Soldier Record
Francis Walter Palmer
Contributed by: Ann Taylor, on 2008-11-12
| Rank | |
|---|---|
| First Name | Francis Walter |
| Surname | Palmer |
| Year of Birth | 1893 |
| Year of Death | 1976 |
| Regiment | Royal Engineers |
| Place of Wartime Residence | Dorchester, Dorset |
Francis Walter's Story
My Grandad joined the Royal Engineers in !912, he was sent over to Mons in 1914 as part of the BEF. He was involved with surveying and mapping the trenches, german gun positions, etc. He was also present at the first Battle of the Somme. Whilst on leave his unit was stationed in Worcester, he and his friend went across the road for a drink in the pub where my Gran worked as a barmaid. He and his friend tossed a sixpenny coin to see who would ask her out, Grandad won the toss. They were married in October 1915, My Gran gave birth to her first son, my Uncle Ron in 1916, Grandad however never saw him until the end of the war in 1918. Somehow my Grandad survived the battle of the Somme and Passchendale to return home.
When the second world war broke out, despite his age then, the army asked him to go to France to help with the mapping again, as he was so familiar with the territory. By this time all three of Gran's sons were fighting. Uncle Ron in the Royal Navy on destroyers, Uncle Harold in the Fleet Air Arm, and my sixteen year old Father Sam, on the mine-laying submarine HMS Rorqual. Fortunately for her they all retuned safely
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