Francis (Frank) Patrick Hunt
Stephen LearmonthFrancis Patrick Hunt was born at Walwa Creek, Victoria on the 1st day of July in 1896. He was the second child of six children for Francis John and Margaret Hanna (née Dunn) Hunt. Francis snr passed away in April of 1914, leaving Francis jnr, at 17, to continue on with the family’s grazing interests which the Hunts had been involved in since arriving in the district about 40 years ago.
When Frank enlisted at Albury NSW on the 10th of June 1940, he conveniently wrote his year of birth as 1899. As both of his parents had passed away he gave his next-of-kin as his younger brother Albert. He undertook his basic training at Bendigo in country Victoria. Between Jone of 1940 and April of 1941, Frank moved through a number of training battalions learning how to be a soldier. Two months before heading overseas he was posted to the 1st Australian Armoured Brigade AASC at Bonegilla in Victoria.
It was the third day of April 1941 when Frank found himself staring up at the Queen Mary, docked at Sydney. It was the ship he was to travel to war in! The SS Queen Mary, also known as SS NN for security purposes, would carry 6000 troops across the seas to Africa on this one voyage. In convoy with her was her sister ship, SS Queen Elizabeth, which would be carrying another 5600 Australian troops, and the SS Mauritania, which would be carrying 4400 New Zealand troops. This would be the only time during the war the Queen Mary would travel in convoy. Due to her speed she was able to make all of her other journeys by herself. The convoy reached the Middle East in early May of that year.
In mid-October, Frank was transferred to the HQ 1st Australian Corps Guards Battalion. Commonly called “The Old and the Bold”, the role of the battalion was to guard Corps HQ and the base facilities in Palestine.In early 1942 the battalion also took responsibility for defending the lines of communication.
Disaster struck at 1800 hours on the 4th of May 1942 when Frank was struck by a military truck at the Kilo 89 Camp in Palestine. He was immediately evacuated to the 2/3rd Field Ambulance and placed on the dangerously ill list. His injuries included; fractured skull, fractured spine, fractured scapula, and a fractured pelvis. He died at 0500 hours on the 12th of May. He was buried in the British War Cemetery in Beruit the following day.
The driver of the vehicle, NX30150 Sapper Bernie Achibald Chisholm was charged with “neglected to do prejudice of good order and military discipline, in that he near Alleppo on 4.5.42 so negligently drove a military vehicle when it struck VX36041 Pte Hunt F.P.Aust. HQ Gd Bn, clearly causing the death of the said Pte. Hunt.” Bernie was found not guilty of the charge and Frank’s death was recorded as being accidental.
Frank is remembered on the Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour and the Walwa Honour Roll. For his service, he was awarded the Africa Star, the Defence Medal, the War Medal 1939-1945 and the Australian Service Medal 1939-1945.