William Frank AUSTIN

William Frank Austin is born in Canterbury on 10th October 1895. His father William is born in Canterbury in 1866. He works most of his life as a school porter employed by the borough council. William's mother Emily is born in 1871 in Maidstone, Kent.

William is one of 8 siblings. In the 1911 census the family reside at 68 Castle Street, Canterbury. William is listed as 15 years old and employed as an indoor servant.

William joins the Royal Navy as an ordinary Seaman on 10th October 1913, having served as a boy cadet for two years. He is posted to HMS Lord Nelson. On 15th May 1914 he is posted to HMS Pathfinder. The Pathfinder is the lead ship of her class of two British scout cruisers and is comissioned on 18th July 1905.

She is sunk just off Isle of May in the Firth of Forth on 5th September 1914 by U-21. The Pathfinder has the unfortunate fate of becoming the first ever ship to be sunk by a self propelled torpedo fired by submarine.

William's inscription reads "killed or died as a direct result of enemy action". He is commemorated at the Chatham War Memorial panel 3.