Private Frank Curtis 

47th Australian Infantry Battalion 

 

 

 

Service Number:                       714 

Place of Enlistment:                 Brisbane 

Age of Enlistment:                    25 Years and 11 months 

Date of Enlistment:                  13th of January 1917 

Embarked: Brisbane:               21st of June 1917 

Transport Ship:                        A29 HMAT SS Suevic 

Medals Awarded:                     British War Medal, Victory Medal 

Place of Death:                        Killed in Action, Battle of Dernancourt, France 5th of April 1918 

Resting Place:                         Buried Villers Bretonneux Cemetery France 

Unit Badge:                             47th Australian Infantry Battalion AIF

 

Additional Information:  

On Frank Curtis:

After the confusion of battle on the 5^th of April, the fate of Private Curtis was initially unclear and he was officially listed as missing. After the war, three eyewitnesses, Private’s Rankin, O’Rourke and Dunn, stated that Private Curtis was among a small group of men who were taken prisoner during the battle on the 5^th of April. Private O’Rourke was also taken prisoner and he claims that a German officer fatally shot Private Curtis in the lower abdomen after his surrender. I should note that there are other conflicting accounts that place him at a dressing station or saw him dead on the field. None of these accounts exactly correlate, however Private Curtis did not become a prisoner of war and almost certainly died on the 5^th of April 1918, probably after he was taken prisoner.

On the Battle of Dernancourt:

On the 5^th of April the 47^th Battalion was on the line near the town of Dernancourt. Anticipating an attack, they successfully launched patrols to locate and disperse the Germans. The Germans responded by heavily shelling the 47^th Battalion, including gas shells; followed by a significant assault on the Australian position. This lasted 4 hours and 47^th held their position, inflicting heavy casualties on the attacking Germans. The 47^th was then reinforced by the Australian 49^th and 45^th Battalions. The Australians counterattacked, but ran into heavy machine gun fire, despite this they carried the enemy position with a bayonet charge, halting the attack due to casualties. This battle was a part of Operation Michael, the enormous 1918 German spring offensive.