Born 28/03/1882 at Walgrave, Northampton (1881 Census)
Christened 02/07/1882 at Walgrave, Northamptonshire
Died 04/03/1917 at Somme, France
Father: Samuel Knight
Mother: Sarah Elizabeth Britten
Notes: In 1891(census) with parents and two sibings, in Old, Northants. In 1901 l iving at Pine Cottage, Walgrave with father, brother, and uncle Thomas a nd his two children. In 1911(census) Francis is 29yrs old, he is livi ng at Briar Bank, Hawthorn Road, Carlshalton, Surrey, along with is Sist er & Brother in Law. He is Employed as a Civil Servant 3rd Class Clerk. Th ere is also a Servant at the House Known always as Ernest, he was a Captain in the 2nd Battalion Northamptons hire Regiment, and was killed in the battle of the Somme during World W ar One. His name is on the Thiepval Memorial, the memorial to the Missi ng of the Somme. It bears the names of more than 72,000 officers and m en of the United Kingdom and South African forces who died in the Somme se ctor before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave. The "Wellingburian", the magazine for old boys of Wellingborough School, N orthants, published the following: " Francis Ernest Knight 28/03/1882 - 04/03/1917 Francis Ernest Knight came to the School in January 1894, and was wi th us for seven years leaving in April 1901. No boy has ever held a more b rilliant school record. In the Cambridge Junior Examinations of 1894, 18 95 & 1896 he obtained honours in the 3rd, 2nd & 1st class respectively, ga ining in the three years eight distintions. He followed this up by obtaini ng four 1st class honour certificates in the the next four years with four teen distintions, these gained in Arithmetic, Scripture, French, Chemistr y, Mathematics, & applied Mathematics. At games he was equally successfu l, gaining his 2nd XI. Football colours in 1897 and his 1st XI. colou rs in the next three years, in the last of which he captained the sid e. He also obtained his 2nd XI. Cricket colours in 1899 and his first X I. colours in 1900. He was a prefect & Head boy of the School and was ve ry prominent for three years in the school theatricals. During his last te rm he passed fifth on the list of candidates for the Civil service and w as placed in the colonial office. On the outbreak of war he joined the Uni versities & public school Brigade as a Private. He received his commissi on early in 1915 and went to France in August of that year. He acted as Ca ptain during the whole time he was at the front and was latterly gazett ed to that rank. He went through some heavy fighting on the Somme in Ju ly 1916, and was killed in action on March 4th 1917. He was a real good fe llow & a Wellingburian to the back bone."
Occupation: civil servant, colonial office