Ancestor Details
Ancestor's Name: Frank Halsall
Ancestor's date of birth: 14/07/1879
Ancestor's date of death: 14/11/1951
Cause of Death: Stroke
Service and Life Before the Boer War: Lived at Creighton's Creek, near Euroa, Victoria
Service Number: 1039
Colony or State of enlistment: VIC, Place of Enlistment: Detail not provided
Unit: 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles
Rank attained in Boer War: PTE, Date Effective: On enlistment
Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No record of post Boer War service
Murray Page: 288
Contingent: Fifth Victorian
Ship: Orient, Argus, or City of Lincoln, Date of Sailing: 15/02/1901
Memorial details: VMR Memorial Melbourne.
Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with five clasps including Transvaal, SA 1901 and SA 1902.
Personal Characteristics: Kind, and brave.
Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided.
Details of service in war: March 1901 - March 1902 in east Transvaal and Natal frontier, including defeat at Wilmansrust where 18 killed and 42 wounded (12 June 1901), and successful intervention at Onverwacht (4 January 1902); heaviest casualties of any Australian contingent, at Wilmansrust suffered the costliest defeat.
|
From a hospital at Middelburg, Trooper Frank Halsall gave his account of the engagement at Wilmansrust:
"On the night of 12 June 1901, at about 20:00, the Boers rushed the camp, the Boers got in through the pickets without being seen, and when within 100 metres of the camp they opened a most terrific fire. We all had our rifles piled up (a most foolish order) and had not time to get at them, so we simply had to lie flat on the ground expecting that the fusillade would stop or slacken for a moment or so. But unfortunately it did not stop for an instant until the Boers went through the camp, shooting men down and yelling like madmen. We had 21 killed and 45 wounded. The Boers took two pom poms from us, nearly all our rifles and ammunition and such horses that were alive, and then they left us. Our doctor was killed, and it was noon next day before we could get another doctor. I have been in hospital since Saturday (four days). It took us three days to come in on bullock wagons. My wound is not too bad. I was hit on the lef temple just as I was getting up." Australians in the Boer War |
Service and life after the Boer War: Had various jobs - fireman, tram driver, caretaker. In East Malvern, Victoria about 1914 he ran in front of a bolting horse and cart to save a woman and child in its path. He was wounded and sent to hospital.
Descendant Details
Name of Descendant: Eleanor Joy Lindsay, Black Rock VIC
Relationship to Ancestor: Granddaughter
