Colonel Sankey was born in 1877 who went to the Lynedock in 1890. He followed his father into the Engineers by way of Woolwich.
He joined the Lodge at the November 1912 meeting alongside two other West Block Boys, the Murray’s Frederick Richard Gerrard Forsyth, of Triune Lodge No 2121, who would also rise to the rank of Colonel, latterly with the 4th Dragoon Guards and earn the MC into the bargain; and the Hopetoun’s Ernest Brandon Macnaghten, a Gunner who, not to be outdone by his fellow joining members, would become a Brigadier.
Sankey would save the Lodge for 49 years, becoming Worshipful Deputy Master in 1926, and be made Grand Sword Bearer by Grand Lodge. His mother Lodge was Pentacle Lodge No 1174.
After Woolwich Sankey saw service in South Africa from 1899 t0 1902, and was present at the Relief of Kimberley alongside his fellow OW and joining member Frederick Cavendish.
At the time of joining, he was serving as First Assistant Instructor of Fortifications at the School of Military Engineering in Chatham, once again following in his father’s footsteps. He went on to command 1st Field Troop at Aldershot, during which time he would be Master fo the Aldershot Beagles. He would serve throughout the Great War rising to Colonel.
Not man to do things just once, he earned a pair of DSOs, the Croix de Guerre aves Palmes, three clasps to his Queens Medal for the actions in South Africa and the oak leaves for his three Mentions into the bargain. The citation for the bar to his DSO reads:
“For great gallantry in making personal reconnaissances of the Sambre-Oise canal, south of Catillon, during the period 28 October – 3 November, 1918. Owing to the able way in which he carried out his work the crossings over the canal were negotiated with comparatively few casualties in the face of a large number of machine-guns and heavy shell fire. The success of the operations may be very largely credited to the skill and personal gallantry of Lieut.-Colonel Sankey.”
In a sad footnote, the family tradition of service to the Engineers would see Sankey’s son serve with the 1st Airborne. He was part of the first landings on Sicily in 1943 and was Killed in Action in Operation Market Garden at Arnhem.
