Private 16632, 2nd Bn. King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, died of wounds Wednesday 19 May 1915, aged 19. He was the son of Thomas and Annie Howard, 174 Park Road, Adlington. He enlisted at Lancaster on 28 December 1914 with Private Jonas Normington, whose Regimental number was 16633. The 2nd Battalion was at Winchester as part of the 83rd Brigade, 28th Division, and embarked from Southampton for Havre on 16 January 1915.
Private Howard is buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Pas de Calais, grave ref. VIII D.29.
He is commemorated on the Adlington War Memorial, Adlington Parish Church memorial
Chorley Guardian and Leyland Hundred Advertiser 5 June 1915:
ADLINGTON PRIVATE KILLED
A great many young men from Adlington are in the Forces, in one department or another, and a number of them have been in action, with the result that casualties have occurred, but the death of an Adlington soldier is now reported. He is Private Frank Howard (16632), of the King’s Own Royal Lancaster Regiment, and his parents, Mr and Mrs Thomas Howard, of 5 Farnworth-street, Adlington, have received a letter from the military authorities at Preston stating that their son had died of wounds in the General Hospital, Boulogne. A slight mistake appears in the official letter in that the name is given as Private R. Howard, but Mr and Mrs Howard do not attach any hope to this, because the number given is the regimental number of their son. Howard, who was over 19 years of age, was one of a family of five sons and two daughters. He enlisted on Christmas Day, [sic, actually on 28th December] and left Adlington on the following Wednesday, being subsequently located at Lancaster and Saltash before proceeding to the front. His last letter was received on May 2nd, in which he said he was all right, and, being in the trenches was as safe as going down the pit. (Howard was a collier before enlistment.) Deceased, who was well liked by his workmates, was a member of the Parish Church Young Men’s Bible Class.
Adlington Parish Church magazine July 1915
Frank Howard, Royal Lancaster Regiment, died of wounds May 19th.
Chorley Guardian and Leyland Hundred Advertiser 20 May 1916
IN MEMORIAM
In loving memory of Frank Howard, of the King’s O.R.L., who died in Boulogne Hospital from wounds received in France on the 19th of May 1915.
“Sleep on, dear son, in a foreign grave,
Your life for your country you nobly gave,
No friend was near to say good-bye,
But safe in God’s keeping you now lie.”
From his sorrowing Father, Mother, Brothers and Sisters.