Frank William Glithro was born in 1881 in Islington, Middlesex (now Greater London), the third of the seven children of William Glithro (1842-1905) and Elizabeth Margaret Glithro née Snow (1856-1914). There is some confusion as to his date of birth, but it was registered in the 1st quarter of 1882 in the Islington Registration District.
The Winchester Street School, Islington, shows him in their admissions register has entering the school on 21 October 1885, having spent the previous 6 weeks as attending the York Street Board School. They recorded his date of birth as 21 November 1881 and his address as 20 Upper Winchester Street (later renamed as Winchester Street), Finsbury and Islington.
In the 1891 census he is shown as aged 10 years and a scholar, living in three rooms within 85 Goodinge Road, Lower Holloway, Islington, London, with his parents and five siblings: Elizabeth Ann Glithro (1877-1938) - a domestic servant; Emma Jane Glithro (1879-1955) - a scholar; Frances Maria Glithro (b.1885) - a scholar; Sarah Ellen Glithro (b.1887) - a scholar and Frederick George Glithro (b.1890). His father was described as a fitter in a gas works.
On 6 March 1899 he enlisted in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, Chatham Division; service number CH/12573, giving his date of birth as 19 November 1880. This would give his age as 18 years, whereas he was only 17 years and 3 months old and probably too young to enlist. We have chosen to use his date of birth as that which is recorded in his school admission register.
On 21 May 1910 he married Charlotte Emily Farrier (1885-1926) at St Clement’s Church, Church Street, Sandwich, Kent.
On the census that was undertaken on 2 April 1911 he is shown as aged 29 years and a general labourer visiting, together with his wife, the 5 roomed property of James and Ethel Temple at 22 Balham Road, Lower Edmonton, Middlesex (now Greater London).
In October 1911 he was appointed as a Postman in London’s Northern District Office and transferred to the Western District Office in April 1912.
He was recalled to naval service at the outbreak of war as a Private in the Royal Marine Reserve, service number RMR/B/1797, and was aboard the armed cruiser H.M.S. Aboukir when, along with two other ships which formed part of the 7th Cruiser Squadron, they were sunk by the German submarine U-9 on 22 September 1914 in area of the North Sea known as Broad Fourteens, off the coast of The Netherlands. 527 lives were lost from this ship. He was 32 years of age and as his body was not recovered for burial, he is commemorated on Panel 7 of the Chatham Naval Memorial, Kings Bastion, Chatham, Kent. His widow continued to reside at 29 Upper Strand Street, Sandwich, Kent.
He is shown as 'GLITHRO, F.W.' on the Western Postal District war memorial at Mount Pleasant, London, WC1 and as 'GLITHRO F.W.' on the Sandwich War Memorial that is within the grounds of St Peter’s Church, between St Peters Street and Market Street, Sandwich, CT13 9DA. He is also commemorated on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's website, on the Imperial War Museum's Lives of the First World War website, on the A Street Near You website and on page 144 of the Post Office Fellowship of Remembrance's Book of Remembrance 1914-1920.
Credit for this entry to: Andrew Behan.
