Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frank Raymond Rogers was born on the 30/12/1917. He was the eighth of 12 children born to George Thomas Rogers and Ethel Sarah Rogers. Frank had four brothers and eight sisters. He grew up at the Wannon River on the Coleraine Merino Road. George his father worked on a small farm and also worked a second job as a Pick Up Cream Carter and Station Hand in the Winburn Station. Frank moved to a dairy farm at Talisker with his family by horse and cart at the age of 5, where he still lives now at the age of 97. He recalls having whooping cough, measles and chicken pox as a young lad and remembers ‘...if you got sick you still had to work to help’.

Frank and his siblings walked several kms to attend Paschendale School and on their way to school, another 20 kids would be walking the same track. There was one teacher for the 40+ students. Frank had to get up at 6am before school to do some jobs before leaving the house at 7.30am and arriving back home at 5pm. He attended school for 6 years and finished his schooling at grade 8 in 1929. He enjoyed many aspects of both his schooling and childhood, including chasing the girls, playing numerous sports – football, cricket and table tennis. Playing marbles and knuckles, using genuine sheep knuckles and sliding down hills on tin. Although Frank speaks highly of his School Teacher, he recalls her asking him to not sing in the school choir, because he was not a very good singer, so he sang in the dairy shed instead.

Growing up he lived in a weather board home that still remains on the farm today. The family home consisted of a kitchen, lounge, 3 bedrooms and a front verandah. There was no bathroom, but on Saturday night the tub was brought into the bedroom and everyone had a bath. The toilet was about 40metres from the house. Frank slept in a bed with 2 of his brothers and at night they would put a candle on their chest so they could read books. 'Mum liked to keep one room in the house clean, the lounge room, the kids were not allowed in this room, unless Mum lit the fire’. The family spent a lot of time around the kitchen table talking and playing cards. Ethel, Franks loved mother was a religious women and taught at Sunday school, however Frank did not go to Sunday School, as there was not enough room in the buggy.

All the family meals were cooked on a wood stove. ‘Mum was a great a great cook’. Frank recalls his mum giving him one of her favourite Water Dog Biscuits, which was a special treat. Ethel was a placid natured women, Frank recalls never hearing her yell at them as kids. George went to University to study engineering, but he did not like it much and after 5 weeks he returned home. George worked long and hard hours on the farm. He was a very serious man and did not have much time for small talk. George died when Frank was 14 years old.

After Frank finished school he had to work on the farm after the death of his father, milking the cows and doing lots of other farms jobs. He worked every day, sun up to sun down. Frank didn’t get any money, as there was no money to give, there were still eight children at home to feed and the farm income was $150 pounds a year.

Frank joined the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on the 5th March 1941. Frank joined the army as ‘...he had a mother, 8 sisters and 3 brothers, who were worth fighting for’. He joined the 9th Division Calvary. Joining the AIF at the time of the Great Depression, when the country along with much of the western world was affected by unemployment and ‘...men would be walking the country to find employment’. ‘...in training the Soldiers would be lucky to get their hands on a rifle for more than an hour a day, they had to use sticks for certain training’. Australian factories were manufacturing war material, guns, ammunition, clothing, everything that was needed to equip an Army. Frank as part of the ‘...magnificent 9th Australian Division’ (General Bernard Montgomery), travelled to and fought in the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, Africa. During in a period of rest in Syria patrolling the Turkish border Frank took up accounting studies and obtained a certificate in accounting. He found he had a natural ability and skill in, but never pursed it on return to Australia, as he had a desire to return to working on the land. Following the battle of El Alamein, Frank retuned to Australia from deployment, where he was then retrained as a commando or ‘Special Forces’, which they are known as today. The retraining was completed at Ravenshoe at the top of Qld near Cairns. Frank then travelled to Borneo to ‘...fight the Japs’. He fought to repress the Japanese Army who presented a significant threat by way of invasion onto Australian soil. Frank as part of the 9th Division Calvary landed in Labuan and successfully secured their position against the Japanese. ‘... Australia was once again a very safe place to live in, thanks to an all out Australian effort and our American Allies’.

Frank served in the AIF for 1 day shy of 5 years, discharging on the on the 4th march 1946. He was in active service for 763 days on deployments and celebrated a birthday in the Middle East. He was awarded the:
- 1939-1945 Star: For 6 months operational service during the period 03/09/1939 and 02/09/1945.
- Africa Star: For operational services performed west of Suez Canal
- Pacific Star: For operational services in the Pacific Theatre
- Defence Medel: 6 months non-operational service areas subjected to air attack or closely threatened, and for twelve months non-operational service overseas
- War Medal 1939/45:Full time duty personnal for the armed forces for a total of not less than 28 days
- Australian Service Medal: Full time duty of not less than 18 months

He discharged with some injuries and required medical treatment to his knee following his return from Borneo in January 1946 he was later medically discharged on the 4th March 1946.

Frank returned from service and got back to work and went onto marry Nancy Bell. He knew Nancy when she was 17 and they were engaged prior to Frank going to war, but he wanted her to live her life and didn’t expect her to do otherwise, as he ‘...didn’t know if he was going to come back’. They married at the Merino Catholic Church on the 28/12/1946. It was a small local wedding, Frank wore a black suit with stripes. They spent 2 weeks honeymooning in Adelaide. Following the wedding Frank and Nancy went to live in Geelong for 12 months. They rented a house and Frank worked in a cement works business and Nancy worked as a Nurse. They then moved back to the farm where they remained for the duration of their lives. Their son Paul took over the running of the farm and is still there today also. Paul and Frank have had breakfast together every morning after milking the cows for the past 40 years. Nancy and Frank had 3 daughters and 1 son. Nancy passed away in 1992. He can only remember having one holiday in his life, it was a caravan trip for 2 weeks, ‘...back then you never had enough money to go on a holiday and you just worked’.

Frank still remains a very sharp and witty man with a brilliant attitude to life. He has a great sense of humour and ability to tell one engaging story after another. Frank learnt to wood turn at the age of 80. He is a life member of the RSL, Coleraine Racing Club, Merino Indoor Bowls, the P & A Society and is an Honorary Member of the Casterton Racing Club. He is a loved grandfather to 14 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren.