Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frank Abinett
It was not unusual for young British people to come to Australia after WWI. Frank Abinett, who was born in the coastal town of Portsmouth on the English coast, made such a choice with his young wife Ada. They arrived in the November summer of 1928. Frank, aged 24 was prepared to turn his hand to farming or any other work where-ever the opportunity arose. The young couple settled in the picturesque town of Nuriootpa in the Barossa Valley. In April of 1930 their first son, Murray Lawrence was born. He grew up to become an adventurous and sometimes reckless Aussie kid. As a seven-year-old he somehow fell off a swing at the Nuriootpa Primary School requiring seven stitches to his head. This did not curb his venturesome spirit when, just prior to his 13th birthday, Murray climbed a tree at the local pool but unfortunately the bough broke, resulting in a fractured ankle. Murray then rolled over the bank into deep water but fortunately was rescued by three of his friends. His grateful parents used the local paper, The Leader, to thank the four lads for their “brave and resourceful action” which saved Murray from drowning just two days after Christmas.
The growing family including boys, Murray, Ern and Bill, quickly became part of the local community in tennis, cricket, running, local dances, working bees, ticket-selling for fund raising, Gala Days, the Red Cross and Scouting. If it was for the good of the community, they were involved.
With the outbreak of WWII, now aged 37 Private Frank Abinett, bearing the number SX7986, enlisted to serve with fellow Australians in July 1940. He and another local, Arthur Noack were farewelled with a social gathering and personal gifts from the Red Cross and Christian Group with wishes for the best of luck, health, prosperity, and an early return. Frank’s son, Bill was part of the Nuriootpa School Band to play that night in honour of his Dad. At this farewell, Frank inadvertently let slip that he had been involved in WWI as a youngster on a destroyer in the Dover Patrol, now stuff of which legends are told!
At the end of May 1941, having served overseas, Frank returned to Nuriootpa via the Overland Express from Melbourne. In Greece, as part of the rear-guard action, he had endured incessant bombing by day, then travelled by night. In a very telling, extensive interview with the local ‘Leader’ newspaper Frank revealed: “He said all were confident the time was fast approaching when they would be able to meet the enemy on an equal footing with numbers and equipment. Then they could beat him.
They had had a chance when parachute troops landed behind their lines at night, and a similar number of British troops wiped them out next morning; but the odds had been against them in Greece. For months Germany had been preparing and massing on the Bulgarian frontier: there was no doubt about the efficiency of his organisation.
British troops, on the other hand had not entered Greece until that country was at war with Germany, whereupon hurried preparations had to he made under tremendous transport difficulties. Roads, high on the mountain sides, were so narrow as scarcely to allow two lorries to pass. When German planes pounded these roads and made sections unusable, supplies were seriously interfered with; and the enemy, having so many more planes at hand, could cause so much havoc.
They were never bombed at night, he said; but that was the time when fifth columnists among the Greek did their dirty work. The Greek people generally were magnificent, but Germany appeared to have secret agents everywhere. Planes did not come over in swarms, but singly, bombing all the while during daylight, until the day when Germany struck with frenzied ferocity.
Then there came the final days before the evacuation, when roads were blasted to bits and transport lorries had to be abandoned after the British had rendered them unfit for use by the enemy. The troops then had to proceed on foot, dodging all the while. Their officers had been splendid during those dark days.
The men had to quit everything but their equipment and the clothes they were wearing: officers voluntarily did the same. He told of a Brigadier who brought out his little trunk of valued personal possessions, opened it, and invited the men to help themselves to whatever they could carry on their persons. Thus, in the evacuation, a Renmark soldier had in his pocket a beautiful wallet that had been the Brigadier's; another wore his boots; and a third was proud possessor of the Brigadier's shirt.
Pte. Abinett said that in the evacuation he had to sacrifice all his little comforts and personal knick-knacks, and he would never forget how good that first cup of tea on board ship had tasted after many days without it. He added their troops abroad, taxed beyond human endurance, must have periods of rest if they were to continue giving such splendid service.”
On his trip back to Australian shores, Frank was escorting Italian prisoners but that was “uneventful, for they were a docile lot. The Italians were very down-hearted when told they were being taken to India. Then came the information that they would go on to Australia, and the prisoners grinned with delight. "Australia good land," they said.”
His overseas service had taken a big toll on Frank. In an interview reported in the Adelaide News in May 1941 praised the essential role of the Navy under horrific conditions: "Thanks to the navy" was the response of all diggers who escaped from Greece, said Pte. F. Abinett. of Nuriootpa, who was in the thick of the fighting at Mount Olympus. The Australians stood up to the strain of air bombing and machine-gunning he said. For four days he went from one beach to another to embark. Two ships that he was to have joined were blown up.”
It is understandable why Frank was discharged 14 months after enlisting because of “shell shock and other war rigours that had undermined his health”. The community of Nuriootpa gave him a huge Welcome Back social in recognition of his service to Australia. By December, Frank was considering re-enlisting.
With peace again in Australia Frank was able to enjoy his expanding family including the boys marrying, then the arrival of grandchildren; Ern’s daughter in 1950 and Bill’s son in August 1952.
Frank died just after his 70th birthday.
Tribute researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes 2/48th Battalion