Frank Sutton

Frank Sutton was one of the original Bachelors Hall Gang, made up of radio amateurs from the Royal Signals. In early 1939 he was the RSGB Town organiser of Oldham and was active in wireless experimentation on the 56 mega cycles (now MHz) band later used by the TRD transmitters. He was a student in April 1939 when the 1939 Register was compiled, but completed his BSc before joing the Royal Signals. Leaving Suffolk he went down to Somerset and presumably was involved in setting up the Special Duties wireless network in that area. 

He died on 26 Dec 1942. His obituary in the RSGB Bulletin mentions that he had been in hospital. He is buried in Royton Cemetry in Lancashire, with a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. His Royal Signals "ham" colleagues were obviously unaware he was in hospital as they put a request ot get in touch in the RSGB Bulletin in Feb 1943.

Research by Andrew Spence, for his Royton War Memorial Project has included obtaining his death certificate. This showed that he had died from a testicular cancer that had spread to his lungs. In modern times this is a very treatable cancer but was beyond the medical care of the 1940s. Self examination by men of their testicles is taught in modern times, but was unheard of in wartime Britain. Detected early this type of cancer, which mainly is found in young men, is virtually 100% curable today.