OLSTON, Francis Arnold
| Service Numbers: | 3569, 3569B |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Oodlawirra, South Australia, 28 December 1896 |
| Home Town: | Yallunda Flat, Tumby Bay, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 21 September 1917, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium, Poelcapelle British Cemetery, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient), Tumby Bay RSL Portrait Memorials, Tumby Bay War Memorial, Yallunda Flat Memorial Park |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3569, 27th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 12 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3569, 27th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 21 Sep 1917: | Involvement Private, 3569B, 10th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3569B awm_unit: 10 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-09-21 | |
| Date unknown: | Involvement 3569, 10th Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Francis Arnold Olston's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Geoffrey Stewart
Francis (Frank) was born at Oodla Wirra on 28 December 1896 to Francis Olston and Evangeline Olston (nee Mercer) of Oodla Wirra. He was one of 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls. His father, who had been a Swedish sailor, turned his hand to farming.
Just getting to the Tumby area must have been a real chore for the family; they left Oodla Wirra with the father driving a wagon with “6 strong horses”, the mother driving a spring cart with a “frisky pony” and the 4 girls on foot herding the cows. The journey took 6 weeks. On arrival at Yallunda Flat it was obvious that the scrub block would not produce a return for at least 12 months, so the father went carting with the horse team, whilst the females cleared the block and established the home; the father returning home each week end. Two of the boys were born at Yallunda Flat: Frank’s brother being the first white male to be born in the area.
Frank was employed on his father’s farm and later on other local farms in the area until the outbreak of WW1. He enlisted in the Australian Army in May 1915 and was posted to 10th Battalion, before embarking for the UK. He was one of the first to enlist from this district and was one of the first to land in France. He was involved in an immense amount of front line action stretching from 1915 to 1917.
He took part in all the heavy fighting on the Somme, was at the storming of Armentierres, Pozierres, and Thiepval; and then the rush for the three trenches at Moquet Farm. During this latter action he volunteered to carry dispatches through the German barrage for reinforcements, and although wounded, managed to get the message through.
After several months in hospital he returned to the trenches on 20 December 1916, but due to his wounds breaking open again, he was placed on light duties for more than a month. In March 1917 he fought at Bullecourt. Three months later, at the battle of Lancourt he volunteered for a raiding party; he was reported as missing in action (MIA) on 20 September 1917. It was later confirmed that he was killed in action (KIA) on that date; he was 20 years and 9 months old.
His parents, still living at Yallunda Flat, received a telegram from Buckingham Palace notifying them that their son had been killed in action. The telegram, a copy of which is held in the Tumby Bay Sub Branch, concludes with the words “he was one of Australia’s best”, and is signed by the King.
It is hard to believe that a soldier who had seen this amount of action, who had been wounded and yet returned to the trenches, and who had volunteered for several dangerous missions was not given a bravery award. It really does indicate how “tough” it was during WW1.
Medals and Decorations
1914-15 Star
British War Medal
Victory Medal
Click images to start slideshow.