Wyndham History

B. F. Franklin, West Footscray

Item

Placeholder image - Veteran.png

Dublin Core

Type

Title

B. F. Franklin, West Footscray

Contributor

Publisher

Wyndham City Libraries

Format

text

Language

eng

World War One Veterans Item Type Metadata

Name

B. F. Franklin, West Footscray

Birth Date

Birthplace

Service Number

No record of Service in World War One exists.

Enlistment Date

Next of Kin

Unknown

Address at time of Enlistment

West Footscray, Victoria.

Occupation

Marital Status

Unknown

Death Date

Biographical Text

B.F. Franklin, West Footscray
1. The name Franklin, B.F., West Footscray first appeared in the Roll of Honor in the Werribee Shire Banner, 13 February 1919, p.3.  
It was repeated in the Werribee Shire Banner, 6 March 1919, p 1. This was after the war had concluded.
2. The name Franklin, B.F. is listed on the Shire’s Oak Board.

Policy for entering names on the Werribee Shire Honor Board of The Great War.
Not all of the people named on the Werribee Council Honor Board and the Werribee Shire Banner Roll of Honor actually served in the Australian Military Services during the Great War. Some of the men who volunteered for service, who for various reasons were not accepted, also have their names entered there.

The Werribee Shire Secretary advertised that "PARENTS and relatives of Soldiers who have enlisted from the Shire of Werribee are EARNESTLY REQUESTED to forward particulars to the Shire Secretary so that the names may be INSCRIBED on the Shire Honor Board". (Seethe Werribee Shire Banner, 31 October 1918, p.2.)
[This seems to have been re-interpreted as "parents and relatives of soldiers who live in the Shire of Werribee, and have relatives that enlisted in the Great War, are requested to forward particulars to the Shire Secretary, so that their names may be inscribed on the Shire Honor Board".]

I believe that the above was the case with Mr B.F. Franklin. He tried to enlist, but was not accepted.

Notes:
1. No person with the name Franklin B.F. appears on the WW1 Nominal Roll or the WW1 Embarkation Rolls.

2. Five men named B. Franklin served with the A.I.F. in WW1. None appear to have a connection with Werribee, and only one had a connection to Victoria. They were –
a. No. 53, Benjamin Franklin, 13th Light Horse, from Milltown, Victoria.
b. No. 970, Benjamin Franklin, 11th Light Horse, from South Australia.
c. No. 4486, Benjamin Franklin, 2nd Batt, New South Wales.
d. No.1140, Benjamin Herbert Franklin, 10th Batt, died in South Australia.
e. No. 2359, Benjamin Walter Franklin, 27th Batt, from South Australia.

3. There is no birth of a B F Franklin in the Pioneer Index of Victoria 1836–1888.

4. There is 1 birth of a B F Franklin in the Federation Index of Victoria 1889 – 1901
The entry is “Brian Frederick Franklin. Born at Minyip in 1893, to Edward and Bridget Franklin.
This would make him 26 years old when his name first appeared in 1919.

Bibliography

http://trove.nla.gov.au/
https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search/nominal_rolls/first_world_war_embarkation/
http://www.naa.gov.au/
CD Pioneer Index of Victoria 1836 - 1888
CD Federation Index of Victoria 1889 – 1901

Citation

“B. F. Franklin, West Footscray,” Wyndham History, accessed June 3, 2023, https://wyndhamhistory.net.au/items/show/1726.

Comments

Bill

I think that this could have been Private Charles Walter Franklin of 8 Coronation St, Kingsville. He was killed in France in May 1917.

See  A History of Kingsville until 1930 by Curtin & Kelleher, Local History R994.51 CURT

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