Frank Oliver LOADER

LOADER, Frank Oliver

Service Number: 2064
Enlisted: 10 September 1915, Adelaide South Australia
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 32nd Infantry Battalion
Born: Payneham, South Australia, 25 March 1885
Home Town: Broken Hill, Broken Hill Municipality, New South Wales
Schooling: East Adelaide Primary School, South Australia
Occupation: Bookmakers clerk
Died: Killed in Action, France, 20 July 1916, aged 31 years
Cemetery: Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery
Plot 1 Row c grave number 9
Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Broken Hill Barrier District Roll of Honour, Broken Hill War Memorial, Payneham Roll of Honour, St Peters Heroes of the Great War Honour Roll
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World War 1 Service

10 Sep 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Adelaide South Australia
21 Sep 1915: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2064, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1
7 Feb 1916: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2064, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Miltiades embarkation_ship_number: A28 public_note: ''
19 Jul 1916: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 32nd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix)

The Brothers

Frank was the eldest Loader boy who signed up and went to war. Along with him went younger brother by 2 years Percival Harold who was KIA aged 29. He receive a gunshot wound to the chest and died from his injuries approximately 4 weeks after Frank took part in the battle of Fromelles. Given the communications, or lack there of, it was unlikely that Percy knew of his brother was MIA. I believe his parents had received mail from Percy asking if he knew how his brothers were fairing. Again communications were very slow. The youngest of the brothers was Clifford Roy, approximately 8 years younger than Percy, the only one of the three to participate in the battle at Gallipoli before being sent to France, and the only one to serve the Great War. While on leave in Scotland he met and eventually married a woman at the Glasgow Registry Office. He was charged with bigamy, as there was already a Mrs Clifford waiting for him in Adelaide. He served 2 months in prison and ended up losing his rank. Once discharged from the army, he and his new wife return to Adelaide. He was buried next to her on his passing in 1972.

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Biography

Frank Oliver Loader was a private who  was a part of the 32nd battalion. He was the son of Timothy Jacob and Hannah Loader. Frank was born in Payneham; South Australia on 25th March 1885. He attended East Adelaide School and moved to Broken Hill later in his life. Once Frank moved to Broken Hill he decided to become a bookmakers clerk. He would work for a bookmaker and take down notes and basically manage the business and keep it running. Frank Oliver Loader was at the age of 30 when he joined the First World War. He was a very brave man that took part in Australia’s worst war disaster to ever occur the infamous battle of Fromelles. As Frank was in the 32nd Battalion they were involved in the 1st major battle with the Australian military on the Western Front at Fromelles on July 19th 1916.

Frank’s war journey was very busy as he first departed from his hometown of Adelaide and stepped onto the troop ship Miltiades on the 7th of February 1916. After over a month on the Miltiades frank landed at the Suez Canal, Egypt on the 11th of March 1916. By the 17th of June Frank and the 32nd battalion had finished in Suez and then left on the transport ship Transylvania to end up in a city called Marseilles, France 6 days later on the 23rd of June 1916. Frank would later end up on a train through France that would end up in a place called Fromelles.

The 32nd Battalion was given the job to fight at Fromelles. In most cases the soldiers would have died due to the wrong maps and the dead flat terrain. This terrain was difficult to battle on as there was no hills or rocks to barricade behind when in battle. Sadly Frank along will thousands of other brave men died during the infamous battle (A lot of the time bodies were not found because it was dangerous to collect them due to gun fire that was controlled by the Germans).

Frank was first reported missing. In 1917 there was an ID disc that was found and returned by the German Authorities that they had found on the battlegrounds of Fromelles. This report stood for 90 years and his name was placed on VC corner memorial at Fromelles until in 2009 over 200 bodies were exhumed. DNA tests took place and Frank Oliver was one of the 64 soldiers to be identified. Frank Oliver Loader is now in Plot 1, row c, and grave number 9 in Pheasant Wood cemetery. The family of frank would have nothing but a few letters, registration papers and the ID disc that represent his final days in this world. Frank Oliver Loader was a very brave man and will be remembered for years to come.

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