Name
Francis Joseph (Frank) Joslen
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
11/11/1918
26
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
O/24722
Army Ordnance Corps
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
Not Yet Researched
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
NAIROBI SOUTH CEMETERY
III. D. 2.
Kenya
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Standon War Memorial,
St Mary’s Church Memorial, Standon,
Puckeridge Memorial Plaque, Standon Village Hall, Standon
Biography
Francis Joseph Joslen was a Private, No. O/24722 with the Royal Army Ordnance Corps.
He died of influenza on 10th or 11th November 1918 at the age of 26. His grave reference is: lll D.2. Nairobi South Cemetery, Uhuru Highway, Kenya, East Africa.
As mentioned in the newspaper article below, Frank was the son of George Joslen and his wife Mary (nee Gault). Frank’s parents ran the Anchor Inn in Puckeridge High Street for many years and at more or less the same time, Mary’s parents were the licensees at the Windmill Inn in Standon. George also had a separate business as a ‘Fly Proprietor’ (a Fly being a one horse/two wheeled carriage – he probably owned one or more) and sometime coal merchant. In spite of George being 15 years older than his wife, she predeceased him, dying in 1910.
Frank had three older sisters, Ada, Agnes and Winifred, all the children being born in Puckeridge. In 1903 Frank won a school prize for attendance and progress. On the 1911 census, Frank, aged 19 was working for his father as a Fly Driver.
He married Winifred Mary Theresa Gayler in 1916, and it seems that no children were born from the marriage.
An obituary was found in the Herts & Essex Observer of 7th December 1918 which reads:
"Puckeridge
Death of Pte Frank J. Joslen - Pte Frank Joslen was the only son of Mr George Joslen, a well known and respected inhabitant of Puckeridge. In November, 1916, Pte Joslen enlisted in the Army Ordnance Corps and three months later joined the expeditionary force fighting in German East Africa. He had been married five months when he joined the Army and general sympathy is felt for his wife, who last week received the sad news from the War Office that her husband died on November 10th, of influenza. Three months had elapsed since she last heard from him, and singularly on Sunday she received no less than eight letters he had written to her. They were bright and cheery and he was looking forward to the war ending and his return home. Alas, like many others, he has died serving the homeland, and sleeps in distant Africa. The deceased was 26 years of age. On Tuesday a requiem mass was celebrated for him at the Roman Catholic Church, Old Hall Green, by the Rev. J.P. Arendsen, D.D.
It is once again a cruel double irony that, according to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, he died on 11th November 1918 (Armistice Day – not 10th November as mentioned in the article) and was so nearly on his way home, when he was struck down by the influenza pandemic which was sweeping the world at that time."
Acknowledgments
Di Vanderson, Jonty Wild
