Lieutenant
Frank DAWKINS
Royal Air Force
Died: 11th October 1918 - Age: 46

Commemorated:

1. Memorial:Southampton Old Cemetery158 A. 141.
2. Book:The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918Pg.120
3. Memorial:The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour36A GQS
    

Awards & Titles:

 

Early Life :

Son of Edward James and Edith Priscilla Dawkins, of 39, Cromwell Rd., Southampton and born late 1872/early 1873. Was resident at 221 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth (1904) and returned to parents house later.

Family :

Frank did not marry and lived with his parents Edward James and Edith Priscilla in Cromwell Road as shown in the 1891, 1901 and 1911 census records. Frank had an older brother Harry (a stoker in the Royal Navy) and two younger sisters, Edith and Kate.

Education & Career :

Frank was educated at Bevois Town Board School before joining Taunton's, attending the latter 1886-1888. The 1891 census shows that at 18 Frank was employed as a clerk at a shipbuilding yard. By 1901 he was working as a civil engineer and between 1904 and 1911 he had become an Inspector of Buildings with the Municipal Borough Council.

Service Life:

Campaigns:

Unit / Ship / Est.: H.Q. A.C.S. 

Action : Accident 

Accidents were a minor factor in the casualty list. Our definition is deaths resulting from activities that were not directly associated with 'active service'. We have excluded Naval Accidents which are seperately identified because of their numbers and impact. Many accidents involved the aviators, operating at the the limits of technology.

Frank joined the Royal Engineers and became a Lieutenant. In August 1918, shortly before his death, Frank was granted a temporary commission as Lieutenant Grade A with the RAF and posted to RAF Lake Down, the Head Quarters of Atlantic Command Signals at Salisbury. Frank was killed when returning home from Lake Down in the sidecar of a motorcycle sent to collect him. The motorbike collided with another vehicle on Devizes Road and Frank was thrown out of the sidecar. He never regained consciousness and died at Salisbury Infirmary shortly after arrival.

Detail :

Frank is commemorated on the Southampton Cenotaph and is buried at Southampton Old Cemetery. His headstone bears the 'square and compasses' symbol of the Freemasons and an inscription (probably by his parents) "The beloved son of Edward and Edith Dawkins who was accidentally killed Oct 11th 1918 aged 46 years". The photograph above of Frank in uniform had at some time been added to the headstone.

Probate record shows: DAWKINS, Frank of 39 Cromwell Road, Southampton, Lieutenant, Royal Engineers. Died 11th October 1918 at the Infirmary Salisbury, Wiltshire. Administration Winchester 26 March to Edward James Dawkins, Retired Plasterer. Effects £662 17s. 8d.

Citations & Commemorations :

  Frank was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Masonic :

TypeLodge Name and No.Province/District :
Mother : Horsa No. 2208 E.C.Hampshire & IOW
Joined : St Michael's No. 3521 E.C. Hampshire & IOW

Initiated
Passed
Raised
15th January 1904
15th February 1904
21st March 1904
 

The records of Horsa Lodge at the United Grand Lodge of England show that Frank was on war service, but annotated erroneously as having "Died 15.7.18". He had been a petitioning and founding member of St. Michael's Lodge No. 3521 at its consecration on 24th October 1911, but resigned from this Lodge in November 1915.

Source :

The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:

Additional Source:

Last Updated: 2017-09-07 09:38:29