Cole, Frank
3068 Private Frank Cole MM - 12th Battalion AIF
Frank Cole was born in Fremantle WA in 1892 to Lionel and Esther Cole. He was one of eleven children, with Mary (1884), Arthur (1886), Owen (1888), William (1894), Esther (1896), John (1899), Harry (1901), Alex (1905), Dorothy (1910) and Edna (1913).
The family lived at 545 Edmund Street in Fremantle (later renumbered to 73 Edmund) and Frank was educated at Fremantle Boys School.
After leaving school he took up work as a painter. On the 7th July 1915 Frank enlisted into the AIF.
He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;
Height - 5 feet 8 &1/4 inches tall;
Weight - 136lbs;
Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;
Complexion - Fair;
Eyes - Blue;
Hair - Dark Brown.
Upon his successful enlistment Frank was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was initially assigned to No.15 Depot Company. He only spent a week there learning the basic infantry training as on the 16th July 1915 he was then assigned to the 10th Reinforcements to the 12th Battalion.
He spent the next three months training with this group in WA. Their embarkation orders then arrived and on the 13th October 1915 Frank and his group travelled to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the troopship HMAT Themistocles.
After a three week journey the ship arrived in Egypt and the men were disembarked. They were sent into the AIF Reinforcement camp. The men would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli but the decision had been made to evacuate the Gallipoli peninsula, so Frank and his group were retained in Egypt.
Frank only joined the 12th Battalion on the 7th January 1916. He spent the next few months training with his new battalion.
On the 29th March 1916, Frank and the 12th Battalion left Alexandria Egypt bound for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 5th April 1916. The men were then put on to trains and sent north to the region around Armentieres. They would spend the next few months here becoming accustomed to front line conditions on the Western Front.
In July 1916 they left the Armentieres region and proceeded to the Somme where a battle had been raging since July 1st. On the 21st July the 1st Division to which the 12th Battalion belonged were tasked with the capture of Pozieres Village. The village was successfully captured though casualties were heavy. Frank came through this initial assault unscathed.
In August 1916 the 12th Battalion were involved in another action at Mouquet Farm, but again Frank came through safely.
The Battalion then moved to Belgium for about six weeks before returning to the Somme battlefield. The French winter was one of the coldest in living memory and as well as casualties from the German fire, many men were being evacuated sick.
On the 10th November 1916 Frank was evacuated to the 2nd Field Ambulance suffering from exhaustion and sore feet. He was then sent to the 38th Casualty Clearing Station where he was also diagnosed with debility. Frank was then sent to the 1st Australian General Hospital at Rouen.
He had three days there and was then shipped to England, where on arrival, he was sent to the 3rd London General Hospital. He was also now diagnosed as suffering from trench feet. Frank remained here until the 29th November and was then sent to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall.
On the 2nd December 1916 Frank was sent to No.4 Command Depot Camp at Wareham. In his records Frank was recorded as being absent from this camp from the 2nd January 1917 to 23rd March 1917. He had been declared an illegal absentee but there is no record of what his punishment was when he reported back.
From the 24th March to 9th May 1917 Frank remained at No.4 Command Depot Camp but was then sent to another camp at Perham Downs. Frank remained there until the 10th June 1917. He was then sent back to France and eventually rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 29th June 1917.
At this stage of the war, the 12th Battalion was on a three month rest period out of the line. On the 1st July 1917 Frank was promoted to Lance Corporal and on the 10th July was sent to the 3rd Brigade School for Non Commissioned Officers. This training course took a month, with Frank reporting back to the 12th Battalion on the 8th August 1917.
Their time out of the line was coming to an end in September the 12th Battalion moved to Belgium as they were to take part in the Third Battle of Ypres. Frank fought at the Battle of Menin Road on the 20th September 1917 as well as seeing action at Polygon Wood, Broodseinde Ridge, Zonnebeke and Celtic Wood.
It was at Celtic Wood on the 7th October 1917 that Frank was wounded, being hit with shrapnel in the abdomen. Fortunately the wound was not severe but he was still evacuated and was admitted to the 16th General Hospital at Le Treport. On the 20th October Frank was then transferred to No.3 Convalescent Depot Camp. He spent four days here and was then sent to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot at Le Havre.
