BOLITHO, Frank Lucas
| Service Number: | 5042 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 July 1915, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 7th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bendigo, Victoria, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Quarry Hill, Greater Bendigo, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Salesman |
| Died: | Mastoid disease and meningitis, Military Hospital, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, 27 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Tidworth Military Cemetery, England Tidworth Military Cemetery Row C, Grave 193 Rev. A.S. McPherson officated, Tidworth Military Cemetery, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom, Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne, Nord Pas de Calais, France, Strand Military Cemetery, Ploegsteert, Wallonie, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bendigo Church Honour Board, Bendigo Great War Roll of Honor, Bendigo Quarry Hill Congregational Church Roll of Honor, Bendigo Quarry Hill Methodist Church Roll of Honor, South Melbourne Great War Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Bendigo, Victoria, Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5042, 7th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5042, 7th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Melbourne |
Help us honour Frank Lucas Bolitho's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 26th May.... Private Frank Lucas Bolitho was born at Sandhurst, Bendigo, Victoria in 1893. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 8th July, 1915 as a 22 year old, single, Salesman from Quarry Hill, Bendigo, Victoria.
Private Bolitho embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Suffolk (A23) on 1st April, 1916 with the 7th Infantry Battalion, 16th Reinforcements & disembarked at Suez on 12th May, 1916. He embarked for France 2 weeks later, arriving at Marseilles on 4th June, 1916.
Private Bolitho was appointed Acting Corporal with extra duty pay while posted at 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot in France from 14th August, 1916. He was appointed Acting Sergeant with extra duty pay from 18th September, 1916 then reverted back to Acting Corporal from 13th October, 1916.
Acting Corporal Bolitho was appointed Corporal from 20th December 1916 till 20th February, 1917 while posted at 1st Australian Divisional Base Depot at Etaples. He was returned to England on 4th March, 1917 to be classed as Permanent Base (duties) & reverted to rank of Private.
Private Bolitho was posted to No. 2 Command Depot at Weymouth, Dorset, England on 6th March, 1917. He was found to have defective vision while being examined on 13th March, 1917. A Medical Board found that Private Bolitho was permanently unfit for general service and fit for Home Service.
Private Bolitho was posted to A.I.F. Headquarters at Tidworth, Wiltshire on 4th May, 1917. He was admitted to Military Hospital, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England on 10th May, 1917 with ___mid-ear (mastoid disease). He was reported as dangerously ill. The Hospital Admissions form recorded “developed Meningitis through extrusion from middle ear.”
Private Frank Lucas Bolitho died at 1.30 pm on 26th May, 1917 at Military Hospital, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England from Mastoiditis.
He was buried in Tidworth Military Cemetery, Wiltshire, England where 172 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.
The Red Cross Wounded & Missing file for Frank Lucas Bolitho contains a letter from The Matron, Military Hospital, Tidworth which reads: “Sgt F. L. Bolitho was admitted to this Hospital suffering from Mastoid disease and underwent three operations for it, he finally developed meningitis. He was unconscious for three days before he died, previous to that I am sorry to say he suffered a good deal of pain. There were no messages left by him……”
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/a---b.html
Click images to start slideshow.