Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frank Giles

Frank was born on the 7th of November 1885. He lived in South Australia, Norwood at144 William Street with his family and attended Mintaro Public School & Christian Brothers College. His was a Roman Catholic and worked as a Survey hand.  Frank’s parents were William Giles who was his Next of Kin and his mother, Honoria. His family who were also in the war, his sister, Teresa, who was a Staff Nurse Bridget, Australian Army Nursing Service, effective abroad  and his nephews: 3795 Nathaniel Giles MM who was in the 11th Battalion and returned to Australia the  28 February 1919; 4125 Edward Chichele Giles who was in the 28th Battalion and was killed in action on the 29th of July 1916.

At the age of 29 he Enlisted on the 4th of January 1915 and was given the rank of private and was assigned to the 16th Battalion, 4th Reinforcement. his Unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A17 Port Lincoln on 1 April 1915.

The 16th Battalion made up of about 75% Western Australians with the rest of South Australians they were raised to become the fourth Battalion of the fourth Brigade in the 1st Division.  With the 13th, 14th and 15th Battalions it formed. The 4th Brigade under the command of Colonel John Monash. The 4th Brigade comprised of Battalions drawn from all States of Australia.  

The 4th Brigade landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 and went into combat the following week fighting the Turkish.

In the August offensive at Gallipoli the 4th Brigade was tasked to attack Hill 971 at the top of the Sari Bair Range but the Brigade became lost in what was very complex and rough terrain, at night without proper navigation aids and with no effective communication.  The attempt to capture the heights failed and doomed the campaign to a stalemate. In total, 1,127 men of the Battalion were killed in action and 1,955 were wounded. Three Victoria Crosses were awarded to men of the unit. 

After the withdrawal from Gallipoli, the battalion returned to Egypt. While there the AIF expanded, and was reorganized. The 16th Battalion was split and provided experienced soldiers for the 48th Battalion It later became the nucleus of the 4th Division and was split to spawn the 12th Brigade with which it was to serve alongside in the 4th Division, raised in Egypt in March 1916.  The 16th Battalion generated the 48th Battalion, which reflected the origins of the 16th but comprised a higher proportion about 50% of South Australians including Frank. 

The 48th's first major battle on the Western Front was Pozieres. Here, it was tasked with defending ground captured in earlier attacks by the 2nd Division and entered the firing line on two separate occasions - 5 to 7 and 12 to 15 August. During the former period the battalion endured what was said to be heaviest artillery barrage ever experienced by Australian troops and suffered 598 casualties. A diorama at the Australian War Memorial depicts the battalion's experience at Pozieres. Before it had recovered from the trials of Pozieres, the 48th was also required to defend ground captured during the battle of Mouquet Farm.

Frank was Promoted to Corporal on the 9th of March 1916, later he was Promoted to sergeant on the 28th of May 1916.

In June 916, Frank’s battalion sailed for France and the Western Front. From then until 1918, the battalion took part in bloody trench warfare. Its first major action in France was at Pozieres in the Somme Valley, where Private Martin O'Meara won the battalion's first Victoria Cross. The battalion spent much of 1917 in Belgium advancing to the Hindenburg Line. The battalion, along with most of the 4th Brigade, suffered heavy losses at Bullecourt in April, when the brigade attacked strong German positions without the promised tank support. In March and April 1918, the battalion helped to stop the German Spring offensive.

Frank Giles was Killed in Action, early in the battle of Pozieres on the Western Front on the 5 August 1916, at the age of 30 years. He was awarded 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Frank’s Memorial and grave is at Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France).

The main qualities of a true ANZAC are being positive and brave in tough times. Frank Giles showed just from earning his way up the ranks to a sergeant and not just fighting in one of Australia’s most well know battles Gallipoli, but surviving that battle and then giving his life for his and our country.

References
"Australian War Memorial". Awm.gov.au. N.p., 2017. Web.

"Details". Aif.adfa.edu.au. N.p., 2017. Web.

"What Happened Here? | 1St Australian Division Memorial, Pozières | Australians On the Western Front 1914-1918". Ww1westernfront.gov.au. N.p., 2017. Web. 22 Mar. 2017.

 Frank GILES". Rslvirtualwarmemorial.org.au. N.p., 2017. Web.

Giles, Frank. "First World War Embarkation Rolls: Frank Giles | Australian War Memorial".

 Awm.gov.au. N.p., 2017. Web. 

"Messrs. A. and H. Giles, Broken Hill trade unionists, have received word that their brother, Pte. Frank Giles, has been killed in action in France. Pte Giles spent a number of years at Broken Hill, and then went to Sydney, where be became the Secretary of the Federated Iron Workers' Union. He has left a widow and five children." - from the Adelaide Register 03 Jul 1917 (nla.gov.au)

From Gallipoli, 1915

L/Cpl. Frank Giles, 16th Battalion Australian Infantry, wrote from Egypt on 5th January 1916 to offer belated thanks for the Christmas gift that he had received while still at Lemnos.

"I am a bit late in thanking you for the billy I was lucky enough to receive, and you so kind and thoughtful to send. I congratulate you on the variety you managed to get into the billy, for everything was most acceptable, useful, and enjoyable. The bandage I am keeping in case of need. I have on one occasion required a bandage, but it was not a bad wound. [1] We had left the trenches and were in Lemnos three days before Christmas, and received our billies on Christmas eve. We all then became children again, and went around comparing the contents, just the same as we did when we were youngsters on Christmas Day. Fred Powell, who was known as “Wilkie” at Wallaroo, is one of our battalion, and wishes to be remembered to you. I hope you have had an enjoyable Christmas, and wish you a happy and prosperous New Year. Again thanking you, I am, yours sincerely.” [2]

Transferred to 48th Battalion Australian Infantry at Tel-el-Kebir on 3rd March 1916, he moved with his new unit to France. Promoted, Sgt. Frank Giles was killed in action on 5th August 1916.
Commemorated on the Villers Bretonneux Memorial, he was the 30 year-old son of William Edward and Honoria Giles, of 144 William Street, Norwood, South Australia.

[1] Giles was wounded, a bullet wound to his cheek, on 8th August 1915. Though not a “bad” wound, he recuperated for two months in Egypt before rejoining his unit.
[2] 'The Kadina and Wallaroo Times' (South Australia), 4th March 1916.