Name
Frank Rance
1892
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
06/08/1916
24
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
23251
Border Regiment
7th Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
1914 /15 Star, British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
THIEPVAL MEMORIAL
Pier and Face 6 A and 7 C.
France
Headstone Inscription
N/A
UK & Other Memorials
Berkhamsted Town Memorial, St Peter's Church Memorial, Berkhamsted, All Saints Church Memorial, Berkhamsted
Pre War
Frank Rance was born in Berkhamsted in 1892 the son of Charles and Mary Rance and baptised on 21 December 1892 at Great Berkhamsted. He was one of twelve children.
On the 1901 Census the family were living at 1 Kitsbury Road, Berkhamsted where his father was working as a general labourer. His mother died later the same year, aged 43, and his father remarried in 1907 to Daisy Willmore. The family remained at the same address in 1911 at which time Frank was working as an errand boy for a chemist.
His father and stepmother later lived at 1 Queen's Road, Berkhamsted.
Wartime Service
He enlisted in Bedford on 18 August 1914 and initially joined the Norfolk Regiment (reg. no. 12144) later transferring to the 7th Battalion, Border Regiment in November 1915 before being sent to France on 30 December 1915.
He suffered from measles in January 1916 and re-joined the battalion on 18 February 1916 but by 26 February he had contracted influenza but recovered.
He was killed in action in France on 6 August 1916, aged 24. He has no known grave and his name is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
Additional Information
His stepmother received a war gratuity of £9 and pay owing of £12 11s 6d. His father received a pension of five shillings a week.
Acknowledgments
Brenda Palmer
Jonty Wild
