Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

2934 Sapper Frank Roy Chapman, 1st Signal Troop attached 8th Light Horse Regiment. Born in 1895, the youngest of twelve children of Alexander Hamilton and Lydia Louisa (Moore) Chapman, of 23 Kelp Street, Warrnambool. He was a blacksmith, and had served for two years in the Senior Cadets before he enlisted on 8th May 1916, embarking on HMAT A1 Hymettus on 12th September 1916 with the 8th Light Horse Regiment (21st Reinforcements) with fellow local blacksmiths (2933 Pte James Patrick Curtis, of Warrnambool, and 2936 Pte Louis James Dureau, of Mailor’s Flat), disembarking at Suez on 17th October.

He transferred to the 8th Light Horse Signal Troop on 31st July 1917. Died of illness (malaria and bronchitis) at the 36th Stationary Hospital, Gaza on 28th October 1918, thirteen days before the

Armistice that ended the Great War. Buried Gaza Military Cemetery, Grave U.69, Rev. CS Neale officiated, the grave was re-allocated in the cemetery to Grave XXVII.F.3.

The Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven Advertiser (NSW) of Saturday 23 November 1918 recorded his death: “Driver FR Chapman. Word was received recently by Mr. AT Chapman, of the death of his youngest brother, Driver Frank Roy Chapman, 1st Light Horse Brigade, from malaria and bronchitis, on 28th October, at the 36th Stationary Hospital, Gaza. Driver Chapman enlisted in Warrnambool (his native town) in April 1916, having just attained his twentieth birthday. During hls period of service he has seen some very heavy fighting, having fought in the capture of Beersheba, Jericho, and other important engagements, and had only been three days off duty, caused by a bad throat. The late soldier had rather an exciting experience in July last, during an engagement on the 14th of that month, he and two others were told off to lay a telephone line to a position held by some more Light Horse. They set to work with a will and completed the job, only to find their own guys in the meantime had been driven out and the position was then held by the Germans, and in his own words to his brother he said, he could have shaken hands with at least a dozen Germans, but luckily they managed to get back to their comrades unscathed, to be congratulated by the whole Brigade on their achievement. The late soldier was 22 years and 8 months old at the time of his death. His many friends in Kiama and Jamberoo will sympathise with Mr. Chapman in his bereavement.”

His father Alexander Chapman had a twin brother Thomas, they were born in Bank Street, Port Fairy. Thomas’s son (Roy’s cousin) 5981 Private Clarence Victor Chapman (38th Battalion) was killed at Ploegsteert on 28th May 1917. 1259 CSM AG Newton (D Company) wrote to the Red Cross Information Bureau: "Chapman was in my D Company, there was a Battalion of about 200 men at Ploegsteert on the night of 28th May, divided into two parties, that on the left which included Chapman got hung up in front of the trench and was smashed by artillery and minenwerfer. It was divided into two parties of about ten men, and the party of which Chapman was, no one came back I believe. We found a lot of bodies next day, but some were blown all to pieces and unrecognisable. Those missing must be dead as none could be prisoners, for none got into the trench at all, and besides there were no Germans in the front trench for my party on the right got in and came right down it to where the left party should have been. It was the shell fire did it all." 2305 Pte HJ Dickinson added: "I saw Chapman lying on the German wire wounded during an early morning raid we made on the enemy at Messines. I could not say whether he was severely wounded or not. We retired, and it is very possible that he was made a prisoner. I was myself wounded during the attack. I managed to get back to our lines, and when about halfway there I met our stretcher-bearers coming out to seek the wounded. I told them about Chapman, but I doubt whether they ever got as far as the German wire, as it was then getting dawn and our chaps retiring." Clarence’s mother Sophia Elizabeth Glare was a niece of Captain John Mills. Clarence’s name is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, the Millgrove Roll of Honour, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), and the Yarragon War Memorial.

Courtesy of James Affleck