SLATTERY, Francis Xavier
| Service Number: | 39323 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 October 1917, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Field Artillery Brigade |
| Born: | Fortitude Valley, Brisbane - Queensland, 9 August 1896 |
| Home Town: | Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Clerk |
| Died: | Natural causes, Brisbane, Queensland, 30 November 1977, aged 81 years |
| Cemetery: |
Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery & Crematorium, Brisbane Grave Location: 8-652, Portion 8/Grave 652. |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 39323, Brisbane, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 30 Apr 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Gunner, 39323, Field Artillery Brigades, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Port Darwin embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
| 30 Apr 1918: | Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, 39323, Field Artillery Brigades, SS Port Darwin, Sydney | |
| 2 Oct 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 39323, 3rd Field Artillery Brigade |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Charles Campbell College
Francis Xavier Slattery was born to Mary Slattery and Thomas Slattery, on the 9th of August 1896. He was born near Brisbane Queensland, in Fortitude Valley. He was a Roman Catholic.
Before Francis Xavier enlisted to go to war, he worked as a clerk. It is unknown where he worked, how long he worked there for and if he went back to being a clerk when he returned from the war. He was single at the time of enlistment. Francis Xavier was British born and had previously served in the military. He had spent about six years in the army, three with the Senior Cadets Area 7B. Bris., three years in Citizen Force-Field Artillery Brisbane and was part of the 1st Australian Field Artillery Brigade for an unknown time.
He was 21 years and 2 months old when he enlisted on the 20th October 1917. Francis Xavier’s service number was 39323. His mother, Mary Slattery was listed as his next of kin. It is unknown if he had a personal reason for wanting to join the war and not just wanting to fight for his country, but there is a possibility that one of the reasons he joined was because of his brother who had previously served and was killed in the war. He departed from Sydney, New South Wales on the 30th April 1918 on board the SS Port Darwin.
Not a lot is known about Francis Xavier’s life during the war. His first rank in the war was that of a gunner but by the end of the war he had moved up the ranks to become a driver. Francis Xavier was part of the Field Artillery Brigades and by the time he became a driver he was is the 3rd Field Artillery Brigade. It is unknown whether he got sick or badly wounded during the war as his service papers have no written reports of him having been badly wounded or ill.
Francis Xavier survived the war and was discharged on the 2nd October 1919. He returned to Australia shortly after. It is unknown if he went back to working as a clerk or if he began a different job when he returned home, and if he did eventually marry and have children. He did later die of natural causes at the age of 81 in Brisbane Queensland on the 30th November 1977.
Francis Xavier was buried at Pinnaroo Lawn Cemetery & Crematorium. His grave location is 8-652, Portion 8/Grave 652.
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