Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Births Mar 1886 DANN Frank Dartford 2a 467

Baptised at St John's 1886.

A Company, 15th (Queensland and Tasmania) Battalion Australian Imperial Force.

He was 30 and the son of Henry Dann, land agent, auctioneer and surveyor, and Elizabeth Ann (nee Wyatt) of 36 Pelham Road, Gravesend, Kent.

He was educated at Doon House, Westgate, and at the King's School Canterbury from May 1900 to December 1901, where he was in Holme House.

After school he went into farming becoming sub-agent to the Hope estate at Dorking in Surrey. During this period, he spent a year in the London Rifle Brigade including one and a half months continuous service. In 1911 he went to join his brother in Queensland where he worked on a farm as a selector.

On the outbreak of war he enlisted as Private 1779 in the 2nd Australian Infantry Regiment and on  8th of August 1914 he embarked at Cairns for garrison duty on Thursday Island. On 16th of August he embarked at Thursday Island on board the SS “Kanowna” as part of the Australian Expeditionary Force sent to capture German New Guinea. In the event, the ship was forced to turn back and returned to Townsville on 16th of September after some of the ship's firemen, who had not agreed to enlist, mutinied. Also on  16th of September 1914 he volunteered for overseas service as Private 126 in the 15th Battalion Australian Imperial Force. He underwent a medical examination, on the same day, where it was recorded that he was 5 feet 10 inches tall, that he weighed 159lbs and that he had a fair complexion, brown eyes and light brown hair. Following a period of training in Victoria, he embarked with his battalion on 22nd of December 1914 on board HMAT “Ceramic” bound for Egypt as part of 4th Australian Infantry Brigade, ANZAC. After a brief stop in Albany in Western Australia they landed at Egypt in February 1915.
He embarked for Gallipoli on  12th of April 1915 where the battalion landed at ANZAC in the late afternoon of  25th of April 1915.

On 2nd/3rd of May, while behind the trenches at Quinn’s Post in support of an attack by the 2nd Light Horse, Frank was severely wounded in the left lung by a bullet. He was evacuated from Gallipoli on board the Hospital Ship “Gascon” from where he was transferred to No. 1 Stationary Hospital at Lemnos, and was admitted to No. 15 General Hospital, Alexandria on  7th of May 1915. On  15th of May 1915 he was evacuated back to the UK on the Hospital Ship “Navassa”. He was sent firstly to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield Park, Denham in Middlesex where he developed chest pains and found breathing difficult which had been brought on by empyema, a condition which had developed as a complication of his wound. He was admitted to the 2nd Western General Military Hospital at Whitworth Street in Manchester on  29th of May 1915 where he underwent an operation to relieve his empyema on the following day. The procedure was performed by Lieutenants Moritz and Crawshaw. After his operation he returned to Harefield where he was passed as fit for home service at a Medical Board which was convened on  2nd of September. He was discharged from hospital and was granted a period of furlough. On  22nd of September 1915 he was reclassified as fit for home service and was posted to the Australian Records Office in London.

In November 1915 he applied to be discharged from the army on the grounds of his fitness and requested that he be released from service and allowed to stay in England. This was denied on the ground that he was ineligible for such a discharge and was informed that he would be returned to Australia to serve there unless he could obtain employment on home service in England. On 22nd of February 1916, he was brought before a Medical Board where he was reclassified as fit for general service. On 28th of June 1916 he was posted to the Headquarters of the Australian Imperial Force at Perham Down, near Salisbury. Here he joined the 4th Training Battalion at Rollestone where he underwent further training.

On 16th of July 1916 he proceeded to France to re-join his battalion, arriving there on 18th of July where he marched in to join the 4th Australian Divisional Base Depot at Etaples. He left Etaples on 26th of July 1916 and re-joined his battalion in the field on 27th of July.

On 9th of August 1916 his battalion was involved in the Australian attack on Pozieres. Having survived the main fighting Frank Dann volunteered to act as a stretcher bearer to assist in recovering one of the many wounded in the area. He was bringing a wounded man in when they were both struck by a shell and killed.

Although he was buried, the original grave site was lost.

Enlistment date 17 September 1914
Place of enlistment Townsville, Queensland
Rank on enlistment Private

AWM Embarkation Roll number 23/32/1

Unit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board Transport A40 Ceramic on 22 December 1914.

Proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force, Gallipoli, 12 April 1915.

Proceeded overseas to France, 16 July 1916; marched in to 4th Australian Divisional Base Depot, Etaples, 18 July 1916.

He is commemorated on the Gravesend Memorial and on the Bexley Roll of Honour.

His brother, 127 2nd Lt Thomas DANN, 15th Bn, returned to Australia, 11 April 1916.

Another brother, 2nd Lieutenant Wilfred Dann 12th Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment, died of wounds on 30th of October 1917.