MCGUIRE, Francis Patrick
| Service Number: | 4226 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Redfern, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 12 April 1917, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Bapaume Australian Cemetery Bapaume Australian Cemetery, Bapaume, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 4226, 4th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 4226, 4th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney | |
| 12 Apr 1917: | Involvement Private, 4226, 2nd Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 4226 awm_unit: 2 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-04-12 |
Pvt Francis Patrick McGuire-4226 2nd Bn.
Francis (Frank) was born in Sydney on July 6th 1893. He was the youngest child of Isabella Jane McGuire nee Rivers and James McGuire. His older brother James William died age one and a half from Pneumonia in February 1892. Frank was then an only child of Isabella and James. Isabella was my great aunt and Frank my Father's cousin.
According to the Honour Roll of the Australian War Memorial, Francis was killed at Bullecourt on 12th April 1917. He was 24 years old, he was a
former student of Marist Brothers, Sydney and he was a violinist.
On the 26th of April 1917 his mother Isabella wrote a poignant to the Officer in charge of Base records, Sydney? enquiring after her only child and asking if he was still alive. She had noticed in the evening news that there was a returned registered letter in his name at Victoria Barracks.
Base Records received her letter on April 30th 1917 and someone has written "Dead" upon her letter.
Isabella and James never recovered from the death of their only child. He is remembered with honour in the Bapaume Australian Cemetery. To the best of my knowledge no one from the family has ever visited him there.
"Lest We Forget"
Submitted 8 April 2022 by Julie Laughlan