REARDON, Francis
| Service Number: | 251 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 21 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Machine Gun Company |
| Born: | 1892, place not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Violet Town, Strathbogie, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Violet Town State School |
| Occupation: | Farm Labourer |
| Died: | Violet Town, 1922, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Violet Town Public Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Euroa Telegraph Park, Violet Town A.N.A. Branch No 204 Honor Roll, Violet Town Honour Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 21 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 May 1916: | Involvement Private, 251, 6th Machine Gun Company, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Lincoln embarkation_ship_number: A17 public_note: '' | |
| 4 May 1916: | Embarked Private, 251, 6th Machine Gun Company, HMAT Port Lincoln, Melbourne |
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REARDON Francis 251 PTE
10th Machine Gun Coy
1892-1922
On 21 February 1916 Patrick and Annie Reardon’s son Frank was the third in the family to enlist. He was 23 years old and working as a farm labourer, possibly on the family farm.
In May, after initial training he embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Port Lincoln via Suez for France. He eventually arrived in England in November and reported to the Machine Gun Depot at Parkhouse Training Camp. From there he proceeded to Etaples where he was taken on strength of the 10th Machine Gun Coy on 5 January 1917.
Following is an extract from a letter he wrote to his father describing his work at the front.
‘I am going to give you a description of a machine gun section and the work we do. In a machine-gun Coy there are four sections and four guns in each section and on every gun we usually average eight men and a corporal. When we are holding a line or trench we take up our position and only fire when the enemy are raiding us, or to cover our infantry when they are raiding the Hun. In a hop-over the real work begins. We generally take up an advanced position the night or perhaps a couple of nights before the hop-over is to take place. We know to the second when artillery and machine-guns are to start their barrage. This is the hard part, as all the time we are firing over our infantry’s heads to cover their advance. And we have to keep elevating the gun so there is a curtain of fire a certain distance from the men advancing. It is really very important work and before a man is allowed to fire the gun he must be a first class qualified gunner. Everything in an advance is timed so we always know when the infantry have reached their objective. Well, then, we pack up our guns and advance to a position just behind the infantry and put up a fresh barrage to cover them while they dig in. When it is finished we get everything in good working order and prepare for a counter attack. We have had to fire SOS six or seven times in the one night. Of course I am giving a very rough outline as besides putting up a barrage fire, covering our infantry and firing on an attack of the enemy, we do other work, such as indirect fire on machine-gun artillery positions, also on cross roads. We do a lot of damage that way, as we stop Fritz’s transports from bringing up supplies of food and ammunitions. We are doing a lot of new work with our guns now and have put the German who was considered a past-master, completely in the shade.
‘I will give you a brief outline of my last trip into the line. We had been out resting and doing this new work on the gun at a place about 50 miles from the line. We had been out there for about six weeks when we got orders about taking part in the big thing at Ypres. Well, we marched back to about 12 miles from the firing line and stayed there for four days. .. .’ there follows a description of the action in which Frank got his ‘lot’ and ended up in Birmingham hospital receiving excellent treatment. ‘By cripes the nurses and sisters do some splendid work’.
The wounds Frank was writing about were inflicted on 4 October 1917, to his back and abdomen. He was eventually transferred to 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford, England. After he had recovered he was granted two weeks leave in England. The following March he was posted to the Training Depot at Grantham from where he was transferred to the 3rd Machine Gun Battalion. In February 1919 Frank had a brief posting to the Reserve Brigade Australian Artillery.
In May 1919 he left England on the HS Karagola for Australia. He was discharged on 27 July.
Frank was granted a war pension on which he lived until his early death in 1922. He is buried in the Violet Town cemetery.
Service medals: British War Medal Victory Medal
Memorials: Main Honour Board, Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Copper Plaque affixed to exterior wall of Memorial Hall, Violet Town
Tree No 61 was planted in 1917 by C Croxford.
In 2013 a Brachychiton acerifolia - Illawarra Flame Tree - was planted by Frank Reardon.
© 2016 Sheila Burnell
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