Private David Dee
Service #: 2414
Summary
BACKGROUND
David Dee (known as Frank) was born in Charter Towers, Qld on the 28th August 1881, son of David & Mary (Kerby) Dee. David married Mabel Annie Wallace on the 3rd September, 1904 in Qld. His name is registered as David Francis Dee. They had a daughter, Jessie in 1905, a son, Francis, in 1907 and another daughter, Doris, in 1913
ATTESTATION
Frank travelled to Brisbane on the 18th March,1916 to complete his application. He answered several questions on the document, and we find out he was a married man and gave his occupation as farmer. His next of kin was his wife, Mabel Annie, of Tweed Heads.
Item number 14 on the attestation states- for married men, widowers with children and soldiers who are the sole support of widowed mother- do you understand that no separation allowance will be issued in respect of your service beyond an amount which together with pay would reach 8 shillings per day
Frank also agreed to allot three fifths of the pay payable to him from time to time during his service to the support of his wife. He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia
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CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTING OFFICER
On the second page of the attestation documents the attesting confirms the following; “The foregoing questions were read to the person enlisted in my presence. I have taken care that he understood each question, and his answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to by him”
OATH
He also made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, David Dee, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law
He then signed a declaration confirming he had answered the questions correctly and was willing to voluntarily agree to service in the Military Forces of the Commonwealth of Australia
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MEDICAL EXAMINATION
Frank was 33 years 6 months old. He was 5ft 6inches tall (1.68m) and weighed 125lbs (56kgs). He had a medium complexion, Hazel eyes and dark hair. His eyesight was good. He had scars on both knees and shins. Frank was Presbyterian
CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL EXAMINER
The medical examiner certifies I have examined the abovenamed person, and find that he does not present any of the following conditions, viz: -
Scrofula; phthisis; syphilis; impaired constitution; defective intelligence; defects of vision, voice, or hearing; hernia’ haemorrhoids; varicose veins, beyond a limited extent; marked varicocele with unusually pendent testicle; inveterate cutaneous disease’ chronic ulcers; traces of corporal punishment or evidence of having been marked with the letters D. or B.C; contracted or deformed chest; abnormal curvature of spine; or any other disease or physical defect calculated to unfit him for the duties of a soldier.
He can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints and limbs; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service
CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER
This is completed during the recruits training. Frank was in Enoggera training camp when this was completed on 26th August 1916. The commanding officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He then states “I accordingly approve, and appoint him a private with the 49th Infantry Battalion, 5th reinforcements with service number 2414
TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA
As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together
Now training for the new recruits began. Firstly, the recruits had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service. It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave
Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas. The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.
This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training could take several months
INNOCULATIONS
All recruits were given a range of inoculations while in camp. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid – indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.
THE UNIFORM
The recruits were issued with their uniform- service dress jacket was made of Australian wool and its loose fit gave the wearer more allowance for movement. The four large pockets were very useful. A unique feature designed for comfort was the pleated back, which provided a double thickness of cloth down the back that the pack rubbed against. Breeches were corduroy worn with wool wrap puttees. The famous khaki felt slouch hat or early service cap is probably the most distinctive part of the uniform. turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge.
SOLDIER’S KIT
Australia's World War I soldiers went to war weighed down by almost 30 kilograms of clothes, weapons, tools and kit.
· Breeches: made from khaki woollen cord fabric, with side pockets and button flies. Soldiers were issued with two pairs of breeches, plus a pair of dungarees. The breeches ended above the ankles and the gap was filled with puttees.
· Braces: worn with breeches.
· Puttees: The men wound these strips of woollen cloth, almost three metres long, upwards from the ankle to just below the knee. Soldiers disliked the puttees, probably with good reason: the tight binding restricted circulation and might even have contributed to the high incidence of trench foot. Mounted troops wore leather leggings.
· Shirt: Soldiers were given two grey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus a military shirt.
· Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.
· Socks: Made from wool or cotton. Soldiers were issued with three pairs.
· Greatcoat: the khaki woollen coat (which weighed about 3kg) often doubled as a soldier's bedding and was his chief protection against the cold and wet. The coat came into its own when snow hit Gallipoli in November 1915 and also on the Western Front.
· Jersey
· Singlets: Soldiers were issued with 2 woollen singlets.
· Cotton "drawers" (underpants): Soldiers were issued with two pairs.
· Abdominal belts: a sort of cummerbund that was issued to keep soldiers warm and supposedly ward off disease.
· Backpacks and webbing: The main backpack was a rectangular sack measuring about 15 inches x 13 inches, closed at the top by a folding cover secured by two straps. The webbing included a web belt, cartridge pouches, small haversack, bayonet frog, an entrenching tool holder (plus another holder for its handle), and a water-bottle holder.
· Identity disc: Soldiers were initially issued with one medal "dog tag" on a cord, but later in the war they were given two tags, made of compressed fibre.
· Soldiers were also issued with a "housewife" - a sewing kit containing such items as needles, thimble, thread, wool and button so they could carry out running repairs.
· Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle, a rifle sling, a bayonet and scabbard, and an "entrenching tool" (they were "diggers" after all). This came in two parts, with the helve (handle) separate from the spade part.
· Soldiers were issued with eating equipment (knife, fork, spoon, an enamel mug, water bottle (with two-point capacity), and a mess tin with carrier.
· They also had a clasp knife (with marlin spike, tin-opener and lanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap, comb, two towels, field dressing (carried in the tunic's inside pocket), and a hold-all, in which they could pack their private possessions.
· No item was probably looked after more carefully than their service pay book: privates were paid five shillings a day.
VOYAGE OVERSEAS FROM BRISBANE TO ENGLAND
On the 19th September 1916, the recruits left Brisbane, sailing upon the HMAT Seang Choon A49. Alongside his comrades, Frank marched aboard, his boots ringing on the gangway. As the ship’s lines were cast off and the quay began to slip away, the reality of war lay ahead, but for now, the sea breeze carried only the sound of voices and the excitement of men bound for adventure, duty, and the unknown.
SLEEPING & LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Recruits likely slept in a crowded troop deck below, where rows of hammocks or three-tier wooden bunks were crammed close together.
Air below decks could be stuffy, especially in warmer climates, and seasickness was common during the first few days.
DAILY ROUTINE
Reveille early each morning, followed by physical exercises on the open decks (weather permitting). There were parades and inspections—officers ensured uniforms, rifles, and kit were clean and in order. Training was a little problematic—drill without much space, rifle maintenance, lectures on military discipline, signalling, and trench warfare theory. The ship’s decks were used for marching in tight circles or practising bayonet thrusts into stuffed sacks. Rifle shooting was impossible at sea, so soldiers learned to strip and clean their weapons until it was second nature.
MEALS
Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. The meals were served in shifts from the ship’s galley. Queues were long, and eating on a rolling ship meant many tried to eat quickly before nausea set in.
HEALTH & SANITATION
Shipboard hygiene was critical—every man was ordered to scrub his section daily to prevent disease. Saltwater baths were the norm, with freshwater rationed for drinking.
THE VOYAGE EXPERIENCE
Entertainment included church drill, concerts, singalongs, card games, and makeshift cricket matches on deck when the weather allowed. In an attempt to keep up morale, an area of the ship was roped off where regular boxing and wrestling tournaments were held. This became commonly known as the Stoush Stadium. No letters could be sent until they reached port, but men often wrote diaries or unsent letters to be posted later.
The troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection
CROSSING THE EQUATOR CEREMONY
The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.
SIGHTS AT SEA
On the way to Egypt, where the ship would refuel & take on supplies, the ship would pass through the Great Australian Bight, cross the Indian Ocean, and stop at Colombo (Ceylon now Sri Lanka) for coal and supplies.
SECURITY
By late 1914, German raiders were active, so lifeboat drills were frequent, and lookouts kept watch for suspicious ships. Troopships generally sailed in convoys or at least took zig-zag courses to make torpedo attacks harder. Ships often travelled under blackout conditions at night, with lookouts specifically watching for periscopes or torpedo wakes. The danger was greatest in the Western Approaches near Britain, where U-boats patrolled choke points like the English Channel and Irish Sea.
EGYPT
After several weeks at sea, the men finally saw the dusty shoreline of Port Said or Alexandria. They could only wonder at the sights and sounds they could see as they watched the ship being refuelled and goods taken on board
ENGLAND
About a fortnight later the men finally saw the green shoreline of England. The reality of leaving home truly sank in. The recruits would soon exchange the ship’s cramped decks for the training grounds of England, preparing for what lay ahead.
ENGLISH TRAINING CAMP
The ship arrived in Plymouth on the 9th December 1916. The troops were marched into one of the training camps in England. During an interim period, soldiers typically:
· Recovered from the voyage: After long sea travel from Australia, troops needed time to rest and regain strength.
· Underwent medical inspections: To check for illnesses, infections, or conditions like venereal disease that might delay their training.
· Received equipment and uniforms: This included British-issued gear better suited to the Western Front.
· Were assigned to training battalions: Administrative processing sorted soldiers into reinforcement drafts for specific front-line battalions.
· Drilled lightly: They performed light drills, parades, and familiarisation routines while waiting for formal training slots to open.
When the recruits entered the camp, they joined one of the Australian training establishments on the Salisbury Plain in southern England. By this stage of the war, the Australian Imperial Force had developed a highly organised training system designed to ensure that every reinforcement arriving in France possessed the skills needed to survive on the Western Front.
The time they spent at the camp were among the most important of their military career. Rather than being sent directly to the front, they underwent intensive preparation under instructors who were often veterans recently returned from France. These men had firsthand knowledge of trench warfare and passed on lessons learned through hard experience.
Life in the camp followed a demanding routine. Reveille sounded early each morning, followed by physical training designed to build strength and endurance. After breakfast, the men spent long hours on the training grounds learning and practising the skills they would soon need in battle. Rifle shooting remained a fundamental part of instruction, and the men would have spent considerable time on the ranges improving his marksmanship and learning to care for his weapon under all conditions.
Much of the training focused on trench warfare. Practice trench systems had been constructed across Salisbury Plain, allowing recruits to experience conditions similar to those they would encounter in France. They learned how to move through communication trenches, occupy front-line positions, stand sentry duty and maintain defensive works. They practised digging trenches, constructing parapets and revetments, and laying barbed wire obstacles.
Bombing instruction was another important part of the syllabus. Recruits learned how to throw and handle grenades safely, a skill that had become essential on the Western Front. They were also taught how to react during enemy bombardments, how to seek cover and how to move forward under artillery fire.
Field exercises frequently involved entire companies and battalions. During these manoeuvres, the recruits practised attacks on mock enemy positions, advancing behind simulated artillery barrages and coordinating movements with neighbouring units. Such exercises often lasted for many hours and could continue regardless of rain, cold or mud. The instructors were determined that recruits experience something of the hardships they would face in France.
Route marches formed a regular feature of camp life. Carrying rifles, ammunition, packs and equipment, the men marched many miles across the rolling countryside of Salisbury Plain. These marches built stamina and accustomed soldiers to carrying heavy loads over long distances. By the end of his training, the men would have been capable of marching for hours while carrying the equipment required in active service.
If applicable
Winter made conditions increasingly difficult. During the cold months of December & January the winds sweeping across Salisbury Plain became bitter, and training often continued in rain, frost and mud. For Australian soldiers accustomed to warmer climates, the English winter could be an uncomfortable introduction to European conditions. Nevertheless, the harsh weather provided valuable preparation for service on the Western Front.
Beyond the formal training, the also gave the recruits the opportunity to form friendships with fellow Australians who shared anticipation and uncertainty about their future. In the evenings, men wrote letters home, attended educational lectures or spent what little leisure time was available discussing rumours from the front and wondering what lay ahead.
After many months of continuous preparation in England, the men were judged ready for active service. The recruits had been transformed from a newly arrived reinforcement into a fully trained infantryman, accustomed to discipline, hardship, and the mechanics of modern war. When the battalion finally crossed to France, it did so as a cohesive and well-drilled unit, prepared—so far as training could allow—for the brutal realities of the Western Front.
FRANCE AND MORE TRAINING FEBRUARY 1917
Frank and his unit proceeded overseas to France on the 15th February 1917, leaving from Folkstone on the SS Invicta. After crossing the English Channel, the reinforcements usually landed at one of the great base ports such as Le Havre, Rouen, Boulogne or Étaples. From there they were not sent directly to their battalion. Instead, they entered the Australian Base Depots, where records were checked, equipment inspected and final preparations made before they moved forward.
During an interim period, soldiers typically:
· Were assigned to training battalions: Administrative processing sorted soldiers into reinforcement drafts for specific front-line battalions.
· Drilled lightly: They performed light drills, parades, and familiarisation routines while waiting for formal training slots to open.
The men then passed through reinforcement camps. Here they received further instruction specifically tailored to the conditions then prevailing on the Western Front. Training included trench routine, gas defence, grenade throwing, Lewis gun work, route marches and battlefield tactics. Officers were anxious to ensure that reinforcements arriving from England were familiar with the latest methods being employed in France, as battlefield tactics had evolved considerably since many had first enlisted.
The journey to the battalion was often made in stages. Reinforcements travelled by train, lorry and sometimes on foot through the rear areas, gradually moving closer to the sound of the guns. Along the way they would encounter the immense logistical system that supported the armies in France—supply depots, ammunition dumps, field hospitals and transport columns stretching across the countryside.
TAKEN ON STRENGTH APRIL 1917
Frank was taken on strength with the 49th Infantry Battalion on the 11th April 1917. This means a soldier was officially assigned to and accounted for in a specific military unit's nominal roll. It meant they were integrated into the unit for daily operations, including food, discipline, equipment, and frontline duties
When Frank joined the 49th Battalion in France on 11 April 1917, he entered the battalion at a difficult but important period of the war. The 49th Battalion had recently come through the bitter winter of 1916–17 and was rebuilding its strength following heavy losses on the Somme. During the spring and summer of 1917, Frank would have undergone a period of acclimatisation to trench warfare. New arrivals were rarely sent straight into the front line. Instead, they spent time with reserve companies, undertaking weapons training, route marches, trench construction, wiring parties, carrying stores, and learning the routines of life on the Western Front.
Throughout the middle months of 1917, the 49th Battalion rotated between front-line trenches, reserve positions and training areas in the Armentières sector of northern France. Frank would have endured the constant dangers of artillery bombardments, sniper fire, trench raids and patrol work. Even when not directly engaged in major battles, soldiers worked long hours repairing trenches damaged by shellfire, improving dugouts, carrying ammunition and rations forward, and maintaining communication trenches.
In June 1917 the battalion participated in operations connected with the great Battle of Messines. The carefully planned assault achieved its objectives, but soldiers still faced enemy shelling and counter-attacks. During the following months the battalion moved into the Ypres Salient in Belgium, where conditions were among the worst experienced during the war. The area was churned into a sea of mud by relentless shellfire and rain. Men often lived knee-deep in water, sleeping in cramped dugouts or shell holes while under constant bombardment.
The battle for Messines was initiated by the detonation of five-hundred tonnes of high explosives placed in 19 tunnels dug by the British, including Australian, tunnellers under the German fortifications along the Messines Ridge.
The resultant explosion, the largest ever in the world to that date, was clearly felt and heard in London. The Battle for Messines was the first time the new reinforcements were subjected to Phosgene Gas. This gas had previously been delivered by hand grenade and being subject to wind and how far it could be thrown was not all that popular with the enemy. Later the Germans perfected artillery and mortar shells which delivered the gas into the back of the enemy lines.
