Trooper
Frank Ness Wilson
Frank Ness Wilson was born on the 11th of February 1883 in Coomera Queensland to Mr Ralph Ness Wilson and Mrs Jane Ann Wilson (nee Jackson) as the tenth of their 12 children.
| Service Number: | 339 |
| Place of Enlistment: | Brisbane |
| Age of Enlistment: | 30 Years, 7 Months |
| Date of Enlistment: | 28th October 1914 |
| Embarked: | 21st December 1914, Brisbane |
| Transport Ship: | A34 HMAT Persic |
| Education: | Coomera State School: 1888-1897 |
| Medals: | 1914/15 Star, British War Medal, Victory |
| Place of Death: | Killed In Action Balkan Gun Pits Gallipoli 28th of June 1915 |
| Resting Place: | Commemorated Lone Pine Memorial Gallipoli Turkey |
| Unit: | 5th Australian Light Horse Regiment AIF |
Frank Ness Wilson was born on the 11th of February 1883 in Coomera Queensland to Mr Ralph Ness Wilson and Mrs Jane Ann Wilson (nee Jackson) as the tenth of their 12 children. His older siblings from (eldest to youngest) were William, Annie, Jane, Ellen, Ralph, Ada, Roger, George and Amelia (died at birth). His younger siblings (from eldest to youngest) were Arthur (died in infancy) and Evangeline. Frank’s early life was marked by tragedy with the death of his brothers Ralph and William in 1883 and Arthur in 1885. His father Ralph also passed away in 1903 when Frank was 20 years old. Frank attended Coomera State School from 1888 to 1897 which is an unusual degree of formal education for most boys living in the Coomera district at this time. Prior to his enlistment in the 5th Light Horse Regiment, Frank lived in Oxenford where he worked as a farmer.
The 5th Light Horse Regiment was raised in Brisbane in September 1914, entirely from men who had enlisted in Queensland, and was part of the 2nd Light Horse Brigade. Sailing from Sydney on 21 December 1914, the regiment disembarked in Egypt on the 1st February 1915. The 5th Light Horse Regiment embarked from Alexandria, Egypt on the 16th of May 1915 and disembarked at ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli on the 20th of May 1915.
Trooper Frank Ness Wilson was killed on the 28th of June 1915 during the attack on the Balkan Gun Pits. At 1pm on the 28th of June the 5th Light Horse Regiment was instructed to attack the Balkan Gun Pits, near Chatham’s Post, ‘A’ Ridge. The attack was successful in capturing the Balkan Gun Pits despite fierce resistance by Turkish forces and accidental friendly fire from allied naval vessels. At 7:39 pm, the 5th Light Horse was withdrawn from the front lines having achieved their objectives. The 5th Light Horse suffered 23 men killed and 79 wounded during this battle.
Family connection: in 1907, Frank's older brother George Ness Wilson married Eliza Shirley, the younger sister of George Shirley, who is also on the Upper Coomera Cenotaph.
The Landing at Gallipoli
Courtesy Australian War Memorial
Medals & Awards
The 1914–15 Star is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to all who served in the British and Imperial forces in any theatre of the First World War against the Central European Powers during 1914 and 1915.
The War Medal is a campaign medal of the British Empire which was awarded to the officers and men of British and Imperial forces for their service in the First World War.
The Victory Medal was awarded to all those who served in the armed forces during the First World War. Civilians who worked with the armed services as well as those who served in military hospitals also received this medal.
5 Light Horse Regiment, AIF Patch. Horizontally aligned rectangular colour patch for 5 Light Horse Regiment, AIF, divided diagonally red (left) below light blue.
Worn as a distinguishing unit indication at the head of each sleeve from 1916.
.png)
.png)