Born in 1883, Randolph was the fourth of nine children to Churchill and Susan Flintoff of Hill House, Alnwick, Northumberland.
Before the war he was highly respected in Hull commercial circles and had been manager of Russell & Sons Coal Merchants Exporters on Marlborough Street for six years. He was a popular member of Hull Exchange. On the outbreak of hostilities he was commissioned into the 10th Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, ‘The Commercials’, 1st Hull Pals.
Randolph was killed in action on 25th June 1916 close to ‘Bess Street’ and ‘Warley Avenue’ trenches opposite Serre, when a bombardment disturbed buried gas cylinders and their deadly content was released into the lines. Perhaps ironically, Lieutenant Flintoff was the battalion Gas Officer and was renowned for taking great care to protect his men from gas. He is buried at Bertrancourt Military Cemetery; he was 33 years old.
His death compounded the family misery. Randolph’s brother, Arthur, had emigrated to Australia in 1909 and had enlisted to fight with the Imperial Force there. He served in Egypt before being sent as part of invasion fleet aiming to seize control of the Dardanelles and Gallipoli. He was killed in action on 1st May 1915.