This gas had previously been delivered by hand grenade and being subject to wind and how far it could be thrown was not all that popular with the enemy. Later the Germans perfected artillery and mortar shells which delivered the gas into the back of the enemy lines
The primary objective of this battle was to secure the strategically important Wytschaete Messines Ridge, the high ground south of Ypres which in turn would benefit the allies to launch a larger campaign east of Ypres. The Australian involvement came under Lieutenant General Sir. Alexander Godley’s II Anzac Corps, which included the 3rd Australian Division. This Battle was launched on 7 Jun 1917 and exemplified tactical success through careful planning and firepower. The Battle of Messines was a meticulously planned operation aimed at capturing the Messines Ridge in Belgium.
On the June 17, 1917, the Australians were withdrawn from the Battle of the Somme to the battle for Messines which was initiated by the detonation of five-hundred tonnes of high explosives placed in 19 tunnels dug by the British, including Australian, tunnellers under the German fortifications along the Messines Ridge.
During September and October 1917, the 49th Battalion fought in the battles collectively known as the Third Battle of Ypres or Passchendaele campaign. The battalion was involved in the fighting around Polygon Wood and Broodseinde Ridge, where Australian troops achieved significant gains but suffered heavy casualties. Frank would have witnessed scenes of destruction difficult to imagine today—shattered trees, ruined villages, shell craters filled with water and wounded men struggling through deep mud under enemy fire.
THE THIRD BATTLE OF YPRES KNOWN AS BATTLE OF PASSCHENDAELE, (JULY 31–NOVEMBER 6, 1917),
This battle that served as a vivid symbol of the mud, madness, and senseless slaughter of the Western Front. The third and longest battle to take place at the Belgian city of Ypres, Passchendaele was ostensibly an Allied victory, but it was achieved at enormous cost for a piece of ground that would be vacated the following year. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers on opposing sides attacked and counterattacked across sodden, porridgelike mud, in an open gray landscape almost empty of buildings or natural cover, all under the relentless harrowing rain of exploding shells, flying shrapnel, and machine-gun fire. Few gains were made.
The Third Battle of Ypres is remembered for its immense human cost and the resilience of those who fought in it
BATTLE OF POLYGON WOOD 1917 SEPTEMBER 26TH - OCTOBER 3RD
Polygon Wood was the second of three battles between 26th September and 4 October 1917 in which ‘step by step’ or ‘bite and hold’ tactics were used to batter down the formidable German defensive positions. After an opening bombardment the infantry would advance for a prescribed distance behind a ‘creeping’ barrage of shells. This barrage would keep the Germans in their ‘pillboxes’ until British soldiers were almost upon them. The enemy positions would then be captured consolidated and protected from counter-attack by artillery. Artillery would be brought forward and the next ‘bite’ attempted. In this way the British aimed to work their way from their start lines near Ypres to the heights of the ridge ten kilometres away at Passchendaele village. Charles Bean, the Australian Official Historian described the opening barrage on 26 September as the most perfect that ever protected Australian troops and that it rolled ahead of the troops roaring ‘like a Gippsland bushfire’. The battle cost 5,770 Australian casualties
THE BATTLE OF BROODSEINDE OCTOBER 1917
The Battle of Broodseinde was fought on 4 October 1917 near Ypres. The battle was the most successful Allied attack of the Third Battle of Ypres. Using bite-and-hold tactics, with objectives limited to what could be held against German counter-attacks, the allied devastated the German defence, prompted a crisis among the German commanders and caused a severe loss of morale in the 4th Army. Preparations were made by the Germans for local withdrawals and planning began for a greater withdrawal, which would entail the abandonment by the Germans of the Belgian coast, one of the strategic aims of the Flanders Offensive.
NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER 1917
Following the major fighting, the battalion spent the closing months of 1917 alternating between reserve areas and front-line duty. Although the intensity of battle had eased somewhat, the winter brought its own hardships. Cold weather, poor sanitation, contaminated water, lice and exhaustion weakened many soldiers. Disease frequently struck men whose bodies had already been worn down by months of campaigning.
