S13623
ELLIS, Francis James
| Service Number: | 2262 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 9th Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2262, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Bakara embarkation_ship_number: A41 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2262, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Bakara, Adelaide | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 2262 |
Help us honour Francis James Ellis's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Francis James Ellis was born on March 3, 1887, in Brisbane, Queensland. In January 1916, he was living in South Australia, Adelaide. He joined the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 28 years and 10 months on January 3, 1916. Private Ellis worked as a labourer, prior to the war. Ellis's next of kin was his father, Mr William Ernst
He first received military training in the Mitcham Camp located in Adelaide, where he was with the 2nd Depot Battery. After 5 months, training was over and on 28 April 1916, Private Ellis left Adelaide and boarded the HMAT A41 Bakara. He was stationed with the 16th Reinforcements to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, and they were heading to the Middle East.
Private Ellis reached the Middle East on 12 August 1916 and was transferred to the 8th Light Horse Regiment. He was a Light Horseman, which made him one of the few horse units. He spent his days managing his horse and the conditions of desert warfare. The responsibilities he had were long hours of patrols, scouting, and finding precious water holes in the desert.
During the Great Sinai-Palestine Campaign, Ellis fought tirelessly as an 8th Light Horseman. He began fighting immediately after the Battle of Romani, which was a big victory that prevented the Ottomans from moving forward. The next few months were the Battle of the Sinai Peninsula. This battle gradually came out to the 8th Light Horseman, winning and defeating the enemy. The 8th Light Horse Regiment was mixed up in a few fights, with the biggest being the Battle of Rafa in January 1917. This fight was long and big since the 8th Light Horse Men were in a constant stalemate with the Ottoman side. Eventually, the 8th Light Horsemen were victorious.
As Private Ellis moved into Palestine, the campaign took a drop. Throughout the second battle of Gaza in April 1917, Private Ellis was against a strong attack from troops from the Ottoman lines. The attack had heavy artillery and machine guns. The Light Horsemen who survived were deeply affected by the attack's failure and high death toll.
The service record of Private Ellis shows the emotional effects of this fight. His service record states that he had been absent without leave (AWL) for two days shortly after the Gaza battle. Private Ellis was transferred back to his old unit, the 9th Light Horse Regiment, on June 16, 1917.
Ellis was involved in the actions with the 9th Light Horse, which defeated the Ottoman line. The 9th Light Horsemen played an important role in the third battle of Gaza. One important battle was the strong Beersheba attack, in which it was important, and the Battle of Mughar Ridge, which was a strong one-sided attack. Private Ellis was not named in the war diaries, but the war unit diaries and documentation of these battles help display the persistence of the 9th Light Horseman.
The service record of Private Ellis shows the fact that he was quite lucky not to be seriously physically injured. But a different story of injury can be seen in his medical history. He was taken to the hospital several times due to illnesses that included asthma, which he probably made worse by the bad desert conditions.
On August 10, 1919, Private Ellis returned to Australia after more than three years of service. His military service came to an end on September 25, 1919, when he resigned from the Australian Imperial Force in Adelaide.
Bibliography
Terrace, V. (2025). View digital copy. [online] Naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3540532
Trove. (2025). OBITUARY NOTICES. - Mrs Kate Ida Ellis. - Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931) - 17 Dec 1927. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168275877?searchTerm=James%20Francis%20Ellis%20Adelaide
Awm.gov.au. (2025). AWM4 Subclass 10/14 - 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338845.
Awm.gov.au. (2025). AWM4 Subclass 10/13 - 8th Australian Light Horse Regiment. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338854
Vwma.org.au. (2025). Francis James ELLIS. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/74038
Adfa.edu.au. (2025). Details. [online] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=90878
Anon, (n.d.). The Battle of Romani, 4-5 August 1916 – The Long, Long Trail. [online] Available at: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/the-battle-of-romani-4-5-august-1916/.
An AI tool, Microsoft Copilot, helped in reading and interpreting handwritten unit diaries and service records.
