Francis William, always known as “Frank”, Slater was born at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Aldershot, Hampshire, England, in 1890, the son of William Charles and Georgina Slater (née Reycroft). His father was a Sergeant in the Royal Army Medical Corps, and the family lived on the hospital grounds at the time of Frank’s birth. Frank was the eldest of seven children.
On the 17th June 1904, aged 14 years, Frank enlisted in the Royal Army Medical Corps and given the Service No. 19090. He was appointed as a bugler on the 6th March 1906 and then discharged from the army on the 7th July 1908. He was deemed unlikely to become an effective soldier due to being physically unfit.
He became an assistant superintendent for an insurance company, and then found employment as a valet to John Hagy Davis, a banker and Wall Street stockbroker, who resided with his family at 24. Washington Square North, Greenwich Village, New York City. He was recruited by Mr. Davis in England, and accompanied his employer back to New York City in October 1912, sailing on the Adriatic.
In the spring of 1915, perhaps because of the War, and hoping to enlist and ‘do his bit’ for his country, he decided to return home. As a consequence, he booked second class passage out of New York on the Lusitania and joined her before she left Pier 54 just after mid-day, on 1st May 1915.
He was killed six days later after the ship was torpedoed and sunk. As no trace of his body was ever seen and identified afterwards, he has no known grave. He was aged 24 years.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1911 Census of England & Wales, New York Passenger Lists 1820 - 1957, Cunard Records, UK Royal Hospital Chelsea Pensioner Soldier Pension Records 1760 – 1920, PRO BT 100/345, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.