Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Francis was the son of William DUTHIE & Mary Anne MCHUGH and was born on the 30th of August 1883 in Hart Street, Glanville, SA.

His parents were married on the 16th of November 1882 in St Mary’s Catholic Church, Port Adelaide, SA.

His father was the son of Alexander DUTHIE & Margaret NORRIE and was born in 1851 in Arbroath, Angus, Scotland.
His mother was the daughter of Francis MCHUGH & Anne COOK and was born on the 3rd of January 1867 in Ballyconnell, Cavan, Ireland.

Francis was the eldest child born into this family of 8 children, the 3 youngest died before they were 12 months of age.

His father was a foreman stevedore employed by the South Australian Stevendore Company and the family lived at Hart Street, Glanville, before moving to Castle Street, Glanville, SA.

After completing his schooling Francis gained employment as a wharf labourer and in 1909 he joined the Royal Australian Navy for a 5 year service.

In February 1912 Frank saved a boy from drowning at Jervois Bridge after he had fallen in whilst crabbing.

At the age of 32, Francis enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 22nd of January 1915 in Oaklands and allotted the service number 2143 and posted to Base Depot Infantry in Mitcham Camp.

On the 1st of April Francis was posted to the 10th Battalion, 6th Reinforcements and embarked from Outer Harbour, Adelaide, on board HMAT Borda on the 23rd of June 1915.

He disembarked in Egypt for further training and then served on the Gallipoli Peninsula.
Francis then served in France and was continually AWOL and imprisoned He remained in France for the rest of the war, suffered from Influenza and was wounded.

He embarked from Devonport, England on board HT Delta on the 24th of January 1919 and when the ship docked at Port Said on the 3rd of February Francis went AWOL yet again and was apprehended drunk.

Francis embarked from Cairo on the 5th of March on board HS Port Sydney, disembarked in Adelaide on the 5th of April and was discharged from the AIF on the 5th of June 1919.

He gained employment as a lumper (wharf labourer) in Port Adelaide and became a member of the Port Adelaide Branch of the Waterside Workers Federation.

On Saturday, the 6th of January 1920, Francis accompanied William Brodie and William Parker from Port Adelaide to the Cavan Arms Hotel at Dry Creek.
There were a number of men near to the hotel playing "two-up" and after Francis had had a drink, he went outside, where he got into a brawl and suffered an injury above the left eyebrow.

His mates found him on the side of the road with a blackened eye and when they picked him up he said that the mob had got him and "He had his lamp filled up".
They returned home and 11 days later Francis’s father saw him and took him to the Adelaide Hospital on the 15th of January.
Dr. R. McMGlynn attended to Francis who had developed a cerebral abscess.
On opening the abscess the frontal bone of Francis’s head had been found to have been fractured.

Francis was never discharged from hospital and died there 9 months later, on the 9th of September 1920, from Meningitis.

An inquest into his death was held by the City Coroner at the Government Buildings in Flinders street.
The verdict was that Francis died from meningitis and a cerebral abscess, consequent upon the injury he received on the 6th of January, and the evidence did not show how or by whom the injury was inflicted.

His funeral was held 2 days later at 3pm and he was buried in the Cheltenham Cemetery; Section F, Drive A, Path 31, Site 302N.

His grave has been reused as of 22.02.2010.

Military

At the age of 32, Francis enlisted into the 1st AIF on the 22nd of January 1915 in Oaklands under the name Frank and was allotted the service number 2143 and posted to Base Depot Infantry in Mitcham Camp.
He listed his father, of Castle Street, Glanville, SA, as his next of kin.

On the 1st of April Francis was posted to the 10th Battalion, 6th Reinforcements.

Francis embarked from Outer Harbour, Adelaide, on board HMAT Borda on the 23rd of June 1915 and disembarked in Egypt for further training on the 25th of July.
Within a week Francis embarked for the Gallipoli Peninsula and arrived on the night of the 3rd of August and was taken on strength with the 10th Battalion the following day.
By the time Francis arrived, nearly half of the battalion had been evacuated sick with dysentery.

