Frank Ball

Frank Ball

Personal Information
Date of Birth	unknown March 1893
Place of Birth	Perth, Western Australia
Death	2 May 1915
Place of Death	Gallipoli Peninsular, Turkey
Age at Enlistment	21 years, 7 months
Description	5'6" (1.52m) tall ; 133lbs 60.328 kg ; dark complexion ; brown eyes ; brown hair
Occupation	Labourer
Religion	Church of England
Address	Maddington, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father , Mt W Ball
Military Information
Reg Number	812
Date of Enlistment	21 Sep 1914
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	16th Battalion. 1st Reinforcements
Date of Embarkation	22 Dec 1914 ‒ 1 Feb 1915
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A35 Berrima
Fate	Killed in Action 2 May 1915
Monument	Gosnells RSL Honour Board Lone Pine Memorial
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Prior to his enlistment Frank lived in Perth, working as a labourer.

War Service

Following basic training at Blackboy Hill camp near Perth, he travelled to Melbourne and joined the 16th Battalion in training at the Broadmeadows camp. Frank embarked with the rest of his unit from Melbourne on board “HMAT Berrima (A35),” on the 22 December 1914. Arriving in Egypt in February 1915, the men proceeded to Tel-El-Kebir Camp to continue training.

Frank transferred from the 1st Reinforcement draft to the battalion proper on 22 Mar 1915, and was allocated to A Company. On 11 Apr 1915 he travelled by train with the rest of the battalion to Alexandria where they arrived early the next morning. On arrival they waited on the wharf until early afternoon to board HMT Haida Pascha, sailing for Lemnos on 14 Apr 1915.

On 17, 18 and 19 April the battalion practised landings from ship's boats. Heavy rain over the next few days put an end to the training and they waited aboard ship.

Not a part of the "Screening Force', the 16th Battalion and HMT Haida Pascha remained in Mudros Harbour on Lemnos until around lunch time on 25 Apr 1915 before steaming to Anzac Cove where the battalion landed in the late afternoon of Day 1.

At nightfall on 2 May, the 16th Battalion attacked up a hill called the Bloody Angle towards Quinn’s Post, and throughout the night they continued to fight and dig trenches. Those that dug n were to become exposed with it being almost impossible to communicate with them or to resupply them. The Turks occupied high ground above them and were able to enfilade them from strongly held positions with the result that those who could were forced to retreat back past Quinn's Post to the gully below.

Frank was reported missing on 2 May 1915. At a Court of Enquiry held in Egypt from 6-8-18 Apr 1916, Frank was declared to have been killed in action on 2 May 1915 at Bloody Angle, Gallipoli. The 16th Battalion's War Diary gives no clue as to how he may have died, especially in the way that no one around him noticed his death.

Notes

Brother of 1874 Ernest Ball DCM, and Horace Munro Bell who returned to Australia.