Franklin George Bush

Corporal, Royal Army Service Corps

Age 14, Class III B: 'Polite and well-bred.'

Franklin George Bush was a student at Alleyn’s until 1908. During this time, he lived in Dulwich with his parents and two sisters, Hilda and Margaret. Shortly after leaving school, he moved to Sussex where he worked in Pulborough as a motor driver. Franklin was 22 when decided to enlist in the Army in January 1915. He joined as a Private and was posted to the Mechanical Transport section of the Army Service Corps where his experience as a driver was put good use. Mechanical transport was a crucial element in making sure operations ran smoothly during wartime. As part of the MT section of the Army Service Corps, Franklin operated in a wide variety of roles. This could range from being attached to Heavy Artillery to being part of a Motor Ambulance Convoy. Franklin served in these roles on the Western Front and received a temporary promotion in June 1915 as acting Corporal. His Commanding Officer considered him to be reliable, intelligent and capable of good power and control when handling men. These qualities saw Franklin rewarded with a full promotion to Corporal in August 1916. He continued to serve with the Army Service Corps for the rest of the war. After being discharged, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star and the British War and Victory Medal for his services.