COOPER, Frank Robert
| Service Number: | 2548 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 25 September 1916, Enlisted at Newcastle, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 36th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Murrurundi, New South Wales, Australia, 12 December 1888 |
| Home Town: | Stockton, Newcastle, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Murrurundi Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Railway fuelman |
| Died: | Wounds - head and legs, 54th Casualty Clearing Station, Belgium, France, 6 June 1917, aged 28 years |
| Cemetery: |
Estaires Communal Cemetery and Extension, France Plot 1V, Row E, Grave 4 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Haymarket NSW Government Railway and Tramway Honour Board, Murrurundi Bowls Club Cenotaph and Memorial Gates, St Paul's Church Stockton HR, Stockton Soldiers Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 25 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2548, 36th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Newcastle, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 2548, 36th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Benalla embarkation_ship_number: A24 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 2548, 36th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Benalla, Sydney | |
| 5 Jun 1917: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 2548, 36th Infantry Battalion, Wounds to the head and legs |
Great Sydney Central Station Honour Board
Frank Robert COOPER, (Service Number 2548) was born on 12 December 1888 near Murrurundi. He first worked for the NSW Railways as a fuelman at Murrurundi Locomotive Depot in March 1914, and by June had transferred to Hamilton. In September 1916 he joined the Expeditionary Forces,
On 4 June 1917 Frank received severe wounds to both thighs from an exploding shell, fracturing both femurs. He survived long enough to be carried to the 54th Casualty Clearing Station, but the Officer Commanding that place later reported: “He was too bad to stand an operation and I regret to say he died of his injuries on the 6th June.”
Submitted 6 June 2023 by John Oakes
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of William Cooper and Helen Cooper of Murrurundi, NSW
Husband of Alice Alma Doone formerly Cooper nee Hogg of Rawson Street, Kurri Kurri, NSW formerly of Little William Street, Stockton, NSW. Frank and Alice married during 1912c in Murrurundi, NSW. Father of Clifford Cooper
Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by John Oakes
Frank Robert COOPER, (Service Number 2548) was born on 12th December 1888 near Murrurundi. He first worked for the NSW Railways as a fuelman at Murrurundi Locomotive Depot from March 1914. By June he had transferred to Hamilton. In September 1916 he joined the Expeditionary Forces,
At the time of his enlistment Frank gave his wife, Alice Elma, as his next-of-kin.
He left Australia from Sydney aboard HMAT ‘Benalla’ on 9th November 1916. He reached Devonport, England, on 9th January 1917. After three months’ further training he went to France on Anzac Day 1917. He joined the 36th Battalion on 1st May.
On 4th June he received severe wounds to both thighs from an exploding shell. Both femurs were fractured. He survived long enough to be carried to the 54th Casualty Clearing Station. However, the Officer Commanding that place later reported: “He was too bad to stand an operation and I regret to say he died of his injuries on the 6th June.”
He is buried in the Estaires Communal Cemetery, France.
Cooper left his widow and a child named Clifford. Alice remarried as later correspondence in Cooper’s file shows her surname as Donne.