Rank: Stoker 1st Class 29431 Regiment: Royal Navy Died: 1951 Age: 54 Parish: Beer
HMS Bellerophon, a dreadnought-class battleship
Percy Franklin was born in Beer on 14 October 1896, one of the five children of Henry Franklin, a quarryman, and his wife Martha. Henry was born at Box in Wiltshire, also famous for its quarries, but Martha and all the children were born in Beer, so it seems likely that Henry moved to Beer because of his work.
Percy joined the Royal Navy on 23 November 1915 as a Stoker 2nd Class. On his RN record his occupation is given as quarryman, like his father. His height is shown as 5ft 5½ ins, and he had brown hair, blue eyes and a fresh complexion.
His first ship was the B-class destroyer HMS Sprightly, which he joined on 26 May 1916. However, he spent most of his service on HMS Bellerophon, a dreadnought battleship with a crew of 680, which he joined on 7 November 1916. Bellerophon was part of the 4th Battle Squadron, an element of the Grand Fleet, based at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys.
Percy was promoted to Stoker 1st Class on 23 November 1916, and his last two annual assessments referred to his ability as ‘superior’. He was discharged from the Royal Navy on 13 March 1919.
Percy died in 1951, aged 54.
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