Frank Dabell
Frank may have joined the Army in 1934.
- Family History
- Military history
- Extra information
- Photographs
Frank was the son of Arthur Dabell and his wife Annie Elizabeth (née Hampson).
His parents were married in 1903 and had at least 11 children: Arthur (1904), Florence Elizabeth (1907), Gertrude Caroline (1910), John Percival (1911), Winifred A (1914), who were probably born in Cropwell Bishop (reg. Bingham), and Frank (1916), William H (1918), Samuel (16 October 1920), Joseph (1925) and Mary (1927) who were born in Nottingham.
Arthur, a general labourer (gypsum mine), Annie and their three children, Arthur, Florence and Gertrude, were living on West's Row, Cropwell Bishop, Nottinghamshire, in 1911. Their second son, John, was born later that year.
Arthur and Annie had probably moved to Nottingham by 1916 when Frank, was born and the family was recorded on the 1921 Census at 14 Freeth Street, Meadow Lane, Nottingham.
Frank, was living at 9 Kirke White Street in August 1934; he had been involved in a cycling accident and a report in a local paper gave this as his home address. A report in July 1940 of his brother Samuel's death while serving in HMS Glorious, also gave Kirke White Street as his former address.
Arthur's wife, Annie Elizabeth, died in 1934 and in 1939 when the England & Wales Register was compiled, the widowed Arthur, a general labourer, was living at 20 Gladstone Street, Nottingham, with his youngest son, Joseph, who was an engineer's apprentice.
Arthur's married daughter Gertrude Gilbert, her husband Leslie and their son, were living in Woodthorpe, together with Gertrude's younger sister, Winifred, who was a cardboard box maker. Their brother John, a breadmaker, was married and he and his wife Annie were living on Randolph Street, Nottingham.
Frank had probably joined the Army by 1934 and his younger brother Samuel had joined the Royal Navy in about 1936.
Their father Arthur died in 1947.
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There is a record that Frank attested in the Royal Artillery in 1934.
British Army Casualty Lists WW2. Theatre Western Desert Middle East. KIA. 840162 (sic – corrected in another casualty list to 840167). Dabell W.S/Bdr F. 3 Fd. Regt. d. 12 June 1942
Frank died on 12 June 1942. It is not known if he was killed in action or died in an accident or from disease/illness. However, there was heavy fighting in the Western Desert from May 1942 (see below). Frank is buried in Knightsbridge War Cemetery, Acroma (grave ref. 3 E 13).
History of Knightsbridge War Cemetery: 'The defence against Rommel's drive across Cyrenaica towards Suez consisted of a number of irregularly spaced strong points or 'boxes' linked by deep minefields. Those nearest the Axis forces were held by infantry, while those further back served as reserve static positions and as bases from which the armour could operate. The chief 'box', known as Knightsbridge, was round a junction of tracks about 20 kilometres west of Tobruk and 16 kilometres south of Acroma, commanding all the tracks by which supplies came up to the front. The Eighth Army's advance fuelling stations and airfields were at Acroma, El Adem, El Duda, Sidi Rezegh and Gambut, while by February 1941, Gazala aerodrome, taken from the Italians early in the campaign, housed two Commonwealth squadrons. Knightsbridge was thus a key position, and the pivot on which the armour manoeuvred during the heavy fighting which commenced in late May 1942. Fierce actions were fought at all these places, and a battlefield cemetery was created at each for the burial of the dead. The graves of many of those who gave their lives during the campaign in Libya were later gathered into Knightsbridge War Cemetery from the battlefield burial grounds and from scattered desert sites. The men who fought and died with them, but have no known grave, are commemorated on The Alamein Memorial which stands in El Alamein War Cemetery, Egypt. ' (www.cwgc.org)
Frank's younger brother, Samuel, joined the Royal Navy (D/SSX.22194 Able Seaman) and was serving in HMS Glorious when she was sunk on 8 June 1940. His body was not recovered and he is commemorated on the Plymouth Naval Memorial.
CWGC Additional information: 'Son of Mr and Mrs Arthur Dabell of Nottingham.'
Nottingham Evening Post, 14 August 1934: ‘Farmer’s Motoring Offence. Failed to report Nottingham accident. Cyclist’s allegation … The cyclist, Frank Dabell, 9, Kirke White-street, said ...’ (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk)
Photo of Frank Dabell
Knightsbridge War Cemetery (www.cwgc.org)