Military History

Frank is listed as being killed in action on 18th November 1917 during the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele. The 102nd Battalion war diary entries for the 17th, 18th & 19th November are transcribed below.

Hillside Farm – 17 Nov 1917: The morning broke with fog. “D” Co. suffered heavily in local support, losing 7 men from one shell burst. Heavy enemy fire all morning. A carrying party sent up by the 54th for their wounded men was dispersed with casualties. At 8 p.m. a reconnoitring party from the Suffolks, our relieving battalion, called at H.Q. and was sent forward under Battalion Runners. Two hundred yards away from H.Q. the rear end of the party was caught by a shell which killed two, severely wounded another & inflicted minor injuries on 4 more. Our runners, seeing that there were men capable of procuring help from HQ pushed on with the balance of the party.

Our casualties: 12 killed, 22 wounded.

Hillside Farm – 18 Nov 1917: Heavy enemy firing all morning, Lieut. A. R. Turner being wounded, 4 O.R. being killed and 6 wounded. Relief by the Suffolks commenced at 5pm. The men, when relieved, proceeding in small parties to Potijze, where a hot meal was served and men rested. The 102nd Bn. had the honour of being the last Canadian unit to leave Passchendaele.

Potijze – 19 Nov 1917: The battalion entrained at Ypres and proceeded to Poperinghe, thence by road to D.15. b.9.6 a camp 3 kilos from Poperinghe and adjacent to our first camp on arrival in Belgium 15 months ago. Here was a tented camp and the men, tired out, turned in on arrival at 3.45 p.m.