Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

GALLASH Frank Edward MB BS

1903 -1996

Frank Edward Gallasch/ Gallash was born on 27th January 1903, in Booyoolie, near Clare, SA. He was the son of John Alfred Gallasch and Johanna Caroline, nee Staude, of Clare, SA. Gallash was one of seven children, he had four sisters and two brothers. He was educated at Prince Alfred College and studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating MB BS in 1927.  After completing his medical degree, Gallasch moved to WA and set up a practice in Nedlands.  He married Betty Hayward, in Perth, on 6th July 1936. She was the daughter of Dr and Mrs Lancelot Alfred Hayward of Dalkeith; the family were initially from SA.

Gallasch, enlisted in Perth, WA, in 1940, and like many other Australians with a Germanic name changed his name to Gallash on enlistment. He was posted to the 2/7th FdAmb and embarked for the Middle East on 9th September 1940. He arrived in Kantara, Egypt, and left for Palestine on 12th October 1940.  His unit moved to Mersa Matru, Egypt, on 2nd January 1941 where it was attached to the CCS taking the first casualties from the action at Bardia. By 27th January they had moved into the Tobruk area. Gallash went with 2/7th FdAmb to Greece, arriving in Athens on 13th April 1941, which happened to be Good Friday. His unit was told, on 24th April 1941, that they were evacuating from Greece and they were sent to Crete. Gallasch with 150 personnel were taken as prisoner of war at Retimo, also known as Rethymno, Crete. Gallash was listed in the Daily News Perth, on 19th June 1941 as missing and believed to be a prisoner of war.  After a period of detention in Italy he was sent to Germany.  Here he was held at Oflag IV at Elsterhorst in Lower Silesia. Released in a prisoner exchange through Sweden, in September 1944, he returned to Australia via the United Kingdom. He was Mentioned in Despatches; - for distinguished services as a POW in Europe. He was discharged from the Army in February 1945.

Following the war, Gallash returned to his practice in WA, and was later appointed as an assistant surgeon at the Royal Perth Hospital. He was living on Stirling Highway, Nedlands WA, in 1949, when he gave evidence in court concerning negligence of a patient with broken ribs and a lung abscess.  A case of negligence was not found. Gallash and his wife were noted in the Perth social pages many times. Frank Edward Gallash died in Fremantle in 1996.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD