The AIF Project

Francis Stringer WOODCOCK

Regimental number1262
Place of birthNormanton, Yorkshire, England
Age on arrival in Australia17
ReligionChurch of England
OccupationWatchmaker
Address7 Shaftsbury Street, Moreland, Victoria
Marital statusSingle
Age at embarkation19
Height5' 4.5"
Weight126 lbs
Next of kinFather, Samuel Woodcock, 7 Shaftsbury Street, Moreland, Victoria
Previous military serviceNil (previously rejected for enlistment in 60th Infantry on account of 'def[icien]t height')
Enlistment date8 July 1915
Place of enlistmentMelbourne, Victoria
Rank on enlistmentSignaller
Unit name29th Battalion, D Company
AWM Embarkation Roll number23/46/1
Embarkation detailsUnit embarked from Melbourne, Victoria, on board HMAT A11 Ascanius on 10 November 1915
Rank from Nominal RollPrivate
Unit from Nominal Roll29th Battalion
FateKilled in Action 20 July 1916
Place of death or woundingFleurbaix, France
Age at death from cemetery records20
Place of burialNo known grave
Commemoration detailsV.C. Corner (Panel No 1), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles, France
Panel number, Roll of Honour,
  Australian War Memorial
116
Miscellaneous information from
  cemetery records
Parents: Samuel and Mary WOODCOCK
Other details

War service: Egypt, Western Front

Embarked Melbourne, 10 November 1915; disembarked Suez, 7 December 1915.

Embarked Alexandria to join the British Expeditionary Force, 16 June 1916; disembarked Marseilles, France, 23 June 1916.

Missing in action, 19-20 July 1916.

Court of Enquiry, held in the field, 23 August 1917, pronounced fate as 'killed in action, 20 July 1916'.

File (p. 10) bears notation 'Believed buried in vicinity of Fleurbaix Sh 36'.

Note on Red Cross File No 3010601: 'No trace Germany[.] Cert. by Capt. Mills 10-10-19.'

Statement, 356 Corporal F. WEBSTER, A Company, 29th Bn, undated statement: 'All the above men [166 L.R. BATEY, 1470 M.L. BRUNN, 80 S. FARLOW, 2033 R. GILL, 2050 J.I. HIGGINS, 320 F. PARRY, 361 H.J. WESTMORLAND, 1314 E.J. WILKIN, 1314, 1262 F.S. WOODCOCK] were in No. 3 Platoon along with himself and his brother ... The nine above named men were killed on the afternoon of July 19th. or in the morning of July 20th, 1916, when the Bn went into action at Fleur Baix (sic). All the above were killed either by Shellfire (sic) or Machine Gun, and were buried at the left hand of the sap which runs in to the back of Water Farm (POZIERES). This was a very large grave and contained about twenty or thirty bodies, and is marked by one big cross. They were all buried by a fatigue party from D. Company and some of the bandsmen. Informant was at the burial on the 22nd. July and saw the remains of the nine men named above, properly buried. Informant and his brother were the only two men left alive out of the Platoon, his brother was in charge at the time.'

Medals: British War Medal, Victory Medal
Miscellaneous details'Moreland' crossed out on Attestation Form; replaced by 'Coburg'.
SourcesNAA: B2455, WOODCOCK Francis Stringer
Red Cross file 3010601

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