Gilgandra, NSW
*2395 and 66805
6th Light Horse Regiment and Imperial Camel Corps
Gilgandra Coo-ee
Returned to Australia 8.3.1917
Private Francis Noel White 2395 and 66805
Francis Noel White was a wheelwright when he enlisted at Gilgandra on 9 October 1915 and became one of the original Gilgandra Cooees who marched to Sydney and arrived with 263 recruits.
The attesting officer was Captain Nichols and Dr Peet of Gilgandra did the physical examination. He was described as 5’7” tall, weighed 12st 7lb (79 kgs), with a fair complexion, blue eyes and fair hair. Francis had five vaccination marks and tattoos on both arms, one of which was a rearing horse. A large plain oval scar on the inner side of the right knee was probably caused by a horse and caused a lot of health problems. He had been rejected once for service because of his knee.
Francis was born in Preston Kent England in 1879. His mother was his next of kin and the address was Mrs Mercer, c/- Miss Bosworth, “Lynton’ College Lane. East Grimstead, Sussex, England. Francis had previously been with the royal East Kent Mounted Rifles for 2 years and 3 days.
He was attached to the 6th Light Horse originally and after training at Menangle he embarked from Sydney on 3 May 1916 on the ‘Hymettus’ In June 1916 he was taken on strength with the 2nd Light Horse Training Regiment at Tel el Keb and on 8 July 1916 Francis was attached for duty as Sanitary Sergeant at the Australian Training Headquarters. He returned to the unit at Moascar in early September 1916 and was charged with being drunk on duty while on active service at Moascar on the 27 September 1916. He was sentenced to 21 day field punishment. A week later, Francis went to hospital with ‘Pharaphimosis’ (swelling of the foreskin) and spent two weeks in the 24 stationary hospital at Moascar.
Francis was discharged from hospital on 14 October 1916 and was taken on strength in the Imperial Camel Corps at Abbassia. From 23 November 1916 to February 1917 he was with the Australian Imperial Camel Corps at El Mustagidde and El-Arish. in late 1916 the ICC was transferred to the Sinai Desert to take part in operations against the Turkish army. Here the battalions of the ICC fought alongside Australian light horse units at Romani, Magdhaba and Rafa. In December 1916, Francis ‘ricked’ his bad right knee and was unable to ride but was still on active service with his unit. In February 1917, he jumped off a camel and hurt his knee and was admitted to hospital with ‘Synovitis of the knee’.
On the 2 March, at No 14 Australian General Hospital at Abbassia, Major J Colin Storey advised discharge as permanently unfit. Francis returned to Australia on the ‘Willochre’ on the 8 March 1917. He was discharged in Sydney on 25 May 1917.
Enlistment two was on 11 July 1917 at the Dubbo Depot, he was passed by Dr Peet in Gilgandra but the Commanding Officer didn’t sign the paperwork.
Enlistment three was two months later in Newcastle. He passed the medical examination and the attestation on the 29th September but was re-examined and rejected on 2 October 1917.
His service record states he embarked on the SS ’Wyreema’ on the 14th October 1918 to London and returned on the 21st December 1918. He was designated Acting Sergeant for the voyage and was discharged on the 5th January 1919. There is no indication for the reason for the voyage. Francis’ life after the war has yet to be confirmed. Private White is commemorated on the Coo-ee Memorial Gateway and the Virtual War Memorial.