Walter Frank Jenkins

GEDCOM Note

<p>Walter Frank Jenkins (senior) was born in 1887, the year of Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee. </p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1889 the family moved to the Stodmarsh area and in 1891 to Fordwich. The next year they went to Womenwold and then on to Bilting. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1893 he started his schooling at the council school, later known as St. John's School, Northgate and now known as Kingsmead School.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>When he left school at the age of 14 he was employed as assistant to Mr. Stickels the baker in Castle Street, Canterbury. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>By 1906 he had joined the old Maidstone Bearer Company of the Royal Army Medical Corps. When the Territorial Army was formed he served as a territorial soldier in the 2nd Home Counties Field Ambulance Territorial Force.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1907 he joined the staff of the Stone House Lunatic Asylum (now St. Martin's Hospital) where he qualified as a state registered nurse.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>By 1910 he had become a corporal in the T.A. and attended the annual camps at Dover. In 1911 he was promoted to sergeant.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>After his marriage to Alice Kelcey, they set up home at 16 Meadow Cottages, later known as 30 Wincheap Grove, the site of which is now under Rheims Way.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>With the general call-up of the T.A. just prior to the outbreak of the </p><p>first World War, the field Ambulance was drafted to Abbotts Ann in Wiltshire, where Walter Frank was stationed on August 4th 1914, the day war was declared with Germany. </p><p><p></p></p><p><p>He was soon sent overseas with the Field Ambulance and thus became one of the 'First Hundred Thousand' to be sent on active service.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>He saw service with the 82nd Field Ambulance 27th Division R.A.M.C.</p></p><p><p>After disembarking at Le Havre he was billeted at St. Omer (6th January 1915) and at Arques, Pas-de-Calais, (about 9th January 1915). </p></p><p><p></p><p><p>Later in the year he was in the Somme infantry area and was billed at Ypres in a building just off the Grand Palace. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for bravery in tending the wounded under shellfire.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>He was eventually drafted from Marseilles to Salonika and after the armistice (September 30th 1918) he served in Bulgaria. Later, as a result of the Russian Revolution, he served with the division in Southern Russia at Batum on the Black Sea.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1919 he was demobilised with the rank of Staff Sergeant with the D.C.M., the French Medal Militaire, the Territorial efficiency Medal, the 1914-15 Star, the Victory Medal and the General Service Medal. According to the citation the Medal Militaire was awarded to him in the name of the President of the French Republic on 17th April 1920.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>After the War he resumed family life and returned to duty at Stone House hospital. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1920 he was appointed to the Loyal Military Lodge of Oddfellows.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1919 he was chosen as a bellringer at Canterbury Cathedral and was a member until his death in 1965.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>On 1st June 1942 he survived when a high explosive bomb fell on Stone House Hospital where he was working in the capacity of security officer and fire-watcher in the event of incendiary raids. However, he was injured and it was when he was having a finger amputated that he learnt that his only surviving brother, George Gregory, had been killed by a bomb during the same air-raid.</p><p><p></p></p><p><p>He retired from Stone House in 1942 and then delivered newspapers and then worked in the warehouse of wholesale grocers Alfred Button Ltd., in Orange Street.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In addition he organised the War Savings Group in the York Road area of Wincheap Street.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>In 1949 he was appointed Verger at St. Mildred's Church and also served as a member of the Parochial Church Council for several years. </p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>During his retirement he was an enthusiastic gardener and had a fairly large plot in the adjoining garden of St. Mildred's Rectory.</p></p><p><p></p></p><p><p>Just before Christmas 1964 he was admitted to hospital, but died of cancer at about 11am on January 2nd 1965. That night the Canterbury Cathedral Band of Change Ringers rang a muffled peal in his memory.</p><p></p>