GILBERT, Francis Theodore
| Service Number: | 3304 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 April 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 52nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 17 March 1892 |
| Home Town: | Toowong, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Wicker worker |
| Died: | Killed in action, Dernancourt, France, 5 April 1918, aged 26 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Milton Christ Church Honour Board, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Apr 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3304, 42nd Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jun 1917: | Involvement Private, 3304, 42nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 14 Jun 1917: | Embarked Private, 3304, 42nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Sydney | |
| 5 Apr 1918: | Involvement Private, 3304, 52nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3304 awm_unit: 52nd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-04-05 |
Help us honour Francis Theodore Gilbert's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
‘Frank’ was the son of Thomas and Alice Matilda Gilbert and husband of Bridget Frances Gilbert, of Paddington, Queensland.
His older brother, 5587 Pte. Thomas William Gilbert 25th Battalion AIF was killed in action during the Battle of Broodseinde in Belgium on 4 October 1917, aged 28.
He enlisted in 1917 and only joined the 52nd Battalion less than a month before his death. He died during the big German attack at Dernancourt in which the 52nd Battalion and 47th Battalion bore the brunt of, desperately trying to defend a railway embankment.
It was reported that Frank was wounded by a German bullet in the leg when they enfiladed the Australian front trench near the Dernancourt rail embankment. As he was crawling back to the rear position, he was hit by German machine gun fire and died instantly. ‘He was tall, big made, fair haired and young.’
Frank was only 26 years old when he died and he had married Bridget in 1915. They had a daughter who was 18 months old when he passed. Bridget was awarded a pension of 2 pounds per fortnight and daughter Catherine 1 pound per fortnight. Bridget never remarried.
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