The following day he was admitted into the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station on ANZAC Cove Beach with teeth issues.
He was transferred to HMS Fleetsweeper and then transferred to HMHS Gloucestershire Castle and admitted to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Heliopolis 5 days later.

After being discharged from hospital and some further training, Francis embarked for Mudros West to rejoin his Battalion at Gallipoli on the 20th of November.
Whilst he was on board the transport, since the main objective had failed at Gallipoli, discussion was raised as to whether the force of 1000,000 men on Gallipoli were containing enough Turks to justify them remaining on the Peninsula.
It as decided that they were not and the blizzard in late November hastened the preparations for the Peninsula evacuation.

The 3rd Brigade did not wait until the general evacuation in December and at 2100 on the 16th of November the 9th and 11th Battalions were evacuated to Mudros.
Then the 10th Battalion was evacuated on the 21st of November, followed by the 12th Battalion on the 25th.

Hence, when Francis arrived at Mudros on the 25th of November, his Battalion was already there and he rejoined them, without having to ever see the Gallipoli Peninsula again.

They spent Christmas Day 1915 on Mudros before embarking the following day on board HMAT Seang Bee.
Three days later they disembarked in Alexandria and entrained to Tel-el-Kebir.
Towards the end of January after spending having spent the time in resting, reorganising and training, the 3rd Brigade, including the 10th Battalion, proceeded to the Suez Canal Defences at Habieta, where they spent the following 2 months in an outpost system digging trenches that filled in often as fast as they were dug.

It was here; on the 26th of February 1916 that the 50th Battalion was raised as part of the "doubling" of the AIF. Approximately half of its recruits were veterans from the 10th Battalion and the other half were fresh reinforcements from Australia. Reflecting the composition of the 10th, the 50th was predominantly composed of men from South Australia. The battalion became part of the 13th Brigade of the 4th Australian Division and was dubbed "Hurcombe's Hungry Half Hundred", after its first CO, Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe.

On the 2nd of April Francis was transferred to the 50th Battalion at Serapeum and after further training they embarked from Alexandria on board HMT Arcadian on the 5th of June and disembarked in Marseilles 7 days later.
On the 20th of June the Battalion entrained from Marseilles for the forward area, however, Francis was AWOL from the entrainment and was found drunk.
He was awarded 6 days Field Punishment No.2 and placed on the next train, under guard, to join his Battalion at Fleurbaix (Fromelles).

By the 1st of July they moved into the front line and after 10 days in the trenched they marched out to Bailleul where they entrained to Pernois.
On detraining at Pernois Francis went AWOL and was arrested drunk and insubordinate.
On the 27th of July a Court Martial was held and Francis was charged with disobeying a lawful command, insubordinate language and drunkenness.
He was sentenced to 9 months imprisonment with hard labour at No.1 Military Prison in Rouen.

On the 23rd of March 1917, after 8 months imprisonment, he was released on remittance of his sentence to rejoin his Battalion at Memetz.
Five days later they moved forward through Bapaume and took over the front line south of Noreuil.
On the 2nd of April at 5:15am they attacked the German outpost at Noreuil and Francis and his Battalion entered the village under heavy machine gun fire.
Only after the Battalion reserves were committed to the battle was the 50th able to secure positions.

It was during this Battle that Francis suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his right ankle and was admitted into the 9th Casualty Clearing Station at Aveluy.
On the 4th of April he was transferred by Ambulance Train to the 32nd Stationary Hospital in Wimereux.
The following day he was evacuated to England on board HS Cambria and admitted into the Royal Surrey County Hospital.
Francis remained here for 3 weeks and was then discharged to 3 weeks furlough before reporting to report to No.1 Command Depot in Perham Downs, on the 15th of May.

On the 13th of June he was charged with irregular conduct and warded 21 days Field Punishment No.2.
Francis proceeded to France on the 29th of June and rejoined his Battalion on the 7th of July near De Suele Camp, west of Ploegsteert Wood.
Here they trained until the 13th of August when they moved into support for 6 days before returning to near De Suele Camp.
Two days later they moved into billets near Steenwerck for further training until the end of the month.

