Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frank Ernest Meachem was born on 17th August 1886 at Solihull, Birmingham, England the only son of his parents John And Hannah Meachem.  He had a younger sister Clarice born in 1888.  He was educated at Birmingham Central Secondary School and after completing his education was qualified as a civil servant.  He gained his St John’s Ambulance Medal in Birmingham and worked in a hardware shop.  In 1910 he decided to make his way to Australia embarking from Liverpool on SS Medic and arrived at Albany WA on 24.4.1910.  For the next 3 years he worked as a labourer cutting fence posts, milling timber and sinking dams.  He then made his way to Perth where in 1913 he began work as a Junior clerk with the State Public Service in the Welfare Department. 

In 1913 he met Elsie Beatrice Nankivell and in 1914 they became engaged.  Frank served 4 months with the Citizens Military Forces in the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC).  When WW1 broke out he was one of the first to enlist at Blackboy Hill Camp WA on 17th August 1914, his 27th birthday.  His service number was 173, his rank Private and he was assigned to the 3rd Field Ambulance, C Section.  He’s described as being 5ft 7ins tall with a dark complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair.  After completing his training at Blackboy Hill Camp, he and the rest of C Section, including the famous John (Jack) Simpson, embarked on HMAT Medic (the same ship that brought him to Australia) as part of the 1st Convoy and sailed from Fremantle on 2nd November 1914.  He disembarked at Alexandria, Egypt, on 12th December 1914 and proceeded to Mena Camp at Cairo. 

The unit moved to the Kasr-el-nil Barracks in Cairo in late February 1915 and embarked from Alexandria on 3rd March on HMT Malda bound for the Dardanelles.  The ship anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island on 6th March and remained there for a month.  In early April the unit transhipped from HMT Malda to HMAT Suffolk and then later on to HMAT Devanha.  On 24th April 1915, in preparation for the landings at Gallipoli, the unit transhipped from HMAT Devanha to the Destroyer HMS Ribble.  On the same day he recorded in his war diary the following: "Left Lemnos Island at 2.00pm, sailed until 8.45pm where we dropped anchor at Imbros Island.  Head of line of 3rd Brigade transports.  Had a feed of meat and biscuits at 9.30pm.  Disembarked on to torpedo-destroyer Ribble at 12.00 midnight. Hurray!  We are going to be amongst the first that land.  A great honour for us Australians.  Pray God our venture will be a success.  We land only a few hundred yards from a fort and not very far from the Turkish trenches.  Well, we must hope for the best.  I hope I shall not be a coward.  I have said my prayers to God and am trusting in him to bring me safely through this."

At 5am on 25th April 1915 under heavy fire, the Commanding Officer of C Section of 3FA, Captain Douglas McWhae, lead his men ashore at Gallipoli in the 2nd tow.  McWhae describes the scene: “Several men were wounded on the destroyer and a young naval officer shot dead through the head (while waving the men off with a ‘Good Luck’) and Symonds of B Section shot through the chest.  I saw one infantryman shot, fall into the water and drown with heavy pack despite the efforts of one of the sailors to save him.  The rowboats returned to the destroyer and we entered them under heavy fire.  Then we rowed to shore under a frightful fire.  At first the beach was absolutely swept with machine-gun and rifle fire, so that there was no possibility of going near the boats (of the first tows) or to help the wounded lying on the beach.  Jack’s boat grounded in deep water, about 300 metres north of Ari Burnu Point, almost opposite the Sphinx.  He was the second man out of his boat.  The first and third men out, on either side of him, were killed instantly.  Soon after dawn the rifle fire stopped and we were able to look after the wounded - now shrapnel fire only.  There were great numbers of wounded whom it took all the morning to attend to and get away”.

Frank recorded the following in his diary: "Landed this morning 5.00am, under heavy rifle fire.  I was hit while in the boat.  About 30 casualties on the Riddle before we left.  14 out of 28 (of) 3rd Field Ambulance in my boat hit before we reached cover on shore.  One of my squad killed and three wounded.  Lay on shore all day until 8.00pm when I was put on board the City of Benares and my wounds dressed again.  Heavy casualties amongst our Australian troops.  Many officers killed and wounded."

An oarsman near him was hit, so Frank stepped in to row, only to take a Turkish bullet through the left shoulder as the boat approached the beach.  After convalescing he returned to Gallipoli and re-joined the 3FA on 13th June 1915. 

On 10th December just prior to the evacuation of all troops from the peninsula, Frank was transferred to the 1st Division Headquarters Staff to take up the position of clerk to the Assistant Director of Medical Services (ADMS) which at the time was Colonel N R Howse.  The HQ Staff left Gallipoli on 15th December 1915 and proceeded to Sarpi Camp on Lemnos Island.  Frank was promoted to Corporal on Christmas Day 1915 and then a week later to Staff Sergeant on New Year’s Day 1916.  The HQ Staff embarked from Lemnos Island the next day on HMT Empress of Britain and arrived at Alexandria on 6.1.1916.  They proceeded to Tel-el-Kebir Camp where a week later Colonel A H Sturdee took over from Colonel N R Howse as ADMS.  The HQ Staff moved to Serapeum Camp in early February 1916 then embarked for France from Alexandria on HMT Bohemian on 22.3.1916.  They disembarked at Marseilles on 28.3.1916 and reopened HQ at Merris.  On 18.9.1916 Frank was promoted to Squadron Quartermaster Sergeant.  He remained with the office of the ADMS for the remainder of his tour and was on Special Leave (for enlisting in 1914) at Taranto Italy when his number came up for return to Australia.  He embarked from there on HMAT Port Sydney on 8.10.1918 and disembarked at Fremantle on 17.11.1918.  He was discharged on 23.1.1919. 

After waiting for 4 years, Frank and Elise were married a month after his return to Australia on 18.12.18 at St George’s Anglican Cathedral in Perth WA.  They welcomed a son John in 1919 followed by Stanley in 1921 and then Beatrice in 1924. 

In 1935 Frank was appointed as a Justice of the Peace and also as Secretary of the Child Welfare Department, a position he held for 33 years until he retired in 1946 at age 60.  During WW2 he was an air raid instructor and in 1944 he was awarded the Scout Medal of Merit for his services to the Scouting movement.  He served as the Scout Chief Commissioner for WA from 1945-1947. 

On 11th July 1940 Frank and his family suffered a tragic loss when their son and brother Stanley, aged 18, was killed instantly in a motorcycle accident with a truck. 

In 1948 Frank and Elise made a trip back to England to visit family and returned to Australia in November on the SS Stratheden. 

Frank and Elise lived in different suburbs of Perth all their married life…Bayswater in the 1920s, Roleystone in the 1930s and from the late 50s they lived at Meltham.  Frank passed away on 19th January 1970 in Perth WA aged 83 survived by his wife, son and daughter.  He was buried at the Karrakatta Cemetery in WA. 

Frank Ernest Meachem was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 22nd November 2022.

Sources

https://thewest.com.au/news/wa/driven-by-prayer-and-courage-ng-ya-370376