GILES, Francis John William
| Service Number: | 3601 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 February 1916, Enlisted at Royal Agricultura Society Showgrounds, Sydney |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | No 4th Tunnelling Company - Headquarters No 1 |
| Born: | Jerrawa, New South Wales, Australia, 6 January 1880 |
| Home Town: | Fairfield, Fairfield, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Boilermaker's Assistant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Belgium, 10 June 1917, aged 37 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Menin Gate Memorial (Commonwealth Memorial to the Missing of the Ypres Salient) |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 3601, 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company), Enlisted at Royal Agricultura Society Showgrounds, Sydney | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 May 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3601, 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 22 May 1916: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3601, No 4th Tunnelling Company - Headquarters No 1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 22 May 1916: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 3601, No 4th Tunnelling Company - Headquarters No 1, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 22 May 1916: | Embarked Lance Corporal, 3601, 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company), HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 10 Jun 1917: | Involvement Lance Corporal, 3601, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3601 awm_unit: 1st Australian Tunnelling Company awm_rank: Lance Corporal awm_died_date: 1917-06-10 |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Francis John William GILES, (Service Number 3601) was born on 6 January 1880 at Jerrawa, near Yass. He began working for the NSWGR as a boilermakers’ helper at Eveleigh on 12 November 1912 and was still in this role when he joined the Expeditionary Forces at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds on 19 February 1916.
He was killed in action in Belgium on 10 June 1917. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
Submitted 20 July 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Francis John William GILES (Service Number 3601) was born on 6th January 1880 at Jerrawa, near Yass. He began working for the NSW Government Railways as a boilermakers’ helper at Eveleigh on 12th November 1912 and was still in this role when he joined the Expeditionary Forces at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds on 19th February 1916. He was married to Ellena Mary.
He was allotted to the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company and left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Warilda’, on 22nd May 1916. He reached Plymouth (England) on 18th July. Something strange had occurred on the journey. Giles had been court-martialled, lost his rank of Lance Corporal and was given three days Field Punishment No. 2. However, the note in his file goes on to record ‘consequences of trial ordered to be expunged from all records’, citing a date two months later. The issue seems to have been that the court was improperly constituted. The offence was Absent Without Leave between 2 pm and 3.45 pm on 17th June. This must have been in a port and delayed the ship’s sailing to have incurred such a severe penalty as initially 84 hours detention, later changed to FP No. 2.
He went to France in August 1916 and joined his unit in late September.
He was killed in action on 10th June 1917. He has no known grave and is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, Belgium.
Francis and Ellena had four children: Francis John, Ada May, Adelena, and Guy.
- based on notes for the Great Sydney Central Honour Board