Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland

Died on this date – 7th March.... Frank Ohlfsen Bayley was born in 1890 at Paddington, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. He joined the Australian Naval Force on 6th August, 1909.

Ordinary Signalman Frank Ohlfsen Bayley was on board H.M.S. Challenger on 6th August, 1910 & engaged to serve in H. M. Navy for a further period of 5 years from 1st December, 1910.

Signalman Frank Bailey was awarded the Coronation Medal, 1911 as part of the Australian Naval Contingent.

Frank Ohlfsen Bayley joined the Australian Royal Navy on 1st January, 1913 with an official number of 7364, with his engagement expiring on 30th November, 1915 to complete Australian Naval Force commitment.

Signalman Frank Ohlfsen Bayley was posted to London Depot on 1st January, 1913 then transferred to H.M.A.S. Melbourne as Leading Signalman on 18th January, 1913. He was transferred to London Depot from 2nd February, 1916 to 6th March, 1916.

Leading Signalman Frank Ohlfsen Bayley died on 7th March, 1916 in London from Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
Leading Signalman Frank Ohlfsen Bayley was buried in Woodlands Cemetery, Gillingham, Kent, England – Plot number – Naval. 24. 1261 and has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone.

Newspaper article – The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, NSW – 21 May, 1917:
MEMORIAL SERVICES
At last night’s service a St. Thomas’s Church, North Sydney, Rev. Horace Crotty unveiled a memorial to the late leading seaman, F. O. Bayley, of H.M.A.S. Melbourne. Deceased, who was the son of Mrs Bayley, of Ernest Street, North Sydney, was a splendid stamp of young man, and was a fine “tonic” to his comrades, with whom he was a great favourite. He had seen service in the North Sea and was invalided to London, suffering from nerve strain. He had been recommended for commission rank, but died on the eve of his promotion in a London hospital and while waiting for a ship to bring him back to Australia. Mr Crotty, in referring to the deceased, said that he was one of many lads who had made the name of Australia famous. The tablet was provided by the family of deceased.

(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/gillingham.html

"MRS. MINNIE BAYLEY has received an official message, stating that her eldest son, Olaf, who for two years was yeoman signaller on H.M.A.S. Melbourne, has died in London of cerebral meningitis. He was a grandson of the late Mr. C. H. Ohlfsen-Bagge, who for many years was engineer-in-chief of the Sydney Water and Sewerage Board. He was 23 years of age. Mrs. Bayley has also been informed that her second and only surviving son, Keith, has been wounded in France. Lieut. Keith Bayley left Sydney last December, he and his brother (who were educated at the Church of England Grammar School, North Sydney) both took part in the New Guinea campaign." - from the Sydney Mail 16 May 1917 (nla.gov.au)