| Description | Work completed by volunteer includes the following information:
Francis William Worthing was born in Salford in 1883, the son of John and Sarah Worthing (nee Hall). John, was a school master and in 1891 the family was living in Louth, Lincolnshire. By 1901 Francis was a grocer’s apprentice and boarding in Long Sutton, Lincolnshire. In 1910 he moved to Beverley and was working for the Mayor of Beverley. In Jul 1910 he married Alice Bielby in the newly built Baptist church. They lived at 5 Coburg Terrace, Holme Church Lane in 1911 and Francis was a grocer's assistant.
Francis joined the Heavy Section of the Machine Gun Corp as Gunner 40069. The Heavy Section was formed in Mar 1916, becoming the Heavy Branch in Nov 1916. Men of this branch crewed the first tanks in action at Flers, during the Battle of the Somme in Sep 1916. In Jul 1917, the Heavy Branch separated from the Machine Gun Corp to become the Tank Corps, later called the Royal Tank Regiment. The Beverley Guardian of Jan 1918 reported Francis had been injured and was in hospital in Oswestry. Medical reports show he was injured in the leg and arm. He was discharged from the army in 1919. He was awarded the British War and Victory Medals.
After the war Francis and his wife lived in Stockport, their son John was born in 1919. Frank died in 1946 in Stockport aged 63.
Includes photograph, information taken from census, military records, Commonwealth War Graves, newspapers |