Frank Body - All Saints - Coleby, Lincolnshire - Specific Veteran Memorials on Waymarking.com

Memorial plaque in All Saints' church, Coleby, to Frank Body, Killed in action 1918. The plaque consists of a nowy headed white marble tablet set on a triangular headed black marble backboard. The inscription in black lettering reads -
In
Loving Memory of
FRANK
The dearly loved and only son of
HENRY & ANNE BODY
Killed in action in France
May 30th 1918,
Aged 23 Years.
"For Ever With the Lord"

Originally sited in Coleby Methodist Church, it was replaced in All Saints' church following its colsure in June 1997.

Refs - (visit link)
(visit link)

"Frank’s mother was already dead by the time he joined the Army and his father had remarried. (This explains why some reports of Frank's death refer to him as the son of Henry and Mary Jane Body, whereas the plaque to his memory, which the family placed in Coleby's Methodist Chapel, bears the legend *Son of Henry and Annie Body.’)

Frank enlisted in the Royal Engineers on 31st December 1914 and after his initial training at Chatham was drafted out to France on 6th June 1915. His photograph appears in the Lincolnshire Chronicle’s ‘Roll of Honour’ for Coleby published in January 1916. He was able to get home on leave occasionally, the last time being Christmas 1917. He went back to France on 10th January 1918 and was never to see Coleby again as on 30th May 1918 he was killed by a shell - he was 23 years old.

In a letter to his parents, Frank’s Sergeant, F.J. Newport, wrote-

"It is with greatest sorrow I write to you to help console you in your great bereavement caused by the loss of your dear son. Frank, who met his death during the execution of his duty on the 30th May 1918. All his company mourn with you in this great trial. His kindly disposition had won him the greatest respect of al] ranks, and especially his own section. As his section sergeant, | found him a most trustworthy and capable worker, a fine fellow and always willing to help wherever possible, therefore his loss is keenly felt by us all. We laid him to rest on the 31st May, with the full rites of the Church of England......--"

Frank's parents placed a memorial plaque to their son in the Methodist Chapel at Coleby and it remained there until 1997 when the Chapel closed. The plaque now hangs in All Saints Church, Coleby.

Frank Body is buried in the Cambrin Military Cemetery, Pas de Calais, France. Cambrin is a village about 24 kilometres north of Arras and 8 kilometres north of Bethune. (Grave Ref. 0.29)

[N.B. During the First World War there were two men in Coleby called Henry Body. The first, Henry Body of Far Lane, had 5 sons in his family who at one stage were all serving in the Forces. The second Henry Body was his nephew and lived in Linton House next to the Chapel. He had only one son in his family, Frank, as above.]"

SOURCE - memorial booklet in church (visit link)

Website pertaining to the memorial: [Web Link] List if there are any visiting hours: daytime hours Entrance fees (if it applies): 0 Type of memorial: Plaque

Visit Instructions:

*(1.)* Please submit a photo(s) taken by you of your visit to the location (non-copyrighted photos only). GPS photos are also accepted with the location in the background, and old vacation photos are accepted. If you are not able to provide a photo, then please describe your visit or give a story about the visit.
*(2.)* If you have additional information about the memorial which is not listed in the waymark description, please notify the waymark owner to have it added, and please post the information in your visit log.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.