Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK

Died on this date - 26th May...... Private Cecil Charles Andrew Franz was born in Brisbane, Queensland in 1893. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 3rd November, 1916 as a 22 year old Farmer from Upper Caboolture, Queensland.

[Arthur Edward Franz, older brother of Cecil Charles Andrew Franz, enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 1st February, 1916. According to family stories - his father asked Cecil not to enlist & to stay & help on the farm. Apparently Cecil was later sent a white feather (a symbol of cowardice) & he immediately enlisted. ]
Private Cecil Franz arrived in England for further training before being sent to the War Front on 11th April, 1917 & was posted to 11th Training Battalion at Durrington, Wiltshire.

Private Franz arrived in France in July, 1917 & joined 42nd Battalion on 11th August, 1917.

Private Franz was wounded in action on 21st April, 1918. He was invalided to England & admitted to King George Hospital, London, England on 3rd May, 1918 with G.S.W to both legs * back – severe. The Hospital Admissions form recorded that he was admitted with G.S.W. to Spine, paraplegia & G.S.W to both legs.

Private Cecil Charles Andrew Franz died at 8 am on 26th May, 1918 at King George Hospital, London, England from wounds received in action – G.S.W. to Spine. He was buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery, Surrey, England where 350 other WW1 Australian Soldiers are buried.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
NOTE: Brookwood Military Cemetery has the largest number of WW1 Australian Soldiers in the UK. At this stage I have only researched 2 of these soldiers. I will get to them eventually. If anyone has any requests for this cemetery - I can research them straight away.
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/f---g.html

Cecil Charles Andrew Franz was the son of William Frederick Franz and Margaret Jane Bleakley who resided in Caboolture, Queensland, in 1913. Cecil was single and farming in Upper Caboolture when he enlisted in November 1916. He suffered gunshot wounds to his back in Bonnay, France, which caused paralysis and was transferred to King George Hospital in London where he died of wounds. His father died in December just after Cecil had enlisted. An older brother, Arthur Edward [57], enlisted earlier in the year.

Cecil was the youngest of the boys. He promised his dying father he would not enlist and would stay home to run the family diary farm. After his father's death, Cecil was bullied into enlisting - he received white feathers. Sadly, he was killed and is buried in Brookwood Military Cemetery. He was only 22.

His father was in the party of the very first free settlers (missionaries) in Queensland in 1838 - 4 years before the area was opened up to free settlement and 21 years before Queensland was named Queensland. At the time of their arrival, Moreton Bay was the northernmost settlement of NSW and was a convict colony. By 1842, the last of the convicts had been removed and the area opened up to settlers.