Born 12th April 1891– Died 11th June 1916

Royal Field Artillery

Frank Mardle was born on the 12th April 1891, the youngest child of George Henry and Elizabeth (née Smart) Mardle of Cromer Hyde He was baptised at St. John's Lemsford on July 12th 1891, attended Lemsford school from 1894 to 1905 when he left to work on a farm. By 1911 he was working as a domestic gardener at Byrkley Gardens, Burton on Trent for Harmar Bass, the brewer.and living in a cottage with eight other under gardener.

Frank Mardle enlisted in London in 1914 and joined the Royal Field Artillery as Gunner 17691, By the time he was killed he had been promoted to Acting Bombardier.

In a letter to his parents he wrote:- “We are in action again, same place, and we have had the most exciting time since we came out here. We relieved another battery last Tuesday week, and it was fairly quiet until last Friday . . . Fritz started shelling our trenches about nine o’clock last Friday morning and from then until almost midnight Sunday were at it night and day; in fact we have not had a decent sleep since, as we have had to replenish our ammunition store in readiness for another attack. We were firing so fast that ammunition had to be brought up in daylight, and Fritz was shelling the road heavily at the time. The shells fell all around us, but luckily nobody at the guns was hit. We had two direct on our pit, but we were so busy sending them over that we took no notice at the time. The guns got so hot that the paint peeled off the muzzle. The Germans got into our first line trenches, but suffered very heavy losses in doing so. . . Fritz paid very dearly for the little ground he gained, and we are still worrying him. I am expecting to be relieved for a rest this week-end, but would rather stay here if there is anything doing.” Acting Bombardier 17651R.F.A. was part of D Battery, 5th Brigade when he was killed on the 11th June 1916 aged 25 during the Third Battle of Ypres. He was in the battery when one of the shells burst in the muzzle of the gun he was laying and pieces flew back into the gun pit. One large piece went into the right side of his neck and he was killed instantaneously. He is buried in grave VI E 10 in the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground, Ieper, (Ypres) West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Attended St. Johns School July 2nd 1894 - 12th May 1905

LEMSFORD WAR MEMORIAL 1914 - 1918

TO THE GLORY OF GOD AND IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN THE GREAT WAR