Pte
Francis Charles Baker
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 06/09/1896 |
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Place of birth: Kara, Ohura, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Telegraphist |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 44246 |
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Enlistment date: 27/11/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Wanganui, Manawatu-Wanganui, New Zealand |
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Units: — New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 08/12/1917 |
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Place of death: Polderhoek, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Polygon Wood Cemetery Plot: Unknown Row: G Grave: 14 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private Francis Charles Baker, a 21-year old former telegraph cadet, served as a rifleman in the New Zealand Rifle Brigade 3rd Battalion, part of the 3rd New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, of the New Zealand Division. On the 1st of December 1917, The Brigade relieved the 4th Brigade in the Becelaere Sector. The 1st Battalion relieved the 3rd Otago Battalion on the right, the 4th Battalion took over from 3rd Canterbury on the left, the 3rd Battalion consolidated in a new support position in Dead Mule Gully, behind Polygonveld, and the 2nd Battalion at Halfway House and Railway Wood, about a mile north-west of Hooge. The Brigade Headquarters moved up to Butte. The Brigade was now well settled in the Ypres Salient.
On the 3rd of December 1917, the 2nd Brigade carried out an attack on the Polderhoek Chateau position that posed a constant menace to the flank posts of the 3rd Brigade. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 3rd Brigade prepared for the operation, earning the special commendation of the Divisional Commander. Under shell-fire, 650 men from the Units carried 1,300 six-inch Newton bombs over a distance of nearly three miles. Although not all objectives were met, the front line was slightly advanced. On the night of the 9th/10th December, the Brigade was relieved by the 2nd Brigade and became Brigade in support, with one Battalion, the 3rd, in the front line.
Rifleman Francis Charles Baker was killed in action on the 8th of December 1917. He fell during the attack in the Polderhoek Chateau area. He is remembered at Polygon Wood Cemetery.
On the 3rd of December 1917, the 2nd Brigade carried out an attack on the Polderhoek Chateau position that posed a constant menace to the flank posts of the 3rd Brigade. The 2nd and 3rd Battalions of the 3rd Brigade prepared for the operation, earning the special commendation of the Divisional Commander. Under shell-fire, 650 men from the Units carried 1,300 six-inch Newton bombs over a distance of nearly three miles. Although not all objectives were met, the front line was slightly advanced. On the night of the 9th/10th December, the Brigade was relieved by the 2nd Brigade and became Brigade in support, with one Battalion, the 3rd, in the front line.
Rifleman Francis Charles Baker was killed in action on the 8th of December 1917. He fell during the attack in the Polderhoek Chateau area. He is remembered at Polygon Wood Cemetery.
Sources 2
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Austin w.S., The Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (The Earl of Liverpool's Own), (Wellington, Watkins, 1924), pg. 255-256 Sources used |
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Australian War Memorial https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480003 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=a93a5975-18e3-4cd2-b3f2-d43c65daee12 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7170543 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/c612 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=10324 |