S4029
ROACH, Frank John
| Service Number: | 7288 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 24 January 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kilkenny, 13 April 1894 |
| Home Town: | Maylands (SA), Norwood Payneham St Peters, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Reader's assistant |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 24 Jan 1917: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 7288, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Borda, Adelaide | |
| 23 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 7288, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Borda embarkation_ship_number: A30 public_note: '' |
World War 2 Service
| 12 Apr 1942: | Enlisted Adelaide, SA |
|---|
Help us honour Frank John Roach's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Frank John Roach was a single, 22-year-old readers assistant when he enlisted in the AIF on the 24th of January 1917, ranked as a private. Roach was born on the 13th of April 1894 in Kilkenny, South Australia. He lived with his father, Edward Arthur Roach who was his next of kin. Roach’s service number was 7288, he weighed 100 lbs. and stood at a height of 5 foot 4 inches. In the description of Roaches enlistment, he was described as having blue eyes, brown hair, and the religious denomination of the church of England.He embarked with the AIF on the 23rd of June 1917 as a part of the 10th Australian Infantry Battalion. He travelled by boat for 2 months to Plymouth, England, and disembarked Plymouth on the 25th of August 1917.
Roach would proceeded overseas to France on January 8th, 1918, from Plymouth to join the 10th Australian Infantry Battalion.
On the 9th of February 1918, Roach was hospitalised in France with an unknown illness and 12 days later he rejoined the Battalion from the hospital. This is the only recorded time that Roach was in the hospital during WWI.
In Hollebeke, Belgium, Roach was awarded a military medal for bravery in the field in March 1918. Described by the major-general in the medal description, “Through the whole operation he displayed great courage and initiative and yet a splendid example to the other men of the platoon… Under heavy artillery and machine gun fire, he crept out in front of our posts, located our own and enemy wounded and assisted to bring them in.”
During this time from the 1st of March to the 31st of May 1918, the German Spring Offensive battle was taking place in Belgium. This war took place in the exact time and place that Roach received his military medal. From this information it can be inferred that Roach fought with the 10th Infantry Battalion in this battle.
Roach returned home to Australia on the 17th of March 1919. Little is known about Roach’s life after the war, although we do know that he served as apart of the AIF in World War II. On his WWII enlistment forms it is shown that he was married to Kathleen Roach.
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