Informationen zu Geburt

Geburtsjahr:
1895
Geburtsort:
Woolwich, Kent, England, Vereinigtes Königreich

Allgemeine Informationen

Beruf:
Landwirt / Bauman / Ökonom
Religion:
Church of England

Informationen zum Armeedienst

Land:
Australia
Truppe:
Australian Imperial Force
Rang:
Private
Dienstnummer:
950
Einberufung datum:
05/02/1915
Einberufung ort:
Donald, Victoria, Australia
Einheiten:
 —  Australian Infantry, 22nd Bn. (Victoria)  (Letzte bekannte Einheit)

Informationen zu Tod

Sterbedatum:
04/10/1917
Sterbeort:
Zonnebeke Lake, Belgien
Todesursache:
Im Kampf gefallen
Alter:
22

Gedenkstätte

Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial
Tafel: Bay 23 stone P

Auszeichnungen und Orden 3

1914-15 Star
Medaille
British War Medal
Medaille
Victory Medal
Medaille

Punkte von Interesse 3

#1 Geburtsort
#2 Einberufung ort
#3 Ort des Todes (ungefähr)

Meine Geschichte

Frank Henry Cole, a former farmer, was born in March 1895 in Woolwich, Greater London, England. Frank Henry Cole emigrated from England to Australia when 18 years of age. He was the son of Arthur H. Cole, and the brother of Wilfred Edgar Cole who fought by his side. On February 5, 1915 he enlisted in Donald, Victoria, Australia and embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A38 Ulysses on May 10, 1915, with the 22nd Battalion, part of the 6th Australian Brigade of the 2nd Australian Division.

His World War I adventure started in Gallipoli from August 1915 until he was evacuated to a hospital with jaundice in October 1915. Frank was also wounded at Bullecourt on 3 May 1917: gunshot wound in the face. He was evacuated to England for several months to recover.

On the 4th of October 1917 the 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade, which attacked on the right of the divisional front. The 22nd Battalion would take the first objective, the red line.
Once they had taken this line, the 24th would pass through the 22nd on the right and the 21st would do the same on the left. The Battalion assembled before the attack at the jumping-off positions in front of Tokio, but soon moved closer to the road leading to Tokio on account of German artillery fire on and around Albania. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line.

At 5.35 a.m. moments before the Battalion would attack, the German artillery, including minenwerfers, started shelling the jump-off line, causing heavy casualties. The Germans were about to attack themselves in the hope of recapturing Zonnebeke. The heavy shell fire was very destructive.

At 6 a.m. the British and Australian artillery opened fire on the German positions and the troops started to advance. The 22nd led off, followed by the 21st and 24th. Zonnebeke Lake was on the jumping-off line on the left. The three battalions had to storm the front over 3oo yards right of the lake. Once they had passed the lake the units on the left had to change direction to cover the ground allotted to them.

The German infantry was utterly surprised by the allied barrage. They were quickly dispersed, killed or taken prisoner by the advancing Australians. Docile Trench and De Knoet Farm fell without much opposition and the 22nd Battalion reached their objective by 6.50 a.m. On the right flank of the 24th Battalion the troops met resistance in Romulus Wood, but the Germans were eventually overpowered. At 7.30 a.m. the 21st and 24th moved up behind the protective barrage, reaching the second objective, the blue line at 8.10 a.m., where the dug in and prepared for eventual counterattacks.

Frank Henry, aged 22, was killed in action on October 4, 1917, after he was hit by a shell while waiting on the tape to hop over. His brother was wounded by the same shell (he died from his wounds on October 9, 1917 in Rouen). A third brother, Engineer Lieutenant Harold Arthur Cole HMS Bombala Royal Navy Reserve was killed in action 25th April 1918, age 27. Private Cole was buried where he fell, south of Zonnebeke Chateau (28.D.28.a.30.20). His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Frank Henry Cole has no known grave and is remembered on panel 23P of the Menin Gate Memorial.

Verwandte, die auch Soldat waren 1

Dateien 1

Quellen 6

"Passchendaele, The Day-by-Day Account",McCarthy C., Arms&ArmourPress, London, 1995, page 98-99"
Verwendete Quellen
22nd Battalion Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/39/26).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Verwendete Quellen
6th Brigade Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/6/26).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Verwendete Quellen
Australian Red Cross Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), RCDIG1064166).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Verwendete Quellen
First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455).
https://www.naa.gov.au/
Verwendete Quellen
Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8).
https://www.awm.gov.au/
Verwendete Quellen

Weitere Informationen 4