Born
around 1882 in Rochdale, Frank
Taylor obtained his Matriculation Certificate from the University of
London and went on to train as a teacher at Borough Road Training
College. His first
teaching post, from 1904 - 1906, was as assistant master at
Beaufort
Street Council School in
Liverpool. He played for the Aliens in
the 1910-11 season.
Preston Grasshoppers2nd v Aliens 2nd at Preston
WH.Evans, J.Rumjahn, E.Quine, FCW.Taylor,
Hine, OE.Bayliss, H.Bayliss, J.Williams, D.Sloss, W.Sloss, N.Howe,
WJ.Inglis, RF.Owens, TP.Owens, W.Parry,
JEM.Brunskill,
JWA.Taylor
Liverpool Echo 24th February 1911
During WW1 he
was granted a commission in 1915 with the 7th Battalion of the Loyal
North Lancashire Regiment and sent to France on 17th July 1915. At some
point during the war he was transferred to the Machine Gun Corps. On
relinquishing his commission on 1st September 1921 he was granted the
rank of major.
He
returned to his school in Blackpool and remained there until
1924 when he became an instructor for the Royal Air Force Educational
Service. He married in 1929.
During
WW2 he served as a flight lieutenant then squadron leader (with the
rank of
major) with the RAF administrative and special duties branch, and in
1940 took control of the headquarters at RAF Oakington in
Cambridgeshire.
RAF
Oakington was an immediate problem
for Frank as it had no paved runways and was only able to take Bristol
Blenheim light twin-engined bombers of 218 Squadron.
The shape of things to come presented itself in October 1940, when the
first Short Stirling four-engined heavy bomber arrived.
See
http://www.ldhs.org/airfield-history-oakington-raf/raf-oakington-2/
