Lieutenant Francisque (‘Frank’) Eugène BEC.

Frank Bec was born 18 October 1905 in Palmers Green, north London. He was one of the family of three sons and one daughter of French parents, Antoine Francisque Bec and Katherine ‘Katie’ Bec (née La Brousse), who had homes in Ruislip, Middlesex and in Grenoble in France. Bec had dual British/French nationality and attended primary school in England, in Matlock, Derbyshire and Brighton, Sussex. For his secondary education he went to France and was at school in Boulogne, followed by trade education and training in Grenoble.

Bec chose to serve his national military service in France and was consequently in the French Air Force from 1925-27. He worked in a semi-military capacity in French aviation for a further year in 1928, but then returned to Britain and from 1929-39 worked in leather and soft goods, firstly in his father’s business specializing in gloves, gaiters and berets, based in Cheapside, London EC2 and then as a merchant/manufacturer’s agent in Noble Street, also in London EC2.  He was married, his Swedish wife (Karin Elisabet, née Ekelund, originally from Stockholm) and daughter Yvonne, born in 1935, had moved to Sweden just before war broke out in 1939, but were still in frequent contact with Bec................. [Remainder of case study is complete - contact author for further details].


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