Frank sadly passed away on 9 December 2017, just a few weeks after being diagnosed with cancer, aged 87. Frank came to the Bluebell in 1970 as part of the group which had saved SECR C-class locomotive No.592 for preservation, and was active as a member of the Wainwright 'C' Preservation Society right up to the point where the locomotive was transferred to the Bluebell Railway Trust in 2014.
Frank lived in Crowhurst his whole life. In his early years, he had trained as an upholsterer, but very soon found carpentry/joinery work more to his taste, and later worked as a carpet and lino layer, working for Godfreys and Jobs. We subsequently benefited from his craftmanship when he joined the C&W as a volunteer. He had been working for some years alongside David Wigley, particularly on the recreation of the interior for the Railway's Maunsell Hastings-line brake coach. In recent years he returned to upholstery, discovering a renewed enthusiasm for it, repairing various booking office and restaurant car chairs, and also trimming carriage seating for the Hastings coach and for the two recently restored LCDR carriages, 3360 and 3188. In the last few months he'd completed the arm-rests and other trim for Bulleid carriage 5768. Usually visiting once or twice a week, always with a smile on his face, and time to stop and chat, he will be sadly missed by his friends in C&W, and elsewhere on the railway, and in the Lingfield Silver Band.
Richard Salmon
Frank's funeral took place on Monday 15 January 2018, at The Surrey & Sussex Crematorium.
No flowers, donations to The Bluebell Railway, c/o Alex Jones Funeral Directors, 92 Station Road East, Oxted, RH8 0QA
Dave Clarke's picture shows Frank working on a seat base for Maunsell carriage 3687 in March 2014.