Lieutenant (A) Malvorn Baldwin Philip Francklin


Francklin was on 3 Air Course, 20 ERFTS, Gravesend.

He was the pilot of the Walrus amphibian aircraft in the cruiser Effingham, flagship of Admiral the Earl of Cork and Orrery, the Commander-in-Chief,
in the Norwegian campaign in the spring of 1940. When the Allies withdrew from Norway in June, Francklin had a very lucky escape.
He was ordered to land his Walrus on the carrier Glorious on 7 June, but was diverted to Ark Royal instead.
Glorious was sunk by Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, with great loss of life, the next day.

He went to Dartmouth in 1926. In 1935, he served as a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Yacht Victoria and Albert.  He took part in King George V's Silver Jubilee Fleet Review at Spithead.
In 1938 volunteering to train as a Fleet Air Arm pilot, serving in the cruiser Glasgow at Scapa Flow until starting his flying course, getting his wings in 1939.
From December 1940 to 1942, he flew from the cruisers Shropshire and Dorsetshire, escorting convoys in the Indian Ocean, the Atlantic and off the North Cape of Norway.
From 1942-43, commanded 764 squadron, based at HMS Daedalus I, at Lawrenny Ferry, Pembrokeshire, as Chief Flying Instructor of the advanced Naval Seaplane School.
In August 1943, Francklin joined the Airfields and Carrier Requirements Department of the Admiralty.  He ended the war flying Fairey Barracuda
torpedo-bombers from HMS Gannet, the air station at Eglinton.

He died October 1999.


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