25705
FRANKLIN, Benjamin Herbert
| Service Number: | 1140 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 October 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Shipping clerk |
| Died: | Unknown, 10 May 1919, place of death not yet discovered, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Adelaide North Adelaide Cycling Club Roll of Honor, Glenelg and District WW1 & WW2 Honour Board, Magill Honour Board, Magill War Memorial, Rose Park Burnside & District - Fallen Soldiers Memorial Trees - Rose Park, Rose Park Burnside District Fallen Soldiers' Memorial - Rose Park, Rosslyn Park War Memorial, Tusmore Burnside District Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 1914: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Apr 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli | |
| 21 Aug 1915: | Promoted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
| 23 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières | |
| 6 Sep 1916: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion, Mouquet Farm, Franklin sustained a gunshot wounds to the left elbow, left knee and the back. This was the injury that eventually sent him home as medically unfit for service. | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 1140, 10th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by VWM Australia
Life
Benjamin Herbert Franklin was 27 when he enlisted to go to war in 1914. His father, Charles Henry Franklin, and himself lived in Kensington Gardens, Adelaide, South Australia. They both worked as shipping clerks. Franklin was born in Australia and lived there his whole life, up until enlistment. Evidence suggests that he was an only child, and he was unmarried and single, without children.
Enlistment
Franklin enlisted to go to war on the 26th of October, 1914. From this, we can assume that he was among the initial surge to enlist right at the start of the war. This means that he enlisted out of honour and duty, unknowing of what war was like. Franklin was a private at the beginning of the war, and was in the 10th Infantry Battalion, 1st Reinforcement.
After a few short months of training, Franklin embarked from Melbourne, Australia, on board HMAT Themistocles on the 27th of December, 1914. He would have gotten Christmas with his family.
Service
Franklin was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal on the 21st of August, 1915. Shortly afterwards, he contracted dysentery while being trained in Egypt. He was transferred to a hospital ship, and then to an ANZAC hospital. He recovered well, only to get the same illness one month later.
Very little information is available on the precise details of Franklin’s service. What battles he was involved in, where he served and what he did remain mysterious.
In 1916, after serving in places such as Malta, England, France and Egypt, Franklin was shot in action on the 6th of September, after being pronounced fit for service only six months before. He sustained gunshot wounds to the left elbow, left knee and the back. After being admitted to the Duston War hospital on the 8th of September, he spent nearly half a year in hospital, before being declared medically unfit for service, and was sent back to Australia and discharged on 27 August 1917.
Death
Franklin died on the 10th of May, 1919. Beyond that, little is known of Franklin’s actual cause of death. A Commonwealth of Australia document signed on the 27th of September, 1920, announces that the soldier has died since his return to Australia, but there is no more detail given. The document itself is to confirm that Lance Corporal Franklin’s 1914/1915 Star medal has been passed on to his father. It is only said that Franklin has died.
ANZAC Spirit
Benjamin Herbert Franklin showed exceptional ANZAC spirit through enlisting by choice and fighting on the front line and in the trenches. He also showed ANZAC spirit by returning to the front line even after being wounded, and by battling sickness and injury. He was a recipient of the 1914/1915 Star medal, which was awarded for excellent service throughout those two years. Franklin served for nearly 3 years and was discharged honourably, and was therefore a brilliant example of ANZAC spirit.
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