Royal Army Medical Corps
Francis William Young was born at Burcombe, Chalford on 26 November 1885 and was the third son of John and Jane Young who were both born locally.
He appears on the 1891, 1901 and 1911 Census, living in Chalford. His father was a wood turner.
Francis had two older brothers, Ernest and Christopher, and a younger sister Blanch. At the 1901 Census, Francis was employed as a sawyer at the stick mill. Ten years later he was employed as a rug finisher.
Francis married 29-year-old Margaret Hunt on 15 February 1915 at Oakridge Church giving his occupation as factory hand. The couple had no children.
Discharge records for Francis have survived. He was conscripted on 24 June 1916 and mobilised for service on 26 June 1917 at Blackpool. He joined ‘TCR’ , possibly the Training Centre Reserve Company two days later.
The medical board of 3 August 1917 states that Francis had developed a cough a month prior to camp. Pulmonary TB ensued. It was not the result of but aggravated by military service. The board felt it was not permanent but he was discharged at Woking, as being unfit for military service on 24 August 1917 having served for one year and 62 days: his actual service was about two months.
Francis entered a sanatorium where he died on 13 September 1917, age 31. He was buried five days later at France Lynch. He has a CWGC headstone. The vicar wrote alongside the entry that Francis had ‘died at sanatorium Blackpool after being called in to the army’. There was also reference to ‘son of 471’. This was his mother, Jane who was buried on 24 March of the same year having died on 20 March aged 62.
Margaret received a payment of £1 3s 3d following his death and was awarded a pension of 13s 9d with effect from December 1917. Francis’ effects according to the probate records were £170 which was calculated as £14,000 in current terms as of 2021.
It appears that Margaret did not remarry. She is registered living in Exeter at the 1939 England and Wales register, dying there in 1973.
I can find no service records for Francis’ brothers.
Research by Helen Wollington July 2021