Francis J. Frankum was born in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan, in the United States of America, on the 3rd April 1908, the son of Joseph William and Annie Maria Booth Frankum (née Watson). His parents had emigrated from England, and had first settled in London, Ontario, Canada, before arriving in Detroit. His father was a carpenter.
Francis had one brother Frederick born in 1910 in Canada, and a sister Winifred, born in Detroit in 1914.
Perhaps because the war had seriously depressed the manufacturing industries in America - initially at least - the family decided to return to Aston in early 1915, and consequently booked as third class passengers on what became the
Lusitania's final voyage.
Having left Detroit some time in April, they arrived at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 in New York in time for her delayed sailing from the port, which commenced at 12.27 on 1st May 1915. The family was allocated accommodation in room H17. When the ship was sunk, six days later, by the German submarine U-20, off the Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland, only Francis and his father Joseph survived, the other three family members were killed.
His father later told the sad story of the loss, which was published in The Birmingham Daily Post for 10th May 1915. He related: -
At the time of the disaster, we were sitting down forward having a cup of tea. As soon as the explosion occurred I gripped my two boys while my wife took charge of the little girl. We made our way along the deck. In the hurry I dropped my little boy who dropped about 6ft., but I picked him up again, and we made our way towards one of the lifeboats. Then leaving my wife and children alongside a boat, I went downstairs to get lifebelts. When I got on deck, I found that my wife and children had not got places.
We clung to one another as the ship went down. I stuck to my wife and children as long as I could but as we sank, we were separated. After a great struggle I came to the surface. I could find no traces of my wife nor any of my children. Seeing an overturned lifeboat nearby, I struck out, and climbed on the keel. .....
We were picked up and brought to Queenstown. I thought I had lost all my family, but judge of my surprise when I came across my eldest boy, seven years of age, in the hotel this morning. He and my wife and the other children had got into a boat which turned turtle. However, the boy clung to the boat and was rescued.
Francis Frankum was aged seven years at the time of the sinking.
His father later filed a claim for compensation which was considered after the war by the Mixed Claims Commission. The compensation was sought for the loss of Francis’ mother. As Joseph Frankum was a citizen of Great Britain, and therefore no American citizen suffered loss, injury, or damage, as a result of Annie’s death, no award was made.
Francis’ father enlisted in the British Army and served with the Royal Army Medical Corps until 1919, and presumably during this period, Francis was cared for by relatives.
Then, in 1920, his father re-married in Kelvin, Lanarkshire, Scotland, and Francis went to live with his father and step-mother at 1. Queen’s Terrace, Dunoon, Argyll, and after completing his education, Francis became a district clerk for Argyll County Council, and he married Mary Buchanan on the 10th June 1950.
Francis Frankum died on the 12th January 1985 in Dunoon, Argyll, aged 76 years.
Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists 1905 – 1963, Cunard Records, Mixed Claims Commission Docket No. 2188, Birmingham Daily Gazette, Birmingham Daily Post, Edinburgh Evening News, Dundee Courier, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.