The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (2386) Private Francis Bede Commins, 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, First World War.

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Tristan Rallings, the story for this day was on (2386) Private Francis Bede Commins, 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF, First World War.

2386 Private Francis Bede Commins, 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF
KIA: 31 March 1917

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Francis Bede Commins.

Francis Bede Commins was born in 1877 in Orange, New South Wales, the son of Thomas and Bridget Commins.
Known as Frank, he attended St Stanislaus College in Bathurst, excelling at sport and his studies. On graduating, he undertook an apprenticeship with a solicitor, and in 1903 he was admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales. Shortly afterwards, he took up a practice in the town of Parkes. There, he maintained his interest in sport, acting as an umpire in local cricket and football matches.
In November 1908, Frank married Nora Byrnes at St Jarlath’s Catholic Church in Parkes. The couple had two children, Kathleen in 1909 and John in 1913.

In March 1916, Commins volunteered to enlist in the Australian Imperial Force. After initial training in Australia, Commins embarked from Sydney on the transport ship Mashobra in September 1916. In early November he arrived in England, where he continued training. He sailed for France in December, joining the 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion.

Commins continued his training in France, becoming acquainted with the newest British tactics for warfare on the Western Front. His unit was stationed in northern France, near the Belgian border. The French winter of 1916 and 1917 was the coldest in memory, and the Australians struggled to remain healthy in the extreme conditions. In late January, Commins was admitted to hospital with dental problems and illness. He remained in hospital recovering until mid-March, when he was discharged and rejoined his unit.

During March 1917, the 53rd Battalion spent time in the front line near the village of Lagnicourt in northern France. At this time, German forces had undertaken a strategic withdrawal to a strongly-fortified position known as the Hindenburg Line. Australian forces, including the 53rd Battalion, were in the process of following up this withdrawal. Towards the middle of March, the unit occupied trenches that had previously been the German front line.
On the afternoon of 31 March 1917, Commins and his unit were in a front-line trench when a shell fragment struck him in the head and killed him instantly. He was 40 years old.
Commins was buried near where he fell, but at the end of the war many smaller burial places were consolidated. His remains are now buried at Beaumetz Cross Roads Cemetery in France, alongside more than 250 Commonwealth soldiers of the First World War.

Two of Commins’s older brothers also served in the AIF. Private James Commins served with the 24th Battalion and was killed at Bullecourt about one month after Frank was killed. Sergeant Patrick Commins served with the Australian General Base Depot in France, and returned to Australia in 1918.

Private Francis Bede Commins is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.

This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Francis Bede Commins, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world.

Thomas Rogers
Historian, Military History Section