SICK- DECEMBER 1917- MEDICAL CHAIN
On 31 December 1917 Frank reported sick and was admitted to the 55th Casualty Clearing Station suffering from pyrexia, a medical term meaning fever of uncertain origin. Casualty Clearing Stations were located several miles behind the front and served as advanced hospitals where doctors attempted to determine whether a soldier was suffering from influenza, trench fever, malaria, infection or another illness. His removal from the battalion indicates that his condition was serious enough to require proper medical investigation rather than treatment at unit level.
On 4 January 1918 doctors diagnosed trench fever. This disease had become one of the most common illnesses on the Western Front and was spread by body lice that thrived in the filthy conditions of trench life. Victims suffered recurring high fevers, severe headaches, dizziness and intense pain in the legs, back and joints. Many soldiers described the bone-deep aches as almost unbearable. Frank was treated at an Australian Tent Hospital between 4 and 9 January, where medical staff attempted to reduce his fever, improve his nutrition and allow him to recover his strength.
When his condition failed to improve sufficiently, he was transferred on 10 January to the 1st Australian General Hospital at Rouen. This large hospital complex was one of the principal Australian medical facilities in France. Here Frank would have received more extensive nursing care, better accommodation and a more detailed medical assessment. Trench fever was notoriously unpredictable. Men often appeared to recover only to suffer repeated relapses weeks later. Because of this, patients frequently spent lengthy periods moving through the medical system.
On 15 January he was transferred to a Convalescent Depot, where recovering soldiers gradually rebuilt their strength through rest, good food and light duties. By 23 January he was considered sufficiently recovered to move to a Base Depot, where soldiers awaited return to their units.
Unfortunately, trench fever often lingered in a soldier's system. Although Frank was returned to the 49th Battalion on 20 April 1918, he lasted only a few days before becoming ill again. On 24 April he entered hospital once more, suffering another attack of trench fever. He was admitted to the 4th General Hospital at Rouen on 25 April. This recurrence demonstrates just how debilitating the disease could be. Many men experienced repeated bouts for months after the original infection.
After leaving hospital he passed through No. 2 Convalescent Depot at Le Havre on 28 April and then the 1st Australian Convalescent Depot on 30 April. At this stage he was also suffering from myalgia, a condition involving severe muscular pain. This was often associated with trench fever and reflected the toll that months of illness had taken on his body. Recovery involved a carefully graduated programme of rest, exercise, improved diet and medical supervision, but progress could be frustratingly slow.
CLASSIFIED FOR DISCHARGE JULY 1918
By July 1918 the medical authorities concluded that Frank was unlikely to regain the physical fitness required of an infantryman serving on the Western Front. On 14 July he was classified for discharge from the fighting zone because of age and debility. Although only 33 years old, years of hard labour before enlistment, the rigours of active service and repeated attacks of trench fever had left him physically exhausted. The medical report noted a loss of approximately one stone in weight. Given that he weighed only about 56 kilograms to begin with, this represented a significant decline in his physical condition. His already lean frame would have become noticeably gaunt, and it is not difficult to understand why army doctors doubted his ability to withstand further campaigning.
TRANSFER TO ENGLAND
On 23 July 1918 Frank was transferred to England. The journey itself would have involved travel by hospital train to a Channel port, crossing to England aboard a hospital ship, and admission to a military hospital or command depot. During the weeks before his departure for Australia he would have undergone further medical examinations, completed discharge paperwork and attended boards assessing his fitness for future service. Much of his time would have been spent resting, receiving medical treatment, drawing replacement clothing and preparing for repatriation. After more than a year of service in France, marked by some of the hardest fighting of the war and prolonged illness, Frank's active military career was effectively over.
GOING HOME AUGUST 1918
Finally, on 24 August 1918, he embarked from Devonport aboard the troopship and transport vessel SS Medic for the long voyage home to Australia. Unlike the enthusiastic departure of 1916, this was a journey made as an invalid soldier. Frank carried home the lasting effects of trench fever and physical exhaustion, having given all that his health would allow in the service of his country.
DISCHARGED
Frank was discharged medically unfit on the 17th December 1918.
For his service frank was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal
If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.
Memorial Location
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