FRANK R. MARSTON, CAPT, USA

Frank Marston '16

Date of birth: January 1, 1893

Date of death: July 15, 1918

Age: 25

Naval Academy Register

Frank Rutherford Marston was admitted to the Naval Academy from Florida on August 24, 1912 at age 19 years 8 months.

He resigned on June 8, 1915.

Photographs

Loss

Frank was killed in action with German ground forces in France on July 15, 1918.

He was an infantry officer and a member of the 30th Infantry Regiment. This regiment was heavily engaged with the Germans in the Second Battle of the Marne at this time; it was a part of the 3rd Infantry Division.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

In March, 1911, Frank was quite ill and went home to Pensacola from Annapolis. He passed his year-end examinations in June, 1913, and he participated in the summer cruise of 1914.
Frank applied for a passport in May, 28, 1916. He was offered employment by the Aetna Chemical Company of Canada and was travelling by rail to Drummondville, Canada. He was 6 feet and ¾ inches tall with grey brown eyes and brown hair.
His father Frank was a furniture merchant who died about two months after his son. Frank’s mother was Sallie, sister Florince, and brother Oliver. Oliver had a long career in the Army and served in both WWI and WWII.

He was survived by his parents and his sister, Florence, and a younger brother who was at the time in training in Texas for army service. He was a native of Pensacola, Florida.

Frank listed on the killed in action panel in the front of Memorial Hall.

Several of Frank's letters and other keepsakes from his travels are in the collection of the UWF University Archives and West Florida History Center. (Link formerly at https://archives.uwf.edu/ArchivesSpace/repositories/2/resources/31)

Frank was a Lieutenant in the initial casualty list. He is also listed as a 1LT in the Army Officer Register of 1918. He is not included in the 1916 edition of that publication. (There is no digitized version of the 1917 edition.)

He reported in a letter to his mother that he had been promoted to Captain, and is identified at this rank in the description of the Frank Marston Post of the American Legion, Pensacola, Florida.

Frank is buried in the Oise-Aisne American Cemetery at Fere-En-Tardenois, France. (Information from now-broken link at http://fl-genweb.org/mpc/citrus/military/oa_cem.html)