William Franklyn

Lieutenant-General Sir William Edmund Franklyn, (14 May 1856 – 27 October 1914) was a senior British Army officer who served as Military Secretary from 1911 to 1914.

Early life and education Franklyn was born in Ventnor, Isle of Wight, the eldest surviving son of Rev. Thomas Edmund Franklyn and Selina Elizabeth Hope. He was educated at Rugby School.

Military career Franklyn was commissioned into the 19th Regiment of Foot in 1874, which in 1881 became the Yorkshire Regiment (and later still became the Green Howards) and was appointed Deputy Assistant Adjutant General at Aldershot in 1888. The appointment became permanent soon after.

Franklyn was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath in the 1902 Coronation Honours published on 26 June 1902, and received the decoration from King Edward VII at Buckingham Palace on 24 October 1902.

Franklyn became commander of 10th Infantry Brigade with the temporary rank of brigadier general on 15 October 1902. The brigade was based at Shorncliffe Army Camp, serving with the 5th Division within the II Army Corps. Reverting to his substantive rank of colonel, he was appointed director of personal services at the War Office in March 1904, was Military Secretary in 1911. He was advanced to a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in June 1912.

In 1914 he was appointed Governor of Malta, despite his lack of war experience, but never took up the appointment. He died later that year, shortly after the outbreak of the First World War,

Franklyn was given the colonelcy of the Alexandra, Princess of Wales's Own (Yorkshire Regiment) in October 1906, a position he held until his death in October 1914.

Personal life In 1881, Franklyn married Helen Williams, daughter of Edwin Williams, His daughter, Dorothy Hope Franklyn (1883–1929), married George Edward Mervyn Thorneycroft and was the mother of politician Lord Thorneycroft.