Sad news: Frank Gill, our President, has passed away

Frank Gill 26.7.1919 – 25.11.2020

L/Cpl,  580 Army Troop Coy, Royal Engineers.  Service no 2051895. Severely wounded aboard yacht Hellas in Piraeus Harbour air raid 24.4.41. Captured in hospital Athens 27.4.41. PoW 22781

We write this with a heavy heart because we are writing to let you know the very sad news that Frank, our President, died on Wednesday 25th November 2020. Aged 101, Frank passed away, peacefully, at the care home where he had been living since Spring.

Frank had been a member of the Brotherhood since the early 1990s.  He and his late wife Madge, attended the UK and Kalamata reunions regularly. In fact Frank organized the UK reunions and Edwin Horlington organized the Kalamata reunions.

Frank often acted, along with Jock Watt, as a standard bearer at the services.

Frank took over as President of the Brotherhood from Edwin Horlington in 2006.  Sadly, with Frank’s passing there are no longer any veterans of the 1941 Greek Campaign within the Brotherhood.  It is the end of an era, but not the end of the Brotherhood.

Frank’s war time experiences are covered in two separate chapters of the book ’Tell  Them We Were Here’. He also wrote about his life experiences in his book  ‘A Letter to My Daughter’.

Those of you who had ever met Frank will know what a really special and remarkable man he was.  Very caring, great sense of humour and very good orator.  He continued to give speeches at Kalamata and at the Arboretum which, due to his failing eyesight, he had to learn by heart.

It was truly a privilege to know you Frank and we will miss you very much. Rest in Peace.

If you wish to send a message of condolence, please email us at greekveterans@gmail.com and we will forward these on to Frank’s family.