918 with advanced tuberculosis, and died on 20th April from exhaustion. As he died in England his family was able to bring his body back to Bedlington for burial. His widow Jane re-married and went to work at the Wharton Arms in Bedlington.

He is remembered in Bedlington Station on B163.04

The CWGC entry for Private Trotter