Frank Ernest Gerrish 1919-2013
Frank was born in Kent but came to live in Plymouth in 1923 when his father was appointed superintendent in HM Dockyard Devonport. He attended DHS, as it was then known, from the age of 11 in 1930. Dr. Treseder was the Headmaster at that time. Frank could remember being recommended to present a bouquet at Speech Day and had to recite a poem in the Headmaster’s study for his speaking voice to be assessed. His strength was in mathematics and his studies in this subject enabled him to be accepted as an HM Dockyard apprentice in 1936. His Dockyard mathematics textbooks were in his possession until he died. His brother John followed him to the school in 1937.
Frank entered the Royal Navy in 1940 and served as a Chief Petty Officer in the Mediterranean throughout WWII. After the war he left the Dockyard and spent the rest of his career in the aircraft industry. He was one of the engineers working on the design and construction of Concorde from the outset, of which he was justifiably proud. Frank was fiercely proud of his old school and followed its’ fortunes with interest. He kept his school cap for the rest of his life. The Old Boys Association has kindly accepted the cap as part of the school archive and it will be presented during October. Frank ‘s funeral will be held at the church of St. Mary, Thornbury South Gloucestershire on Thursday 26th September at 2.30pm to which any Old Boy representing the school will be most welcome.
Our thanks to Pam Dodd for providing the following obituary of her father who passed away in 2013.
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