FRASER, Frank

Born in Carlton Victoria in September, 1897, Frank Fraser was the son of Margaret, nee Walls, and Falconer Fraser, whom he cited as his next of kin, living at 42 Agnes St., Jolimont. He was the middle child, with his eldest sister, Eva Emmeline, born 1899 and his younger sister, Olive Margot, born in 1894. Frank Fraser was a jockey by trade, single and lived nearby at 17 Grey St. East Melbourne. He enlisted first on 19 June, 1916, but lost his attestation papers, and had to re-enlist, going from number 4639 to 4031.  on his enlistment form, he gives his age as nineteen and nine months; in fact he was a year younger, eighteen years old. 

He trained with the Reserve Company at Broadmeadows in December, 1915, and was then attached to the 9th Reinforcements of the 24th Battalion. They embarked from Australia on 8 February, 1916, on board HMAT Warilda. On the day befre they left, Frank Fraser had a bit of a spree and was charged with being 'drunk and disorderly', and sentenced to 25 days Field Patrol. Whether he ever served it is unlcear, but again on 13 May, 1916  when he was presumably in Egypt training, he committed the same offence and received 28 days Field Patrol punishment. 

The 24th Battalion had fought at Gallipoli and were evacuated, along with the other Australian Battalion, in mid-December, 1915. They remained in Egypt, defending the Suez Canal, until March, 1916, when they withdrawn and sent to France to fight on the Western Front. In July-August, they were in the front line at Pozieres and suffered 80% casualties in the battle. Frank Fraser was taken on strength on 31 July, marching in with the other reinforcements from Etaples. By October, the 24th battalion were in Belgium. Frank Fraser had to be evacuated on 13 October, suffering from bronchitis. he was first sent to the 2nd Division Base Depot at Etaples, but on 19 October, was sent to a hospice, then on to hospital. On 11 November, he was diagnosed as having rheumatism, and on 29 January, 1917, was returned to England on the Lanfranc from Havre, then sent on to hospital at Cheltenham, where he was found to have a 'disordered action of the heart'.

He was not discharged until April, marching in to the No. 2 Command Depot at Plymouth on 7 April, from Administrative Headquarters in London. He remained in England for the rest of the year and again got in trouble with the Army authorities, once for being absent from roll call at Westham - two days C.B. and forfeit once day's pay - and for gambling in company, a much more severe penalty of 20 days Field Patrol being imposed. He was ill again and admitted to hospital at Sutton Veny on 17 March, with suspected appendicitis. It turned otu to be constipation, so he was discharged after treatment on 20 March, and went AWL for a day.

Frank Fraser returned to France via Southampton on 2 April, 1918, coming in to Havre. He rejoined his battalion, now fighting in the Spring Offensive, Gremany's last great advance. On 29 April, he was wounded, but the wound must have been slight, because he remained on duty. He was wounded again on 4 October, just as the war was coming to an end. This time it was a severe gunshot wound to the left knee. He was admitted at Rouen, then returned to England, first to the L. of C. Hospital at Wandsworth, then King George Hospital in Stanford St, London. On 18 November, he was deemed to be convalescent and sent on to the No. 2 Command Depot , probably at Sutton Veny.

Frank Fraser was discharged, medically unift, returning to Australia on the Takada on 28 March, 1919. he married Frances Mary Gower on 9 September, 1921. The ocuple had two children, Albert William Fraser (1934-1960) and Brian Alan Fraser (1935-1935) who died in his first year. Frank Fraser died at Heidelberg in 1975.