COLE, Frank Henry
| Service Number: | 950 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 February 1915, An original of D Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Plumstead, Kent, England, 1895 |
| Home Town: | Donald, Buloke, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Plumstead, England |
| Occupation: | Farm hand |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 4 October 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 950, 22nd Infantry Battalion, An original of D Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 May 1915: | Involvement Private, 950, 22nd Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '14' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ulysses embarkation_ship_number: A38 public_note: '' | |
| 10 May 1915: | Embarked Private, 950, 22nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ulysses, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Frank Henry Cole 22nd Battalion was killed in action during the Battle of Broodseinde 4 October 1917, aged 22. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Belgium. He had served on Gallipoli from August 1915 until he was evacuated with jaundice in October 1915. Frank was also wounded at Bullecourt, 3 May 1917 (gunshot wound, face). He was evacuated to England for several months to recover.
Frank Cole was killed instantly when struck by a shell while waiting in a trench to attack on the 4 October 1917. An eye witness stated that Frank Cole was “terribly knocked around, and his brother was wounded by the same shell.”
His younger brother Private Wilfred Edgar Cole, also of the 22nd Battalion AIF, died of wounds over five days later. He suffered shrapnel wounds penetrating his chest and shrapnel wound to the thigh, and died in Rouen, France 12.10am 9 October 1917. He was only 19 years of age.
A third brother, Engineer Lieutenant Harold Arthur Cole HMS Bombala Royal Navy Reserve was killed in action 25th April 1918, age 27.