Francis lived at Highfield Farm, Ditton, Widnes. He was an old boy of Ditton Hall School, as well as Sunday School and the Ditton Hall church. He was an enthusiastic footballer playing for the school team and later for his works team, Gaskell Deacon. He was employed as a cooper at the works and his father was the foreman cooper. In 1909 he joined the Lancashire Hussars Yeomanry (Territorials) and in 1913 transferred to the Royal Army Medical Corps Mounted Section (WWN 1916). Frank entered the war in France on 3rd May 1915. He was fatally wounded on 25th September, 1916 in France and later evacuated to Stoke on Trent War Hospital. It was the third time that he had been wounded in 1916. Soon after arriving in France in February, he was hit by shrapnel in the leg and in June was wounded for a second time. His father, Pritchard Whelan, was a member of the 47th Lancashire Volunteers (Militia) for 30 years and during the Great War joined the National Reserve. Mr Whelan was also one of the founders of the Ditton Soldiers Association. [Information researched and kindly provided by Harry (Jones 75 - GWF)]