GROUTSCH, Francis James
| Service Number: | 243 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 10 February 1915, An original member of A Company 19th Bn. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goornong, Victoria, Australia, 1892 |
| Home Town: | Tocumwal, Berrigan, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Drowning, Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia, 27 July 1926 |
| Cemetery: |
Tocumwal General Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Tocumwal Memorial Hall Honour Rolls |
World War 1 Service
| 10 Feb 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 243, 19th Infantry Battalion, An original member of A Company 19th Bn. | |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Jun 1915: | Involvement Private, 243, 19th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 25 Jun 1915: | Embarked Private, 243, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 20 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 55th Infantry Battalion | |
| 15 May 1917: | Honoured Military Medal |
Help us honour Francis James Groutsch's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Francis James Groutsch was the son of James Groutsch of Tocumwal, New South Wales. His mother had died when he was only six years of age. James was working on his father’s farm when he enlisted in the 19th Battalion during early 1915.
His younger brother, 2383 Private Victor George Groutsch 13th Battalion AIF, also enlisted in 1915.
Francis joined the 19th Battalion on Gallipoli during August 1915. He was slightly wounded on 1 December 1915 and evacuated to Egypt (shrapnel wound to buttock). He transferred to the 55th Battalion in Egypt before they left for France.
He was shot in the foot on 15 May 1917, and evacuated to England. During this action he was later awarded a Military Medal, “At Noreuil on night of 14th/15th May 1917 Private GROUTSCH showed great bravery and devotion to duty during the time the enemy bombarded our positions with gas shells. At one time, when the bombardment was very heavy and the trench was full of gas, this man worked with the utmost energy as a stretcher-bearer in order to dig out two men who were buried. Later he dashed into a gas cloud in the trench to rescue a comrade who had been gassed. His efforts in aiding the wounded were splendid, and the example he set did much towards keeping up the spirit of the men.”
Due to the gunshot wound to his left foot, Francis James Groutsch was returned to Australia 10 September 1917, and discharged medically unfit.
Francis was reported missing at Tocumwal in July 1926, he was reported as a returned shell-shocked soldier, who disappeared from his father's farm. As the house was surrounded by flooded lagoons, it was suspected that while in a shell-shock fit he collapsed and fell into the water and was drowned. His body was found in the water several days later.
His headstone in the Tocumwal Cemetery reads, SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF PRIVATE FRANK GROUTSCH M.M. Wounded at Gallipoli, on recovering he joined up with 55 Btn and went to France, returned home and died as a result of shell shock and other complications, 27th July 1926, aged 34 years.
WELL DONE THOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT, ENTER THOU INTO THE JOY OF THY LORD.
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