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They made the Ultimate Sacrifice
MACKLIN, Franklin George, L/Sig, 2536, RCN, MPK - 25 Jun 1940, HMCS FRASER - Son of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Macklin, of Brantford, Ontario.
Leading Signalman Macklin died when his ship, HMCS FRASER, was in a collision with HMS CALCUTTA 12 miles due west of Pointe de la Coubre light at the Gironde River mouth and sank as a result with the loss of 65 of her crew.
Leading Signalman Franklin George Macklin, eldest son of Mr. S. George Macklin, 145 Cayuga Street, was a veteran of more than nine years service with the Royal Canadian Navy at the outbreak of the Second Great War. He had joined its ranks in July, 1930, when he was 16 years of age, and through the succeeding years enjoyed many interesting experiences at sea and abroad. Among the most memorable was the part he played as a representative of Canada's ratings at the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France on July 27, 1936, and also when he was on the crew of the ship that carried Their Majesties, King George and Queen Elizabeth up the Pacific Coast on their visit to Canada in 1939. L/Sig. Macklin lost his life on the destroyer H.M.C.S. Fraser when she was sunk on June 25, 1940, and he was thus the first of Brantford's sons to give his life for King and Country in the Second Great War. He had been overseas about a month before the Fraser went down, sent over when the first ships of the R.C.N. were dispatched to Britain to engage in coastal defense work. Born in Brantford, January 01, 1914, Franklin attended King Edward School. He was employed for a short time at the Crown Electrical Manufacturing Company Ltd. He attended Zion United Church.
Ships served in: HMCS STADACONA - Enlisted 02 Sep 1930 as a Boy Seaman, RCN * Rated Ordinary Seaman 01 Jan 1932 HMCS SAGUENAY - Drafted to SAGUENAY 06 Jan 1932 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 23 Aug 1932 HMCS SAGUENAY - Drafted to SAGUENAY 01 Oct 1932 * Rated Ordinary Signalman, RCN 24 May 1934 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 17 Jun 1933 HMCS SKEENA - HMCS SKEENA - Drafted to SKEENA 25 Aug 1933 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 03 Jan 1934 * Rated SIGNALMAN, RCN 09 Apr 1934 HMCS SKEENA - Drafted to SKEENA 06 Oct 1934 HMCS SAGUENAY - Drafted to SAGUENAY 08 Apr 1935 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 22 Jun 1938 SS AUSONIA - for passage to the UK departed Quebec City 05 Aug 1938 HMS VICTORY (for RCN BARRACKS PORTSMOUTH) - Drafted to VICTORY 05 Aug 1938 for V/S course * Rated Visual Signalman 3rd Class 01 Oct 1938 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 22 Oct 1938 HMCS NADEN - Drafted to NADEN 24 Nov 1938 HMCS RESTIGOUCHE - Drafted to RESTIGOUCHE 17 Jan 1939 * Rated Acting Leading Signalman, RCN 26 Jun 1939 HMCS STADACONA - Drafted to STADACONA 29 Jan 1940 HMCS FRASER - Drafted to FRASER 17 Mar 1940
(FM01) Photo of L/Sig Macklin from the Charlottetown, PEI newspaper (FM02) Article from the Toronto Telegram Jun 1940 (FM03) Article from the Toronto Telegram Jun 1940 (FM04) Biography – Album of Honour for Brant County World War II 1939-1945 Published in 1946 by The Brantford Kinsmen Club (FM05) Documents from the Service File of Franklin Macklin
Second World War Casualty Index
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