Frank Whittlestone

Bank: Westminster Bank

Place of work: London Putney branch

Died: 29 January 1944

Frank Sydney Whittlestone was born in 1909, the son of Sydney and Julia Whittlestone. He was educated at Dulwich College and joined the staff of Westminster Bank in 1927. He also joined the bank’s staff sports club. He loved travelling, spending all of his holidays abroad.

As soon as war broke out Whittlestone became determined to join the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve in an air crew capacity, but he was deemed too old until 1941, when the maximum age was lowered and Whittlestone left his job at the bank’s London Putney branch to join the RAFVR at last. He trained as a navigator in South Africa and was commissioned in 1942. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross two weeks before his death in recognition of skill, fortitude and devotion to duty displayed in about 40 successful operational flights. 

Flight Lieutenant Whittlestone was killed on 29 January 1944 as an air bomber on the crew of a Lancaster bomber which crashed in Germany during an operational flight. He was 34 years old.