Frederick WIlliam Grand signature

On this day in 1918 Frederick William Grand died in Deseronto of pneumonia (Spanish ‘flu). He had completed a US draft registration card on September 12th, 1918 in Glen Cove, New York and six days later he signed up with the Royal Air Force in Toronto with the regimental number 270886. He was 35 years old and five feet eight inches tall, with a slender build, brown hair and brown eyes. He died just 15 days later in the hospital at Camp Rathbun, one of the Royal Air Force’s training camps in Deseronto.

Grand was born in Colton, Norfolk, England on April 21st, 1883, the son of William and Emma Grand. Prior to enlisting he had been living in Oyster Bay, New York, where he was working as a gardener and chauffeur. He arrived in New York aged 23 on the RMS Etruria on June 24th, 1906, giving his occupation as gardener. His destination was the Knickerbocker Hotel, New York (which opened in that year). At one point he worked at the New York Botanical Garden, where this photograph was taken of him in 1914 or 1915:

Frederick William Grand photograph

Photograph of Frederick William Grand, courtesy of Keith Broom, Grand’s great-nephew

Frederick was buried in Deseronto Cemetery.

Frederick William Grand's headstone