Obituary: John Frankish 1922 – 2009

September 10th, 2009 by JCB
Posted in Coastlines, Obituaries | 1 Comment »

John Frankish, retired Trinity House Cinque Ports Pilot, died on the 19th May 2009 at the age of 87.
Born on the 22nd March 1922, John and his twin brother Michael were educated at the King George VI School, Bury St. Edmunds. In 1938 at the age of 16, John joined HMS Conway, leaving in 1940 to serve in the Royal Mail Line.

On the 1st July 1942 Convoy OS.33 departed Liverpool. John was a Cadet on the SS Siris, which on the 11th July wasdispersed from the convoy with 6 other vessels to proceed to South America. At 0413 on the 12th July a torpedo from U-201 struck the SS Siris amidships and she began to sink. The crew, 55 people in all, took to 2 lifeboats: 6 Officers, including John, and 22 men in one lifeboat sailed for 10 days and 800 miles towards the African coast. 150 miles from the coast they were rescued by the Royal Navy, whilst the other lifeboat reached the Cape Verde Islands in 16 days.

In 1944 John was Chief Officer of the Empire Bittern which was scuttled at Arromanches as part of the Mulberry Harbour and went on to survive the war. John’s twin Michael was not so lucky, an RAF Pilot, he lost his life in 1941.

In 1952 John became a Cinque Ports Pilot serving 35 years until retirement in 1987. An unflappable character, a quiet man with a devastating sense of humour, John calmly piloted every type of vessel from Schuyts to VLCCs.

John married Jo in 1955 and filled the role of family man equally as well as that of a Pilot. He and Jo had three children, Hilary, Gillian and Michael travelling far and wide in their caravan between sailing their boat at Broadstairs and John playing golf at the North Foreland Club. Hilary was an asthmatic and sadly died at the age of 16. Gillian married Simon and they live and work in Marseilles with grand-daughter Sarah. Michael, an avid sailor, lives in the Medway Towns.

In latter years John had arthritis. Although disabled they led a full social life. John fmally died quietly at home, a fme seafarer, a lovely man, he is sadly missed by his family and friends.

John Godden

PS: Further details on the sinking of SS Siris, the survival story and the history of the U- 201 can be found at the following link: www.convoyweb.org.uk/os33/index.html?siris.htm~mainframe33

JCB