While at the Base Depot on the 31st October 1917, Frank reported sick and was admitted to the 39th General Hospital in Le Havre. He was diagnosed with venereal disease and remained in hospital till the 23rd November 1917. He was then released back to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot Camp.
On the 30th November 1917 he then rejoined the 12th Battalion. Through December 1917 to March 1918 the 1st Australian Division were holding part of the front line between Ypres and Messines.
On the 19th December 1917, Frank was sent to hospital as he had a septic foot. He was at the 4th General Hospital at Le Havre. He had a few weeks here, and was then posted to a Convalescent Depot. He was returned to the 1st Australian Division Base Depot on the 11th January 1918. Frank would spent nearly two months at the Base Depot Camp as he only rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 8th March 1917.
A week after rejoining the 12th Battalion, Frank was involved in an action which would see him decorated with the Military Medal. The official recommendation reads;
'For excellent leadership and devotion to duty at Hollebeke on the night 13th/14th March 1918. When an enemy party of about 60 strong raided our lines, L/Cpl Cole was in command of a post and kept his men well in hand during a heavy preliminary artillery and trench mortar barrage. When the enemy advanced to the attack he made his men hold their fire util the enemy was crossing the wire. The sudden outburst of fire completely broke up the attack which had developed in greatest strength at this point.'
On the 21st March 1918 the Germans launched a massive assault which broke through the British front further south. The Australian Divisions began to be sent to the Somme. By early April 1918 the 1st Australian Division was the last remaining in Belgium but followed the other Australian Divisions south to the Amiens front.
However for Frank, on the 24th March 1918 he had been sent to the 3rd Brigade NCO's school for a period of instruction. While he was at the School, news came through of his award of the Military Medal. He rejoined the 12th Battalion on the 3rd April 1918 in time for their journey south.
The 1st Australian Division had just reached Amiens when news broke that the Germans had launched another attack which had broken through up north where they had just come from. The 1st Australian Division, including Frank's 12th Battalion were then returned north to help stop this German advance.
Along with British units, the 1st Australian Division managed to stop the Germans around Hazebrouck and Nieppe. From April to July 1918 the 1st Australian Division protected this front as well as fighting actions around Merris and Meteren. The 12th Battalion were involved in many of these attacks.
However during this time it appears Frank had reached breaking point as he absented himself from the Battalion from the 17th April to 2nd May 1918. He was court martialled and was given 2 years indentured hard labour as a punishment. However the sentence was suspended.
On the 29th May 1918 Frank again went absent, only returning on the 10th June 1918 when he was apprehended. Frank was ill when he was apprehended so he was sent to the 39th General Hospital. On the 5th July 1918 he was sent to a rest camp.
It appears that Frank remained at the rest camp until October 1918 when he was sent for duty to the 3rd Brigade NCO School. On the 6th October he was charged with his absent without leave that had occurred a few months previously in May/June 1918.
As Frank had already spent 117 days in a rest camp under supervision, he was only given a day of Field Punishment No.2 and had to forfeit 32 days pay.
It appears that Frank returned to the 12th Battalion, and was with them when the Armistice was declared.
On the 7th January 1919 he was given a furlough to England, returning to France on the 31st January 1919. He remained with his battalion until the 27th March 1919 when he was returned to England.
In May 1919 Frank went absent without leave for a day and was fined 6 days pay and was also given 5 days of Field Punishment No.2.
No doubt Frank was anxious to return home and be done with military life. On the 1st June 1919 he boarded the troopship Somali and set sail home for Western Australia, arriving at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919.
Frank was discharged from the AIF on the 30th August 1919.
In 1920 in Perth Frank married Isabel Reid and they moved to Cottesloe WA, living in Railway Street. In 1928 they moved to 22 Queen Victoria Street and in 1936 they were at 108 South Street South Fremantle.
Frank Cole died on the 14th May 1978 aged 85. He was cremated and placed in the family grave at Karrakatta Cemetery.