S4708
SHORT, Frank Piers
| Service Number: | 30714 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 5 April 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Division Artillery |
| Born: | Bickham Grange, Paradise, South Australia, 11 October 1886 |
| Home Town: | Paradise, Campbelltown, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St Peters College, Adelaide |
| Occupation: | Orchardist |
| Died: | Illness, Adelaide, South Australia, 3 September 1966, aged 79 years |
| Cemetery: |
St George's Church of England Cemetery, Magill, S.A. |
| Memorials: | Campbelltown WW1 Memorial, Hackney St Peter's College Honour Board, Hope Valley & Highbury Heroes of the Great War Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 5 Apr 1916: | Enlisted | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Driver, 30714, 23rd Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Driver, 30714, 23rd Field Artillery (Howitzer) Brigade, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Driver, 30714 | |
| 30 Nov 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 3rd Division Artillery |
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Add my storyBiography
Frank Piers Short was born on October 11th, 1886 in his hometown of Bickham Grange in Paradise, South Australia. He was with the Church of England and attended St Peter’s College in Adelaide. He had fair hair and blue eyes, weighed 150 lbs and was 5 feet 8 ½ inches. He never married and had a mother named Ethel Catherine Short. His previous occupation was an orchardist.
Frank enlisted into the army on the 5th of April 1916. He was 29 years and 3 months old at the time and was assigned to the 23rd Howitzer Brigade with the rank of driver, which is the equivalent of private. He was assigned with the service number of 30714. Although Frank Piers Short’s role within the army was not widely recognised, he worked more in a support role within the inner confines of the military.
The role of a driver was to transport the artillery and ammunition to the guns with the aid of horses. 3 drivers would be assigned to 6 horses drawing a cannon. A driver would also take care of the horses which were key to the effectiveness of the battery. A driver was commonly at risk as they were tasked with transporting large amounts of explosive ordnance which made them key targets of the enemy.
The 23rd Howitzer Brigade was a cannon battery part of the 3rd Divisional Ammunition Column of the Australian Imperial Force and the division embarked aboard HMAT A20 Hororata on the 23rd of November, 1916 at Port Melbourne, Victoria.
The 3rd Australian Division fought throughout the European front but did not participate in the Gallipoli Campaign as the division had only formed in 1916. The 3rd Australian Division participated within battles in 1917 such as the Battle of Messines and The Third Battle of Ypres. The Division saw more action within the last year of the war. By this time, the 23rd Howitzer Brigade had merged with other units. Throughout 1918, the 3rd Australian Division fought in the First Battles of the Somme, the Battle of Amiens, the Second Battles of the Somme and the Battles of Hindenburg Line.
The Battle of Amiens was the beginning of the end of WW1 and was the opening phase of what was called the ‘Hundred days Offensive’. This offensive went down in history as one of the greatest advances of the war and involved armoured warfare, which included Frank Piers Short’s artillery division.
A few months after conscripting into the army, Frank suffered muscular strains and was taken to hospital for 2 days from May 26th to 27th. On the 24th of April in 1918, towards the end of the war, Frank was gassed but managed to carry on after a few days. After recovering, Frank continued to fight throughout the rest of the war until it concluded on November 11th 1918 where he returned home to Australia. Frank was finally discharged after 3 years of active surface within the Australian Imperial Force. He was discharged on November 11th, 1919, one full year after the war had ended. It is unknown what year Frank died.
Biography contributed
Frank Piers SHORT was born in Paradise, South Australia on 11th October, 1886
His parents were Henry Augustus SHORT & Ethel Catherine Egerton WARBURTON
He married in Norwood, SA on 21st January, 1925 to Constance Margaret Lang THOMPSON (Greta)
Frank died in Adelaide on 3rd September, 1966 & is buried in St Georges Church of England Cemetery in Magill, South Australia
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