Frank Atkinson (1892-1915)
Egglescliffe man served with 2nd Durham Light Infantry
Frank Atkinson was born in Egglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, around 1892. He was living in this place and worked as a gardener when he enlisted with the Durham Light Infantry on 6th June 1910. He was posted to the depot DLI three days later and finally started his service with 2nd DLI on 12th August of that year.
Atkinson was a private in the C Company 2nd DLI. In September 1910, he was acting as an unpaid Lance Corporal; in December he got paid for this rank but in 1912, the 29th of June, he was reverted to a private.
This change must have been caused by the multiple offences recorded in his military documents and that brought him several punishments during his service. According to this, in August 1913 he was described in his Employment sheet as “a capable & intelligent man, sober but requires constant supervision.”
On 5th October 1913, he was acting as an unpaid Lance Corporal before being paid again. He entered France as Lance Sergeant on the 8th of September 1914, and was promoted to a Sergeant on the 1st of November of that year.
There, Frank Atkinson was presumed killed in action on the 9th of August 1915, and finally considered dead on that day.
Civil Parish: Egglescliffe
Birth date: 1892
Death date: 1915-Aug-9
Armed force/civilian: Army
Residence: Egglescliffe, Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham (birth place)
Durham Lane, Egglescliffe (1901 census)
Myrtle Road, Egglescliffe (1910)
Religion: Church of England
Organisation membership: 2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
Employment: Gardener (1910)
Family: Father: Thomas Atkinson
Mother: Florence (nee Legget)
Siblings: Annie, Thomas, Herbert, Edith, Elizabeth, Marjory, John, William, Dorothy, Frederick
Military service:
Private/ Lance Corporal/ Sergeant
Regimental number: 10942
2nd Battalion, Durham Light Infantry
Medal(s): British War Medal
Victory Medal
Memorial(s): Cross 1914-1918, Road junction, Egglescliffe. His name is on the side right face, upper panel.
Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Panel 36 and 38, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
Gender: Male
Contributed by John Sheen | Durham at War Volunteer
