Frank Routledge was born in 1883 in Carlton, the son of Thomas Routledge, agricultural labourer from Nunthorpe, and his second wife Jane, nee Coatsworth, of Great Ayton. Frank had at least 17 siblings (from the two marriages). 1
Thomas married Jane, then only 17 years old, in 1879. Their first child, George was born in 1880. Five more sons were born in quick succession - Fred in 1882, Frank in 1883, Harry in 1885 and Herbert in 1888 and Arthur in 1889.
In 1891 Frank was living in Carlton with his parents and his 6 siblings, but by the census of 1901 he was living in Barnsley and working as a groom. However, Frank was back in the locality by 1911 and working as a coachman at Crathorne Hall stables. (By this time, his father Thomas was aged 76 and working as a labourer on the roads! Thomas had also fathered 5 more children, recording in the 1911 census that he and Jane had been married for 31 years and had 10 surviving children, whilst two others had died).
Early in 1914, Frank married Maud Mary Grainge in Stokesley, and they had at least 3 children: Joyce, Rhoda and Frank. We know that Frank served in the war from the Absent Voters list of 1918, which lists him as resident in Silver Street, and as Driver 155529 of the Royal Field Artillery. However, from his medal records we learn that Driver Routledge was previously in the Army Veterinary Corps, where he had been Private SE155676, probably denoting that he was originally concerned with the welfare of horses.
Driver Routledge was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
Frank Routledge lived until 1966, in which year his death was registered in the Middlesbrough district.