On the 8th of August they moved to the Kemmel area where they were engaged in working parties for 7 days and then they moved to Kemmel Hill where they were engaged in salvage work.
On the 21st they moved to Aldershot Camp, near Neuve Eglise, and then onto Plougsteert Wood and took over the front line from the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

They were relieved on the 1st of September and embussed from Neuve Eglise to Le Brearde, near Castre.
Three days was spent here and they then embussed to Lugy for training.
Whilst here, on the 10th of September Francis went AWOL again and was apprehended 3 days later and awarded 2 days Field Punishment No.2.
On the 20th they embussed to Steenvoorde and 2 days later they embussed to 2 miles west of Ypres and then relieved the 52nd Battalion at Westhoek Ridge.
A few days later they were relieved and moved to the rear of Westhoek Ridge where they were engaged in road works until the 30th when they moved to Halifax Camp, near Dickebusch.

The following day they embussed to Steenvoorde east, where they refitted, before marching to Abeele and then entrained for Ypres on the 10th of October and moved into the front line at Broodseinde Ridge.
It was here on the 16th of October that Francis suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his right thigh and was admitted into the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance and then transferred to the 26th Casualty Clearing Station.
Two days later he was transferred to the 16th General Hospital in Le Treport where he spent the next 4 weeks before being discharged to No.3 Convalescent Depot in Le Treport on the 20th of November.

On the 13th of December he was discharged to the 4th ADBD (Australian Division Base Depot) in Le Havre and after spending Christmas 1917 here he rejoined his Battalion on the 29th of December at Moislains.
Five days later Francis went AWOL once again and was arrested and warded 4 days Field Punishment No.2.

Then on the 13th of January a Court Martial was held and Francis was charged with disobeying a lawful command and sentenced to 2 years imprisonment with hard labour at No.10 Military Prison in Le Havre.

On the 18th of August, after he had served 7 months of his sentence, Francis’s sentence was suspended and he was released to duty.
He rejoined his Battalion 3 days later at Rivery, who were in training and reorganisation.

They then embussed to Biaches on the 6th of September and 2 days later they marched to Catelet Wood, near Cartigny.
The following day they marched to Beaumetz and into the front line near Flechin for 6 days.
Their next moved was to Jeancourt where they were engaged in salvage work before moving to Tincourt and onto Ferrieres for further training.

It was here on the 24th of October that Francis was found drunk and disobeyed orders of battle and was awarded 28 days Field Punishment No.2.
At this point in time the weather was extremely cold and wet and on the 5th of November Francis became ill with Influenza and suffered Synovitis to his left knee.
He was admitted into the 4th Australian Field Ambulance and 2 days later he was transferred to the 41st Stationary Hospital in Amiens.

He was here when the Armistice was signed on the 11th of November 1918 and then 7 days later he was transferred to the 1st General Hospital in Etretat.
Francis remained here for 9 days before he was evacuated to England on board HS Aberdonian and admitted into the Exeter War Hospital.

He was discharged from hospital on the 18th of December and granted 2 weeks furlo, but then failed to report to No.4 Command Depot in Hurdcott and upon his arrest he was forfeited 2 days pay.
On the 4th of January 1919 he was transferred to No.1 Command Depot in Sutton Veny and 9 days later he went AWOL again and was awarded 14 days Field Punishment No 2.

Francis embarked from Devonport, England on board HT Delta on the 24th of January 1919 and when the ship docked at Port Said on the 3rd of February Francis went AWOL yet again and was apprehended drunk.

A Field General Court Martial was held on the 13th of February and Francis pleaded guilty to drunkenness and resisting his escort.
He was awarded 14 days forfeited pay in lieu of 14 days Field Punishment No.2.

Francis embarked from Cairo on the 5th of March on board HS Port Sydney and disembarked in Adelaide on the 5th of April.

He was discharged from the AIF on the 5th of June 1919 and awarded the 1914/15 Star, British War & Victory Medals.