Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Mark Freeman - 1880 - 1936

Mark Freeman was the first son of Alfred Freeman and Hannah Freeman (later Jacobs).  Born in London in 1880, he had a younger sister Rebecca (1881), brothers Isaac Charles (b 1886), Harry Klufeld (1887)  and a younger sister named Sophie (1888). 

His mother Hannah, had been a Jewish refugee from the pogroms (Jewish persecutions) that had swept Russia and Hannah’s native Warsaw, in Poland, which at that time was part of the vast Russian Empire.  in London she  embarked on a career as a successful publican.

Alfred died in 1887.  Hannah re-married, to cigar-maker Jacob Jacobs, another Polish Jew émigré. More children began arriving.  Arthur in 1894, Solomon William in 1896, David in 1897 and sister Deb 1900 and youngest brother Emmanuel (aka Martin) in 1901.

In 1898, the family emigrated, initially to South Africa where they remained for several years, before continuing the journey to Adelaide South Australia.

This move split the family. 

Mark appears to have remained in London whereas Rebecca appears to have returned to London later.

Isaac enlisted in the South African forces during the Boer War and again for service in East Africa in 1915 with the Cape Corps.  The family did not hear from him after 1917.  In fact he had been killed on 11 August 1916, and is buried in Dar Es Salaam military cemetery in modern day Tanzania.  He was the first of the siblings to die in service.  He would not be the last.

Sophie remained in South Africa where she married.  She later fled an extremely violent relationship after her husband had thrown acid at her.  She joined her mother and younger siblings in Adelaide.

The rest of the family had relocated to Adelaide, and Hannah Jacobs embarked on a career has a very well known publican in the Adelaide CBD and beyond, operating a string of hotels many of which remain to this day.  Her husband Jacob had unfortunately become a chronic alcoholic and developed throat cancer, which eventually killed him in 1914. Daughter Sophie joined her from South Africa in 1917, and later jointly held the licence of the Royal Admiral Hotel with her mother before becoming sole licencee herself of a number of well known Adelaide 'pubs'. 

All four of the Jacobs brothers enlisted in the AIF when War broke out.

Arthur was first, enlisting on the outbreak of war into the 10th Battalion with which he served at Gallipoli, where he was badly wounded in October 1915.  He was repatriated to Australia and returned to the Front only to be killed at Passchendaele in October 1917.

Solomon (or Will as he was known to the family) followed, also into the 10th Battalion.  He had Anglicised his name to Sullivan in lieu of Solomon, and declared himself to be Anglican, as Arthur had.  Will, as he was known, sustained a serious injury on the voyage to Egypt, was repatriated and returned to Australia and discharged medically unfit before promptly re-enlisting by reverting to his given name and being assigned a new service number.  We went on to serve throughout the rest of the war and was just metres away when Arthur was killed in October 1917.  He was wounded and gassed, the effects of which dogged him for the rest of his life.

David enlisted  into the 50th Battalion and Emmanuel enlisted underage at just 16yo, although he could easily pass for an older man, serving in the 50th and 32nd Battalion until the authorities became aware of his circumstances and he was removed from the front line and returned to Australia.  Family anecdote has it that Solomon tipped off the authorities after Arthur was killed, believing the family had done enough.  This apparently caused a life-long rift between the two brothers.

Meanwhile Mark appears to have remained in London.  Anecdote suggests he was estranged from his mother and he did not adopt the new family name.  He emmigrated to Australia in 1911, but he went to Sydney, from where he enlisted on 17 March 1915.

At the time of his enlistment he was living at No 94 The Corse in Manly, Sydney NSW.  He declared himself to be single aged 34 years of age on enlistment, and gave his occupation as ‘shop manager’.  He listed his mother Hannah Jacobs, of the Saracens Head Hotel in Adelaide, as his next of kin.  He was enlisted into the 5th Field Ambulance, and embarked from Sydney, New South Wales, on board HMAT A31 ’Ajana’ on 31 May 1915

He is listed as having married Lousia Theresa Rowan, 1917.

Further content under development.

Steve Larkins August 2016

Source:

The Private War of William Solomon Jacobs, ISBN 978-0-9945753-2-6 2016, Susan Nichols

Service record of 2294 FREEMAN Mark