The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (204) Corporal Frank Manfred Elphick, 1st Field Artillery Brigade, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Melanie Cassar, the story for this day was on (204) Corporal Frank Manfred Elphick, 1st Field Artillery Brigade, First World War.

204 Corporal Frank Manfred Elphick, 1st Field Artillery Brigade
Killed in Action 5 October 1917

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Frank Manfred Elphick.

Frank Elphick was born in 1893 to James and Wilhelmina Elphick of Adelong, New South Wales. He was one of 12 children, and the fourth of eight sons, although one of his brothers died in infancy. Frank’s father was a highly accomplished man who had educated himself after being forced to start work at the age of eight. A blacksmith by trade, James Elphick made his money on the goldfields of Adelong and later in Tumut, where he became a member of the town council. His mother also served as mayoress of Tumut for many years.

Their son Frank was described as “a sturdy type of Australian, with that pertinacity and courage inherited from the old bull-dog breed,” which he clearly inherited from his father’s own sense of purpose and determination. Frank, who was sometimes known as “Nacki”, was educated at the Adelong state school, and went on to work as a coach builder in Tumut. There he was known as “a good boxer, a splendid footballer, and a general all round athlete.” He was also a Sunday School teacher, a regular member of the All Saints’ choir, and “one of Tumut’s favourites”.

Frank enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force with his brother Arthur within weeks of the outbreak of war in August 1914. Going into the artillery, the brothers underwent a period of training in Australia before leaving on board the troopship Argyllshire with the Fist Field Artillery Brigade in October 1914. They went first to Egypt, where they continued training in the desert for some weeks.

The Australian field artillery landed on Gallipoli on the morning of 25 April 1915, firing a few shells in the direction of the enemy’s guns. Frank and Arthur Elphick remained on the peninsula through most of the campaign until the end of the year. On 29 October Turkish guns were firing on Shrapnel Valley and in the vicinity of the 1st Artillery Brigade’s Camp. During one of the bombardments, Frank was struck in the head by a shell fragment. He was evacuated from Gallipoli in early November and taken to hospital in Malta. After several weeks, he was well enough to return to Egypt, rejoining his brigade at Tel-el-Kebir in mid-January.

The 1st Field Artillery Brigade landed at Marseilles in France in March 1916 in preparation for joining the war on the Western Front. In July 1916 the 1st Field Artillery Brigade took part in the successful capture of the French village of Pozieres. They would continue to fire in support of Australian operations throughout the year and into 1917.

On 14 May 1917 Corporal Frank Elphick turned 23, and somehow, despite the inconsistency of the postal system, he received a large package of presents from Australia on the day. He and his brother continued to be together in the same field artillery brigade. Arthur wrote home in 1917 to say “that Frank has had more than his share of luck, according to the many miraculous escapes from death he has had.”

On 4 October 1917 the Australians took part in an operation to attack the German positions on the Broodseinde Ridge. The 1st Field Artillery Brigade was part of the support for the infantry attack, firing hundreds of shells for hours in a complicated pattern of barrages. Always a target for the German artillery, the Australian artillery positions came under occasional fire, although not enough to stop their activity.

The day after the attack, the brigade was busy firing at the request of the infantry, trying to locate and stop any potential German counter-attacks or points of retaliation. At some point on that day, in the midst of desperate activity, Corporal Frank Elphick was killed in action. No record remains of the manner of his death, but it was almost certainly the result of enemy artillery fire.

Frank Elphick’s body was taken from the battlefield and buried in what is now The Huts Cemetery near Ypres in Belgium. He lies under the simple epitaph “peace, perfect peace.” Frank Elphick was 24 years old.
Arthur Elphick returned to Australia, eventually moving to Sydney and taking up residence at Bondi.

Frank’s name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Corporal Frank Manfred Elphick, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section