Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Biography provided by Harry Willey of the Australian and New Zealand in WWI group.

Lieutenant Francis Halliday
Fourth Australian Field Artillery Brigade.
15th Battery, Second Division. AIF.

Twenty Six year old Francis Halliday survived the war only to die from injuries he received when his horse slipped and fell on an icy road as he was returning to Tertry with fellow Artillery Officer, Lieutenant John Wareham Murray at 10 pm on 24 November, 1918. Admitted to hospital suffering a fracture to the base of his skull, he died at 5pm Thursday 28 November without regaining consciousness.
The second child and eldest son of Edward James Halliday and his wife Isabel Wild (Howell), Francis (Frank) Halliday was born at Cooma in 1892. Edward Halliday, the chairman of the local Lands Board, then moved to Forbes, Bourke, Tamworth and Goulburn.

Frank had served in the citizen forces for three years as required by the Defence Act of 1911, before he joined the Scone squadron of the 6th light horse, a militia regiment during his short stay in Scone working at the Bank of New South Wales. Rejected the first time he volunteered at Goulburn because his height was one inch (2 ½cm) short of the required minimum of 5 foot 6 inches (165cm), Frank re-applied 22 July, 1915 when the minimum height requirement was lowered to 5 foot 2 inches (155cm). He was 23 years and 2 months of age, weighed 8 stone 10 lb (55kg) and his religious denomination was Church of England.

Embarking in Sydney 18 November 1915, Frank disembarked at Suez on Christmas day and was admitted to hospital before returning to duty on New Years Day. On the 25 May 1916 he moved to France and was stationed at Marseilles for two months till the 2nd Division relieved the 1st at Pozieres. Despite heavy losses the 2nd had captured Pozieres Heights then manned the line on alternate weeks with the 1st Divisions until they left Pozieres Heights on 30 August.

The 2nd were given two months out of the line to reform and train with the fresh reinforcements that had joined them from England. As they returned to the Somme in November 1916, Frank was granted leave in England. He became ill on 8 January 1917 and following a week in a London Hospital, returned to France and rejoined his unit on 26 January.

Toward the end of February the Germans began their strategic withdrawal to the Hindenburg line. Straightening their line, they shortened the length of the front they had to man. On 17 March as the Australians entered Bapaume, Captain Percy Herbert Cherry of the 2nd Division was awarded a Victoria Cross. At Lagnicourt, on 18 April, the 2nd repelled a German counter attack before its artillery blew lanes through the German’s wire entanglement at Norevil Valley.

From 1 May at Vaulx-Vraucourt, Frank’s battery received their supplies by a light rail system which had been repaired. On the 3 May his battery attacked the Hindenburg line in the second Battle of Bullecourt. They held the ground they gained despite further bitter counter attacks by the Germans. On the 10th May both the 1st and 2nd Divisions were exhausted and the Australian 5th Division, now commanded by General Talbert Hobbs, relieved them.

During the two battles of Bullecourt the 4 Australian Divisions suffered 10,000 casualties, 3,000 in the first battle and 7,000 in the second. At the conclusion of the second battle the 2nd Division were again withdrawn from the line to rest and reform. Frank was made Bombardier on 25 May 1917.
Frank was involved in the successful attack at Menin Road during the Third Battle of the Ypres, (Passchendaele) in September. Following the defeat of the Germans in the battle of Broodseinde, where for the first time all the Australian Divisions fought side by side, the 1st and 2nd Divisions led a successful attack along Westhoek Ridge, advancing for over half a mile.

Frank attended a training course at the No 1 Officer Cadet School at St Johns Wood, England on 19 October 1917. Successfully completing the course he was sent to Officer’s Cadet School and graduating six months later he was promoted to Second Lieutenant. He returned to France from Southampton with the reinforcements for the Field Artillery on 18 May. On 1 June 1918 he was taken on strength with the 2nd Division Artillery and on 4th July he fought at Hamel. On this day for the first time the Australians had with them an American Division who acted as observers, on their Independence Day.

After much provocation by the Germans, America declared war on Germany on 2 April 1917 promising one million men to fight on the western front. The First American troops disembarked at Saint Nazaire Harbour, France in June 1917 to train in France.

American Engineers within months were attached to British divisions, laying railway tracks and building bridges, on 20 November 1917 at Cambria the Germans penetrated the British lines this forced the American engineers to take up arms and fight as infantry, in ten days they suffered 18 casualties.
American engineers were again forced to arm themselves with the unfamiliar British rifles at Amiens on 27 March 1918. It was 28 May 1918 before American infantry divisions entered the offensive.

Monash launched his attack on Hamel without the usual artillery bombardment, using instead tanks and planes to support the infantry. The 2nd Division by way of Corporal Walter Earnest Brown, a man who was to die at the fall of Singapore during the 2nd World War, gained another Victoria Cross that day.
On 8 August, a day described by the Chief of Staff of the German armies, General Erich von Ludendorff as a Black day for the German Army, Frank fought in the battle of Amiens. In three hours the Australians accomplished all their objectives with the bitter fighting continuing for the next three days as the allies advanced, with the Australians in the lead.

Frank attended a horse mastership school for two weeks before he joined the 12th Battery of 2nd Division on 20 September 1918 as a Lieutenant. The 2nd Division, which had been the first Australian Division to enter the fighting on the Western Front, became the last Australian Division to withdraw from hostilities after they had advanced up to and through the Hindenburg line.

The report of Francis Halliday’s death was badly handled. His mother was notified on 11 December that he was in Hospital but was given no information as to his injuries or condition. The next day she received a cable from Lieutenant Murray telling her Frank had died.

Frank Halliday was buried on 29 November by a Church of England Chaplain, in Plot 8, Row G, Grave 8. at Tincourt New British Cemetery, France.
His father, then a Licensed Surveyor with an office at 115 Pitt Street Sydney, received Frank’s service medals; the 1914/15 Star, the British War Medal and the Allied Victory Medal.

Francis Halliday’s name is on;

Memorial Panel 13.
Australian War Memorial. Canberra.

The First World War Memorial Arch.
St Luke’s Anglican Church, Scone.

The Memorial at the Scone War Memorial Swimming Pool.

The Roll of Honour. Scott Memorial Hospital, Scone.

The Honour Roll at the Scone RSL Club.