Franklin, Fred
Personal Information
Rank | P/O |
Forename(s) | Fred |
Surname | Franklin |
Gender | M |
Age | 21 |
Decorations | |
Date of Death | 11-12-1942 |
Next of Kin | Son of Clifford and Florence Franklin, of Shaw. |
Aircraft Information
Aircraft | Armstrong Whitworth Whitley V |
Serial Number | Z6658 |
Markings | -S |
Memorial Information
Burial/Memorial Country | United Kingdom |
Burial/Memorial Place | Crompton Cemetery |
Grave Reference | Plot 41. Joint grave 6377. |
Epitaph | HE DIED THE NOBLEST DEATH A MAN MAY DIE, FIGHTING FOR GOD, RIGHT AND LIBERTY |
IBCC Memorial Information
Phase | 1 |
Panel Number | 37 |
Enlistment Information
Service Number | 124719 |
Service | Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
Group | 91 |
Squadron | 10 OTU |
Trade | Air Bomber |
Country of Origin | United Kingdom |
Other Memorials
Location | Old airfield site, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire |
Country | United Kingdom |
Memorial Type | Inscribed Metal Plaques |
Memorial Text | In memory of those killed on Ops from RAF Stanton Harcourt |
Miscellaneous Information
On detachment to Coastal Command |
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Last Operation Information
Start Date | 09-12-1942 |
End Date | 09-12-1942 |
Takeoff Station | St. Eval |
Day/Night Raid | Day |
Operation | Anti-shipping patrol |
Reason for Loss | Ditched after the port engine caught fire. When almost ashore near Burry Holmes, South Wales, he attempted to swim ashore, but in an exhausted state he failed and was pulled out to sea by the tide. An RAF high speed launch picked him up, but he died a short time later on board the launch. The remaining crew were rescued by local villagers of Llangennith, Gower, as the tide receded. Two men, Ernest Rees and Wilfred Davies (Homeguard members) received the BEM for wading out to attach lines to the two dinghies; the second dinghy being dropped by Sgt. Richard Davies 276 Sqn, ASR, RAF Portreath on 9th December. See 'Fallen Flyers: Tragedy in the Skies Over Wartime Gower' by Steven H. Jones (Bryngold Books Ltd.) for full story. |