1895-1915

The Gifted Science Student

Who valued not his life so much as to run and end his course with joy³.

Far from Cockshutt, amidst the lush, fragrant foothills of Darjeeling, India⁸, Frank Harold Elwin was born on 22^nd September 1895¹⁷.  He was the only son of Tea Planter James and his wife Isabel Mary¹³ whom, through hard work were able to provide their family with a life of indubitable luxury in the most exotic of surroundings.

But, as with all good things, these halcyon days for Frank soon came to an end.  Recognising that the foundation of prosperity and success was that of a good education, James and Isabel resolved that this would be best achieved in England.  That being the case, by the age of six¹, Frank had been taken to Kent in the South East of England, where he lived for several years with family friends whilst being schooled¹.

In 1909⁵ Frank’s life changed course once again as he moved to Shropshire and entered Shrewsbury School⁵ where he remained until 1914²³.  It was during this time that he fostered his connection with Cockshutt, living in the Vicarage, with family friends, Rev. and Mrs John Rowley Donald, Vicar of Ss Simon and Jude, whilst in Shropshire².

At school, Frank earned the reputation as a talented and hard-working academic and sportsman with a natural gift for leadership⁹.  Impassioned about rowing, clearly skilled and competitive, Frank secured himself a place in the VIII²² for two years and was made Captain of the Headroom Boats⁵.  In the classroom, he excelled in Science⁹ and was duly offered a place at King’s College Cambridge to further his studies³².

As the summer of 1914 dawned Frank’s future was seemingly full of promise, with new horizons opening up before him, but within weeks those dreams lay in pieces as the calamitous events across Europe led to the declaration of war, which impacted everyone.

Within a month of the outbreak of hostilities, Frank, now an “Old Boy” of Shrewsbury School and its Officer Training Cadets (OTC), had voluntarily³⁴ enlisted with the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry (KSLI)⁵.  By early November he had accepted “with some reluctance”⁵ a commission as 2^nd Lieutenant in the 3^rd (Reserve) Battalion of the Wiltshire Regiment⁵, after which he was transferred to the 2^nd Battalion³⁴.

On 24^th February 1915, 2^nd Lieut. F H Elwin embarked for France, thus entering the Western Front Theatre of War⁴; by the middle of March he was engaged in the first significant British offensive, The Battle of Neuve Chapelle²⁵, its objective being to rupture the German bulge into France³⁰.  After enduring two days of fierce fighting²⁶, Lieut. FH Elwin was killed in action⁷ in the early hours of 12^th March 1915²⁶, aged nineteen.

Frank’s body was never recovered, but he is Remembered with Honour, at the Le Touret Memorial, France⁷.  He was posthumously awarded the 1915 Star, The British War Medal and the Victory Medal⁴.  Frank Harold Elwin was the second of “Our Boys” from Cockshutt to be killed in the Great War and the thirteenth from Shrewsbury School³⁷.

In a moving act of remembrance, at morning service on Sunday 13^th April 1919³⁵, Rev. John Rowley Donald dedicated the family’s mural tablet¹³ to the memory of his fallen young friend, Lieutenant Frank Harold Elwin²⁹.

We Will Remember Him.

Second Lieutenant Frank Harold Elwin, 2^nd Bn. Wiltshire Regiment.

Killed in action in France on 12^th March 1915.

Remembered on Le Touret Memorial, France. Panel 33 and 34.

Tell them at home, there’s nothing here to hide.
We took our orders, asked no questions, died.¹¹