243915 Pte. Walter Thomas Franklin British Army 8th Battalion East Surrey Regiment from:Clapham, Surrey (d.12th October 1917) As a result of a string of coincidences during the past five years, we have started research, in earnest, into my Great Uncle's part in the Great War, his name was Walter Franklin and he served with the 8th East Surrey Regiment. We were very fortunate to win tickets in the ballot for Passchendaele 100 at Tyne Cot in July this year and we were given information beyond our wildest dreams by the incredibly helpful archivists at the Memorial Museum in Zonnebeke. On our return and following yet another random internet search, I was completely stunned to find my Great Uncle's medals and memorial scroll for sale at a specialist dealer.
Not untypically, there is little information in our family, my paternal Grandfather was Great Uncle Walter's youngest sibling and himself died in the late 1960s. My father knows no more than the fact that his Uncle went away and never came back, other than anecdotal evidence to suggest that he might have signed up under age.
My Great Uncle died 100 years ago tomorrow (I write this on 11th October 2017) at the age of 19. I am committed to finding as much as possible to complete his story.
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