Philip Francklin

Phillip was the fourth son of John Leill Francklin and the Hon. Alice Maude Francklin nee Jervis. John Leill Francklin, the son of John and Frances Barbara Francklin, was born in 1844 and baptised at the parish church of St Lawrence, Gonalston, on 1 December 1844. His wife, Alice Maude Jervis, was born in Withington, Cheshire, in 1849, the daughter of Robert John Jervis and a direct descendent of John Jervis, Admiral of the Fleet The Earl of St Vincent (1735-1821). John and Alice were married in March 1868 at Chilham St Mary, Kent and had eight children: John Maude b. 1869, Edward b. 1871 bap. St Lawrence March 1871, Richard b. 1872, Philip b. 18 May 1874 bap. St Lawrence 25 June 1874, Mary Violet b. 1876 bap. St Lawrence November 1876, William Robert b. 1878 bap. St Lawrence July 1878, Flora Maude b. 1879 bap. St Lawrence September 1879 and Edith Elizabeth b. 1886 bap. St Lawrence September 1886. With the exception of John who was born in Kent and Richard who was born at Kintbury Vicarage, Hungerford, Berkshire, the children were born in Gonalston, Nottinghamshire.John and Alice iived at The Hall, Gonalston. On the 1881 Census, John was described as a Magistrate and Captain South Notts Yeomanry (sny. 13 June 1871). Five of their then seven children were in the home on the night of the census: Richard, Philip, Mary, William and Flora. John employed eight indoor staff including two nurses (domestic). Their third daughter and eighth child, Edith, was born five years later in 1886.The family home was still at Gonalston Hall in 1891: Philip had joined the Royal Navy two years previously and only Richard, Mary , William Flora and Edith were at home on the night of the census. There were six indoor servants.By 1901 John and Alice were living with their youngest daughter Edith at The Kennels, Gonalston, and employed two indoor staff.Philip married Irene Catherine Wake-Walker (b. 1889) on 3 June 1909 (reg. Kingston Surrey). Irene was the daughter of Vice-Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake-Walker, second baronet, and granddaughter of Admiral Sir Baldwin Wake-Walker. Philip and Irene were recorded on the 1911 Census living at Hampton Court Palace, Kingston, with Irene's widowed mother, Fanny Augusta Cowper Walker. Philip was a commander Royal Navy, promotion to captain coming later that year. Philip and Irene had two children: Irene Myrtle b. 1911 (reg. Devonport) and Mavron (also Mavourn) Baldwin Philip (Philip) b. 1913 (reg. Devonport). Irene Myrtle married Sir William R Starkey 2nd Bt. in 1935; they lived at Norwood Park, Southwell. She died on 11 November 1965; her husband survived her. Philip served in the Royal Navy (Mdshipman sny. 1 January 1930) and was awarded the DSC as a lieutenant in 1943 for 'the rescue of survivors from Sunderland Flying Boat.' He retired in the rank of commander. He married Xenia Alexandra R Davidson in 1949. They lived in Nottinghamshire and Philip served as High Sheriff and later as Lord Lieutenant. He died in 1999 aged 86.Philip's widow Irene married Sir Osmond de Beauvoir Brock (b. 1869), later Admiral of the Fleet, in 1917. They had one child, Daphne. In 1939 Irene and her husband were living at the Dower House, Chichester, Sussex. Irene (Lady Brock) died on 12 November 1939; her husband survived her.Philip's father, John Leill, died on 7 October 1915 aged 70 and his mother, Alice Maude, on 28 November 1929 aged 81; she was still living at The Kennels, Gonalston.Philip's brother Richard, a land agent, joined the Imperial Yeomanry Service at the age of 27 on a Short Service Engagement (one year with the Colours) on 14 January 1900 (3419 Private). He served at Home from 4 January 1900-22 January (24 days), South Africa 28 January 1900-28 January 1901 (1 year 1 day) and at Home from 29 January 1901-20 April 1901 (82 days), a total of 1 year 107 days. Nottinghamshire Guardian, 3 November 1900: ‘South Notts Hussars Officers. Return of Lieut Francklin. Lieutenant Francklin, one of the South Notts. Hussars officers who went to the front in the early stages of the South African war, and about whom some anxiety was felt for a considerable time, was reported last week to be recovering from an attack of enteric fever which had laid him up in hospital at Bothaville, where he and others were prisoner. On Monday his father, Mr JL Francklin, JP, of Gonalston received the following telegram from the Secretary of State for War ‘Information received from South Africa, Richard Francklin, 12th Company Imperial Yeomanry, convalescent, en-route for England’ (www.british newspaper archive. co.uk) Richard married Sybilla Mary Curzon Sherbrooke in 1905 at St Paul's Church, Portman Square (A/M/J St Marylebone London). Sybilla was the daughter of Neville Sherbrooke, late of Oxton Hall, and first cousin of Henry Graham Sherbrooke who married Flora Francklin in 1899. Their sister Mary Violet married Evelyn Andros de la Rue in 1903. The Queen, 21 February 1903 (extract): ‘De la Rue-Francklin. A very pretty wedding was that of Mr Evelyn Andros de la Rue, eldest son of Sir T Andros and Lady de la Rue of Cadogan-square, and Miss Mary Violet Francklin, daughter of Mr and the Hon. Mrs Francklin, of Gonalston, Notts, which was celebrated at St Saviour’s Church, Walton-place, on Tuesday last.' In 1911 they were living at Salisbury Hall, St Albans, Hertfordshire, with their three children Ruby, Eric Vincent and Ian Hector; another child had died in infancy. There were at least two other children of the marriage; Diana Beryl and Victor St George (b. 1918) who served as a lieutenant King's Royal Rifles Corps (attd. 77th Indian Inf. Bde) in the Second World War and died in Burma on 28 April 1943 (Taukkyan War Cemetery). Another of Philip's brothers, William Robert, also served in the war (despatch rider, lieutenant South Notts Hussars). He survived the war.Their second sister, Flora Maude, married Henry Graham Sherbrooke (b. 11 February 1877) at Gonalston St Lawrence on 19 September 1899. Henry Sherbrooke was the son of Cdr William Sherbrooke RN, late of Oxton Hall, and Margaret Sherbrooke (nee Graham) and first cousin of Sybilla Sherbrooke who married Richard Francklin in 1905. Nottinghamshire Guardian, 23 September 1899: ‘Marriage of Lieut. Sherbrooke and Miss FM Francklin. The wedding of Mr Hy. Graham Sherbrooke, sub-lieut. RN, [serving in HMS Hannibal] eldest son of Commander Sherbrooke, of Oxton Hall, Notts, and of Miss Flora Maud Francklin, second daughter of Mr JL Francklin, JP, and the Hon. Mrs Francklin of Gonaslton, which took place at the picturesque parish church of the latter village, on Tuesday … Best man, Lieutenant Philip Francklin, RN.' (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk). Henry had joined the Royal Navy on 15 January 1891 and was awarded the DSO in the First World War. He retired in the rank of captain (promoted 30 June 1918) on 6 July 1922. Their son, Robert St Vincent (b. 1901) also served in the Royal Navy and was awarded the DSO in 1940 and the Victoria Cross for an action in the Barents Sea in December 1942 when he was in command of the 17th Destroyer Flotilla in HMS Onslow (gazetted 12 January 1943).