Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Grave: | St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen | II.G.13A | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.136 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 2D GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Early Life :
Born in St. Helens to Matthew and Margaret Thornton prior to baptism at Sutton on the 22nd August 1875. Schoolmaster at St. Helens.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: 10th Battalion (1st Gwent) South Wales Borderers |
10th (Service) Battalion (1st Gwent) Formed at Brecon in October 1914 by the Welsh National Executive Committee. Moved by end of December 1914 to Colwyn Bay and attached to 130th Brigade, 43rd Division. 29 April 1915 : formation renamed 115th Brigade, 38th (Welsh) Division. Moved to Hursley Park (Winchester) in July 1915 but thence to Hazeley Down. Landed at Le Havre on 4 December 1915. |
| Action : The Battles of Ypres 1917 (Third Ypres, or Passchendaele) |
31 July - 10 November 1917. By the summer of 1917 the British Army was able for the first time to fight on its chosen ground on its terms. Having secured the southern ridges of Ypres at Messines in June, the main attack started on 31st July 1917 accompanied by what seemed like incessant heavy rain, which coupled with the artillery barrages conspired to turn much of the battlefield into a bog. Initial failure prompted changes in the high command and a strategy evolved to take the ring of ridges running across the Ypres salient in a series of 'bite and hold' operations, finally culminating in the capture of the most easterly ridge on which sat the infamous village of Passchendaele. The Official History carries the footnote ?The clerk power to investigate the exact losses was not available? but estimates of British casualties range from the official figure of 244,000 to almost 400,000. Within five months the Germans pushed the British back to the starting line, which was where they had been since May 1915.
Detail :
Liverpool Echo 12 July 1917: "ROLL OF HONOUR - ST. HELENS SCHOOLMASTER DIES FROM WOUNDS. - Mr Frank H. Thornton, a prominent schoolmaster in St. Helens, and organist of Wardgrave Church, Earlestown, is reported to have died in hospital. He was serving with the Royal Engineers. Mr. Thornton was close on 41 when he was called up. He was a Freemason, and very highly respected. Much sympathy is expressed for his sister, with whom he resided at Denton's Green."
Despite being listed as having died on the 12th in the Masonic Ledgers, most other sources list the 9th July 1917. He is buried at St. Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen Plot II. G 13A.
See also: Facebook Page.
"The death of well-known St Helens schoolteacher Frank Helsby Thornton from Dentons Green was announced on the following day. Born in Ravenhead in 1875, he had also been an organist at Wargrave Church in Earlestown and had died in hospital from wounds received in France. Thornton had been very unlucky, having been close to the maximum age of 41 when he was called up."
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Lodge of Loyalty No. 86 E.C. | West Lancashire |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th February 1912 | 27th March 1912 | 24th April 1912 |
Date of death is recorded at United Grand Lodge as "12th July 1917 on War Service"
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley