Francis Edwin Fox, known as “Frank”, was born in Bedminster, Somerset, England, on the 19th January 1885, the son of Francis and Matilda Louisa Fox (née Creese). He had an older sister, and two younger brothers. The family home was in Portsea, Portsmouth. His father served with the Royal Navy, and was a cooper by trade. He spent a lot of time at sea, and when Matilda Fox died in 1894, Francis and his sister and brothers went to live with their paternal grandmother in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. His father died in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1901, of typhoid while serving with the Royal Navy.
On leaving school, Frank became an apprentice to an agricultural machinery engineer. At some stage of his early life, he had lost his left eye, resulting in him being fitted with a glass replacement.
On the 17th July 1907, he boarded the Oceanic at Southampton, seeking a better life in the United States of America. He found work as a machinist in Trenton, New Jersey.
Then, on the 20th July 1910, Frank Fox returned to Southampton, again sailing on the
Oceanic, and made his way to Wiltshire, where on the 15th August, he married Emily Gaisford at the Holy Trinity Church, Trowbridge, Wiltshire. On the 31st August, the couple boarded the White Star Lines,
Majestic, at Southampton, with Frank returning to Trenton with his bride. They set up their home at 324, Cleveland Avenue, Trenton, New Jersey, in the United States of America.
However, in early 1915, he secured a position in the Woolwich Arsenal in London to help make artillery pieces and as a result he and Emily decided to return to England. As a result, they set off from Trenton to New York, to sail to Liverpool as second cabin passengers on the Lusitania. They joined the ship on the morning of 1st May 1915 at the Cunard berth at Pier 54 at New York, in time for her scheduled 10 o’clock departure.
The liner did not sail until 12.27 p.m., however, and the delay was caused because she had to load cargo and take on board passengers and crew from Anchor Lines ship the S.S.
Cameronia which the British Admiralty had requisitioned for war use as a troop ship.
Six days later, on the afternoon of 7th May, the Lusitania was torpedoed by the German submarine
U-20, twelve miles off The Old Head of Kinsale in southern Ireland and sank only eighteen minutes later. At that stage of her voyage, she was a mere twelve or fourteen hours away from her Liverpool destination.
Both Francis and Emily Fox were killed as a result of this action and as neither of their bodies was ever recovered and identified afterwards, neither has an identified grave. Francis Fox was 30 years of age when he was killed.
Some time after the sinking, a lady’s satchel was recovered from the sea and handed in at the Cunard office at Queenstown. It contained a cheque book in the name of Francis Fox and had obviously belonged to his wife Emily. It was sent to Mrs A, Harris, of 54. Exmouth Street, Swindon, Wiltshire. She was Emily Fox’s sister. On 16th July 1915, Mrs. Harris also took receipt of a money draft for £108-17s-0d, (£108.85p), which was the total of monies recovered from her brother-in-law’s body.
Administration of Francis Fox’s estate was granted to a Caroline Matilda Kate Wood, at London on 4th September 1915. She was described in Probate Records as
wife of Harry Kingsmill Wood, and was the sister of Francis Fox. Her address was at 25, Ferris Road, Streatham, London. His effects amounted to the previously mentioned £108-17s-0d, which was obviously the sum total of all he left after his untimely death.
Frank Fox’s two brothers were, Mr. Ernest Fox, c/o Mrs. Ryan, Lucan P.O., Ontario, Canada, and 2492 L/Corp. Alfred Fox, who served with the 2/6 Battalion of The Welsh Regiment.
Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths, England Select Bristol Parish Registers 1538 – 1900, Wiltshire England Church of England Marriages and Banns 1754 – 1916, 1891 Census of England & Wales, 1901 Census of England & Wales, 1910 U.S. Federal Census, UK Outward Passenger Lists 1890 – 1960, New York Passenger Lists 1820 – 1957, UK Incoming Passenger Lists 1878 – 1960, Cunard Records, New York Times, Wiltshire Times and Trowbridge Advertiser, Probate Records, PRO BT/100/345, UniLiv.D92/1/6.2, UniLiv D92/2/145, Deaths at Sea 1871 – 1968, Graham Maddocks, David Irving, Geoff Whitfield, Michael Poirier, Jim Kalafus, Cliff Barry, Paul Latimer, Norman Gray.
Copyright © Peter Kelly.