Private Frederick Frank David MAY
9 Mar 1916 – 27 Aug 1942
Frederick Frank David MAY was born on 9th March 1916 to Valentine Terry May and Clara Kate May, at Murat Bay. Frederick was known to family and friends as “Frank”. Frank was brother to Margaret and Reg. Frank was brought up and did his schooling in Waikerie. He enlisted at Waikerie, attesting and joining the 2nd Australian Infantry Forces.
After his enlistment and training, Frank left for the fighting overseas. He was posted to the 2/10th battalion and embarked for the Middle East on 5 May 1940. En route to the Middle East, they were diverted to the UK to bolster its defences following the fall of France. The 2/10th disembarked in Scotland on 18 June and was subsequently based near Salisbury, in England and left the United Kingdom on 17 November.
The 2/10th arrived in Egypt on 31 December 1940 and reinforced the 2/9th Battalion for an attack on 21 March 1941, They moved to Tobruk in the first week of April taking part in the defence of Tobruk until it was withdrawn at the end of August. This made Frank one of the famous “RATS OF TOBRUK”. After Tobruk, the 2/10th trained in Palestine and from late September 1941 to early January 1942 garrisoned Syria. It sailed for Australia on 11 February, disembarking in Adelaide on 29 March.
The men took leave and Frank visited Waikerie with other local men on April 7th, 1942. The paper reported that Frank visited the RSL where he and the men he was with were feted by those there. In mid April they were transferred to Caloundra, QLD for intense jungle training with other Australian troops.
Papua was the 2/10th’s next battleground and the battles it fought there were its most bitter and costly. Frank arrived at Milne Bay on 12 August and on the night of 27 August the 2/10th was overwhelmed by Japanese marines in a confused battle for the airfields at Milne Bay.
Frank was one of those brave men lost in the ferocious action on 27th August 1942. Franks mother, devastated at having lost one of her sons, died on December 21st 1942.
Frank MAY is interred in the Bomona War Memorial Cemetery, Port Moresby and is commemorated on the Australian War Memorial on the Roll of Honour.
Frank is also commemorated with a tree and plaque here in the WAIKERIE War Memorial Gardens.
