| Date of birth: | 9th February 1892 |
| Place of birth: | Jullundur, India |
| Service No.: | 34759 |
| Rank: | Corporal |
| Regiment / Division: | Royal Garrison Artillery |
| Battalion: | 116th Heavy Battery |
| Died: | 28th March 1918 aged 26 years |
| Death location: | Anzin-St. Aubin British Cemetery, Arras, France |
Life before the War
Francis was the fifth of 10 siblings born to William Andrew and Theresa Bosworthick (nee McGee).
William Andrew was born in Portsmouth in 1862. He enlisted in the Rifle Brigade whilst in his teens and served for 19 years, 13 of them as a Colour Serjeant. He married Theresa on 10th March 1884 in Farnborough and moved to India with the 3rd Rifle Brigade in 1889.
Three offspring were born whilst the couple were in Jullundur, but only Francis survived past a few months.
Interestingly William Andrew re-enlisted on 9 September 1914 in Winchester, at the age of nearly 53, by which time the family were living in Shirley. His attestation form clearly states “for UK service only” and he was officially a “reservist”. On 30 April 1920, he was officially discharged from the Armed Forces.
Francis’s 9 siblings were:
| William Ernest | b. late 1884 / early 1885 in Aldershot; d. 27.4.1915 at Ypres, Belgium. If you want to read William’s story select the link to his name. |
| Theresa Mabel | b. 1886 in Harwich; d. 1967. |
| Marion Charlotte | b. 16.6.1889 in Jullundur, India; d. 30.6.1889. |
| Andrew Charles | b. 25.1.1891 in Jullundur, India; d. 8.2.1891. |
| Alice Edith | b. 1894 in Winchester; d. 1981. |
| Gladys Lillian | b. 1896 in Gosport; d. 1973. |
| Phyllis | b. 1898 in Southampton; d. 14.2.1980. |
| Maud Elsie | b. 1904 in Southampton; d. early 1913 aged 9 years. |
| Violet Dorothy | b. 24.10.1905 in Southampton; d. 1977 in Poole. |
War Service
Francis spent half his childhood in India and half of it in Southampton. At the 1901 census the family were living in St. Mary’s but were resident in Shirley by the 1911 census. By this time Francis had left home, having enlisted in the Royal Garrisom Artillery. His battalion (the 116th Heavy Battery) was despatched to France quite soon after the outbreak of war.
Francis started military life as a Gunner but, at some point before his death, he was promoted to Corporal.
Having survived three and half years virtually unscathed Francis met his end on the first day of the First Battle of Arras, part of a large German push to secure the Channel ports.
He is buried next to a colleague from the same unit (Lance Bombardier A W Smith) so it can be assumed that they died together.
The Anzin-St. Aubin British Cemetry holds a total of 145 Artillery soldiers out of a grand total of 358 graves. Francis is located in Plot III, Row B, Grave 17.
| Researcher: | Mark Heritage |
| Published.: | 11th August 2014 |
| Updated: | Insert dates here |
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