Corporal (the Reverend) Frank DOLEY
6 Apr 1885 – 17 Aug 1916
Frank DOLEY was born on 6th April, 1885 to George Henry and Elizabeth Doley of Mitcham, SA. Frank was the eighth son of his family. One of his brothers, the Reverend Charles Dolev, was the Methodist Minister for Broken Hill.
Frank also became a Methodist Minister and he rendered excellent service at Bute, Blackwood, Lameroo and in early May, 1915, he arrived in Waikerie as the new local Minister. Four months later Frank enlisted on August 24th, 1915 completing his attestation at Adelaide. On enlistment, he was described as 30years, 4 months old, 5’ 3 ¾” tall with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair.
“His farewell sermon, prior to donning the khaki, left a lasting impression upon his hearers. His ministry was characterized by plain, outspoken truths. Heroics, or any attempt to play upon the heart strings was foreign to his nature. One memorable phrase in connection with a discourse on the subject of death is well remembered:—’Many people are afraid of death; to me it has no terrors; I am more afraid of living than dying.’ In announcing to members of his congregation that the call to enlist had come to him and could not be denied, he remarked that he came of a large family, and could more easily be spared than the others. This act of self-abnegation was in keeping with the rest of his manly traits “(Register newspaper 19-9-16).
He joined the 32 Infantry Battalion which formed at Micham SA and on 11th January he embarked from Adelaide on HMAT “Borda A30” for Eqypt arriving on 10th March 1916. He was taken on strength of the 16th Battalion and after further training embarked for Marseilles France in the first days of June 1916. On the 9th of June Frank moved into the front lines and towards Pozieres.
Pozieres was captured initially on 23 July 1916. The division clung to its gains despite almost continuous artillery fire and repeated German counter-attacks but suffered heavily. By the time it was relieved on 27 July it had suffered 5,285 casualties. The 2nd Division took over from the 1st and mounted two further attacks – the first, on 29 July, was a costly failure; the second, on 2 August, resulted in the seizure of further German positions beyond the village. Again, the Australians suffered heavily from retaliatory bombardments. They were relieved on 6 August, having suffered 6,848 casualties.
The 4th Division was next in the line at Pozieres. It too endured a massive artillery bombardment, and defeated a German counter-attack on 7 August; this was the last attempt by the Germans to retake Pozieres. By the 13th August 1916, the 16th Battalion were being removed from the lines, where they had been trying to take Mouquet farm, they were relieved by the 50th. Frank had survived the bloody and costly trench, street and bomb fighting that had claimed so many over the past month. As they moved out along the trenches a massive German heavy bombardment was brought down on the whole area. In this bombing on the 13th August 1916 there were 39 more killed, 345 wounded and 19 listed missing from the 16th Battalion. Sadly Frank was one of those wounded. He sustained serious wounds to his left arm, left shoulder and his left thigh which was badly fractured. He was taken from the clearing station to hospital where on the 14th August, because of the seriousness of the injuries; they amputated his left leg and arm.
At 4.25am on the 17th August, 1916, at 31 years of age, Corporal the Reverend Frank DOLEY succumbed to his terrible injuries. Frank was one of 780 allied soldiers known to have died that day. Frank Doley was the first Methodist Minister from South Australia to die in the war.
Frank DOLEY is buried at the Wimereux Communal War Cemetery in France.
Also interred in this cemetery is Canadian Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae (November 30, 1872 – January 28, 1918) was a Medical Officer, poet and soldier in World War I who is best known for writing the poem “In Flanders Fields” after seeing the death of his friend the day before.
Doley is commemorated with so many other brave men from these battles on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour. Frank is also commemorated on the War Memorial in the WAIKERIE War Memorial Gardens and at Prospect Hill.
