GALE, Francis Leopold
| Service Number: | 380 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 February 1916, An original member of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 40th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Elliott, Tasmania, Australia, 6 September 1897 |
| Home Town: | Elliott, Waratah/Wynyard, Tasmania |
| Schooling: | Elliott State School, Tasmania, Australia |
| Occupation: | Farm labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 30 August 1918, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
Ste. Marie Cemetery, Le Havre Division 62, Plot V, Row A, Grave 10. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 380, 40th Infantry Battalion, An original member of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 380, 40th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Hobart embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 380, 40th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Berrima, Hobart |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Francis ‘Frank’ Gale was the youngest of three brothers from Elliott, Tasmania who all enlisted on the same day in the 40th Battalion and were given consecutive regimental numbers. Frank was only 18 years of age.
Frank fought through all of 1917 and much of 1918 before he was mortally wounded on 28 August 1918 at Vaux Wood in France. Although moved a General Hospital at Le Havre he died two days from gas gangrene in a thigh wound.
His brother 381 Pte. Lynden Thomas Gale was severely wounded in the thigh which caused a fractured femur during January 1917. He was in hospital for six months before sent home to Australia.
The third brother, 382 Pte. Wilfred George Gale was awarded a Distinguished Conduct Medal in for conspicuous gallantry during the Battle of Messines.
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