CHOAT, Frank Clifford
| Service Number: | 1525 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | 9 October 1887, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Mount Barker, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: | Mount Barker Soldiers' Memorial Hospital Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1525, 9th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '9' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1525, 9th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Cornerstone College
Frank Clifford Choat was a brave soldier who fought in World War 1. He was a part of the ninth battalion of the third brigade who fought at Gallipoli in 1915 as the covering force for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).
Frank Clifford Choat was born on the 9th of October 1887 in Mount Barker South Australia to Fredrick Choat and Martha Ann Choat. Frank had three brothers and five sisters, his brother’s names were: Fredrick Herbert, James and Kenneth. His sister’s names were Ethel, Bertha, Mary, Olive and Rita. Two of the brothers, Fredrick Herbert Choat and James Henry Choat both went to war as well as Frank but only two of them came back to see their mother. James was killed during the August of 1916 whilst fighting with the 27th Battalion at Pozieres in France. Fredrick on the other hand returned to Australia in the April of 1916. It would have been hard for the mother of the three boys to be left alone for all those years thinking that they probably won’t come back to her. And if they did come back they wouldn’t be the same people that they were when they left.
When Frank left Brisbane in 1914 only months after the declaration of war in August, he sailed to Egypt on board the HMAT Seang Choon A49 where he would meet the 10th, 11th and 12th Battalions who would come together to make the 3rd Brigade. Together, the battalions were made up of people from South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania, all people willing to sacrifice themselves for their country. The brigade trained hard in Egypt for a few months before leaving to fight in the front line at Gallipoli for the ANZAC in the April of 1915. The brigade beached at Gallipoli around 4.30am on the 25th of April for a harsh fight in the front line. Fighting for months before being evacuated in December. This is when Frank went home to see his mother and brother again. I can only imagine how hard it would have been to leave my home, friends and my family to go and help my country. And then arriving on the shores of Gallipoli to be in the front line of one of the most treacherous wars of all time.
Frank's courage will go down in history as war is a very, very dangerous place. To leave your home to go and fight for what you think is right is something to be remembered for. Frank's family is a fitting example of the ANZAC spirit. It is something to be proud of when someone leaves to go to war, but is a whole different thing when all the men in your family go to war. To go to war is an incredibly brave thing and is not for the faint of heart. The Choat family did a very brave thing for their country and they are honoured every year on ANZAC day because of it.
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