Family histories

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GARNETT Benjamin "Frank"

Benjamin Francis, known as Frank. Frank’s grandparents Thomas Garnett and Jane Freeman migrated from England to South Australia in the late 1850’s. His father, Benjamin Garnett, was born on 15 May 1861 at Watervale in South Australia. Ben married Mary Ellen McMillan on 3rd February 1885 at Port Augusta and they farmed at Yednalue near Cradock to the north east. There were nine children – Mary Ann, Maud, May, Alexander, Frank, Evelyn, Leonard, Eric and Ivor. Frank had been born at Cradock on 29 October 1891.   After Mary Ellen’s death on 31 May 1898 Ben Snr followed his brother James (Jim) and sister Sarah Jenkin to West Australia, arriving in 1912. Jim Garnett was already established on his farming property “Glenroy” at Gnowangerup.  Frank aged 21, Evelyn aged 19 and Eric aged 15 came with their father. Leonard chose to stay in South Australia and Ivor also stayed, being raised by his grandparents. Ben was one of the first to take up land at Needilup. (Later, following her marriage Evelyn returned to South Australia).

 

FRANK GARNETT                #1
 


 

 

Frank had two brothers who enlisted in South Australia – Ivor and Leonard (recorded on this list). He enlisted on 7 August 1916, and was noted as a 24 year old farmer at Needilup, Gnowangerup. He was 5 foot 8 inches tall, 12 stone 4 pounds, with a fair complexion, fair hair and brown eyes. Frank embarked at Fremantle on the A28 Miltiades on January 29 1917. On 9 April 1917 he was sent to Parkhouse Hospital at Codford as he had contracted mumps. He returned to Belgium where he was taken on strength on 31 August 1917. He was a machine gunner throughout the war. On 27 September 1917 he was wounded, a gun shot wound to his thigh during the battle of Polygon Wood. Frank was evacuated to Etaples then Le Havre. He rejoined his unit on 27 November 1917. Frank was appointed Lance Corporal on 27 July 1918. He embarked on the Konigan Luise on 9 August 1919 for his return to Western Australia and was discharged on 10 September 1919.

Leonard Garnett the 20 year-old brother of Frank enlisted in South Australia in September 1915. He contracted infectious meningitis while in Exhibition Military Camp, Adelaide and following his death on 26 October, was given a full Military Funeral with the casket drawn by gun carriage along Rundle Street and through the city to West Terrace Cemetery.  
 

Ivor Garnett, the youngest of the family, enlisted in September 1916 as an 18 year-old.  He sailed from Melbourne in July 1917 aboard the Themistocles  which was the first troop ship to sail through the Panama Canal.  (He wrote a long and detailed account of this journey in a letter to his father at Needilup and it was published in one of the local papers of the time.)  Ivor served with the 11th Battery of the 4th Field Artillery Brigade.  While in France he heard at one time that his brother Frank’s Battalion was resting nearby so he borrowed a horse and set out in search of this unit.  When he located their camp he learned that his brother was in a nearby hospital so he headed off in that direction.  (Probably March 1918 when Frank was admitted with trench fever and scabies.)  Along the way he saw a lone soldier on foot, wearing the white and blue colour patch of the 16th Battalion, and thought of asking him if he knew Frank.  On arriving at the hospital he was told that Frank had gone back to his unit because there was a football match on that afternoon.   Ivor soon realised that the man he had passed earlier was in fact his brother!  Having not seen one another for five years or so, neither recognised the other.  Happily, they did meet up some time later.  Ivor was wounded in the foot at Mont St Quentin in September 1918.  He returned to England for treatment and saw no further action.  Ivor was a proud member of the RSL  throughout his life.  He died in South Australia at the age of 96 years in 1994.


 

 FRANK & RUBY GARNETT ON THEIR WEDDING DAY                #
 

FRANK GARNETT''S FAMILY               #
 

Frank married Ruby Porteous on 22 February 1922. Ruby’s three brothers had served  in WWI. Frank was a member of the local RSL, holding various positions of office. After the war he took up a farm, about 7 miles out of Gnowangerup, which was later named ‘Roslyn’. In the mid 1920s Frank and his brother Eric purchased land adjoining ‘Roslyn’ and they share-farmed for approximately 6 years.  During the Depression the farm could not support them both so Eric left and worked for his uncle Jim Garnett at Glenroy for about 3 years before purchasing his own property prior to his marriage..  After some time the farm became more profitable and Frank was able to buy out Eric’s share of the land at “Roslyn”. Frank’s father Ben was killed in a tragic accident on 14 March 1924. Ben had filled a tank with water from the Government dam at Needilup around 12 noon, and was returning to his farm. He was sitting on the shafts when the wheel struck a mallee root and Ben fell under the wheel which passed over the upper part of his body, breaking his back. A neighbour, Sid Foster found him around 3pm. Ben entreated him to stay with him,  expecting he would pass away at the scene of the accident.. However he was taken on the long journey to the Gnowangerup Hospital where he died two days later. His farm was bought by Herb (H.C.J,) Wise.

 
 

Frank was known as the ‘Souvenir King’ as he conceived and organised a very successful Souvenir Exhibition June 26-29 1935. (pp 19, 24, 31, 35 Echo) Frank had a valuable souvenir himself – a 9 millimetre German Luger he had retrieved from the battlefield. Doug Garnett said it was in ‘as new’ condition when he handled it as a youth. It was sometimes used to shoot rabbits by his cousin although it was difficult to purchase the ammunition. The gun was handed in to the Police Station prior to Frank leaving Gnowangerup. Frank was President of the Gnowangerup RSL in 1935, also on the hospital committee and was friendly with many returned soldiers, and was Best Man for Alan Harris. Frank was an active member of the VDC in Gnowangerup during WWII.

 

 

 

 

Every endeavour has been made to accurately record the details however if you would like to provide additional images and/or newer information we are pleased to update the details on this site. Please use CONTACT at the top of this page to email us. We appreciate your involvement in recording the history of our area.

 

References:                 Article:    Doug Garnett
                                              "Gnowangerup My Town" Pearl Marshall
                                              Gnowangerup Dtat

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Copyright : Gordon Freegard 2024