Biography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Francis James Ellis was born on March 3, 1887, in Brisbane, Queensland. In January 1916, he was living in South Australia, Adelaide. He joined the Australian Imperial Force at the age of 28 years and 10 months on January 3, 1916. Private Ellis worked as a labourer, prior to the war. Ellis's next of kin was his father, Mr William Ernst
He first received military training in the Mitcham Camp located in Adelaide, where he was with the 2nd Depot Battery. After 5 months, training was over and on 28 April 1916, Private Ellis left Adelaide and boarded the HMAT A41 Bakara. He was stationed with the 16th Reinforcements to the 9th Light Horse Regiment, and they were heading to the Middle East.
Private Ellis reached the Middle East on 12 August 1916 and was transferred to the 8th Light Horse Regiment. He was a Light Horseman, which made him one of the few horse units. He spent his days managing his horse and the conditions of desert warfare. The responsibilities he had were long hours of patrols, scouting, and finding precious water holes in the desert.
During the Great Sinai-Palestine Campaign, Ellis fought tirelessly as an 8th Light Horseman. He began fighting immediately after the Battle of Romani, which was a big victory that prevented the Ottomans from moving forward. The next few months were the Battle of the Sinai Peninsula. This battle gradually came out to the 8th Light Horseman, winning and defeating the enemy. The 8th Light Horse Regiment was mixed up in a few fights, with the biggest being the Battle of Rafa in January 1917. This fight was long and big since the 8th Light Horse Men were in a constant stalemate with the Ottoman side. Eventually, the 8th Light Horsemen were victorious.
As Private Ellis moved into Palestine, the campaign took a drop. Throughout the second battle of Gaza in April 1917, Private Ellis was against a strong attack from troops from the Ottoman lines. The attack had heavy artillery and machine guns. The Light Horsemen who survived were deeply affected by the attack's failure and high death toll.
The service record of Private Ellis shows the emotional effects of this fight. His service record states that he had been absent without leave (AWL) for two days shortly after the Gaza battle. Private Ellis was transferred back to his old unit, the 9th Light Horse Regiment, on June 16, 1917.
Ellis was involved in the actions with the 9th Light Horse, which defeated the Ottoman line. The 9th Light Horsemen played an important role in the third battle of Gaza. One important battle was the strong Beersheba attack, in which it was important, and the Battle of Mughar Ridge, which was a strong one-sided attack. Private Ellis was not named in the war diaries, but the war unit diaries and documentation of these battles help display the persistence of the 9th Light Horseman.
The service record of Private Ellis shows the fact that he was quite lucky not to be seriously physically injured. But a different story of injury can be seen in his medical history. He was taken to the hospital several times due to illnesses that included asthma, which he probably made worse by the bad desert conditions.
On August 10, 1919, Private Ellis returned to Australia after more than three years of service. His military service came to an end on September 25, 1919, when he resigned from the Australian Imperial Force in Adelaide.
Bibliography
Terrace, V. (2025). View digital copy. [online] Naa.gov.au. Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3540532
Trove. (2025). OBITUARY NOTICES. - Mrs Kate Ida Ellis. - Observer (Adelaide, SA : 1905 - 1931) - 17 Dec 1927. [online] Available at: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/168275877?searchTerm=James%20Francis%20Ellis%20Adelaide
Awm.gov.au. (2025). AWM4 Subclass 10/14 - 9th Australian Light Horse Regiment. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338845.
Awm.gov.au. (2025). AWM4 Subclass 10/13 - 8th Australian Light Horse Regiment. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338854
Vwma.org.au. (2025). Francis James ELLIS. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/74038
Adfa.edu.au. (2025). Details. [online] Available at: https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=90878
Anon, (n.d.). The Battle of Romani, 4-5 August 1916 – The Long, Long Trail. [online] Available at: https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/the-battle-of-romani-4-5-august-1916/.
An AI tool, Microsoft Copilot, helped in reading and interpreting handwritten unit diaries and service records.