CORMACK, Francis James
| Service Number: | 1906 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 8 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 25th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Manor Park, Essex, England, July 1896 |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Latham Road Council School, East Ham, Essex, England |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Wounds, 61st Casualty Clearing Station in Vignacourt, Somme,, France, 11 June 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Vignacourt British Cemetery, Picardie |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 8 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1906, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 1906, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Kyarra embarkation_ship_number: A55 public_note: '' | |
| 16 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 1906, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Kyarra, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From François Berthout
Today, it is with gratitude in my heart that I want to pay a very respectful tribute to the Private number 1906 Francis James Cormack who fought in the 25th Australian infantry battalion and who died of his wounds 102 years ago,11 June 1918 at the age of 21.
Francis James Cormack was born in 1896 in Manor Park, Essex, England and he was the son of James and Emily Cormack and lived at 19 Woodsworth Avenue, Manor Park, Essex, England. Francis was educated at Latham Road Council School, East Ham, Essex, England. At the age of 16, Francis and his parents moved to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia and before the war he worked as a labourer.
Enlisted on June 8, 1915 at the age of 18 in the 25th Australian infantry battalion, 3rd Reinforcement, he embarked with his unit from Brisbane, Queensland on board HMAT A55 Kyarra on August 16, 1915 and sailed for Gallipoli where he was disembarked on October 12, 1915 and where he fought until January 9, 1916, date on which he embarked with his battallion for Egypt where he was disembarked then he embarked for France and was disembarked at Marseilles on March 19, 1916 to join the Somme front.
on November 22, 1916, Francis joined his battallion in the Somme but a few months later, on June 16, 1917, he was evacuated for England suffering from trench fever then on September 2, 1917 he was sent back to France to join his battallion in the Somme but 9 months later, Francis was wounded in action in Morlancourt, Somme, on June 10, 1916 and was evacuated to the 61st Casualty Clearing Station in Vignacourt, Somme, where he died of his wounds received in the abdomen on 11 June 1918 at the age of 21.
Today, Francis James Cormack rests in peace with his brothers in arms at the Vignacourt British Cemetery.
Thank you Francis, with all my heart, you who, with your friends, answered the call of duty, for your country, for Australia, you who were young and full of hope, the war called you and you joined the ranks of your Commonwealth brothers in arms, crossing the oceans, you fought bravely in Turkey in the murderous plains of Gallipoli but escaping this hell, you gave birth, through your acts, to bravery and pride of a whole country. thinking that hell was behind you, you fought bravely in the trenches and the horror of the battlefields of the Somme that were in front of you and that took, shattered so many lives in the mud, the Somme took your life way too early, you who were young at the age of 21, in the trenches you became a man and in your sacrifice, we will always remember you as a hero, we will keep in our hearts and in our thoughts your young face and your courage we will never forget what you did for us and the Somme will always be grateful for all that these young men like you, these brave men did for us.Today I stand in front of you with immense and deep respect but also with a lot of love and gratitude because you gave your today for our tomorrow, it is thanks to you that I live in a free world today, in this peaceful Somme that poppies bloom but never forgetting.At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him, we will remember them.🌺
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