Special bond forged by WWI
World War I veteran Frank Keith Marshall always had time to stop whenever he met any of his mates from the 11th Battalion in Perth after the war.
One of his sons, Gordon, of Melville, said that he would often accompany his father during the 1940s and 1950s as he went about town and came to recognise the unique bond the men shared.
There would be a nod or a smile to someone in the street or on a tram, or a stop for a handshake and a chat, Gordon Marshall said.
Sometimes he would go with his father when he visited mates.
They would talk about politics, sport, books, articles and international affairs - but never the war.
Frank was born in Wyalong, NSW, and moved to Kalgoorlie with his family as a boy.
He became a schoolmaster, working at small schools in the region until he found himself in the farming community of Bejoording, near Toodyay, when war broke out. He was quick to answer the call and enlisted on September 17, 1914.
He went to the training camp at Blackboy Hill and on October 31 left Fremantle with the 11th Battalion.
The battalion disembarked in Egypt for further training and hundreds of the men gathered on January 10, 1915, on Cheops Pyramid for a photograph.
_The West Australian _ is supporting a WA Genealogical Society project to name the 703 men in the famous image.
The society has divided a digital copy of the photo into grids, so each man is numbered.
It is believed Frank was No. 22.
The 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th battalions formed the 3rd Brigade, the covering force for the Anzac landing at Gallipoli on April 25, and were first ashore about 4.30am.
Frank fell ill with influenza and tonsillitis during his time in Gallipoli and was evacuated to hospital in Egypt before returning to his unit.
On August 1, he was seriously wounded to the head and face by shrapnel. He was again evacuated to hospital in Egypt and returned to WA in September.
Gordon said his father lost his left eye and spent many months in hospital in Fremantle before being discharged in September 1916.
Frank married his long-term sweetheart Bonnie, lived in Subiaco and raised four boys, three of whom also went on to serve their country.
He became a career public servant and served in the Volunteer Defence Corps during World War II. He continued to suffer from his war wounds for the rest of his life but never complained.
Gordon said his father occasionally spoke about the Turkish soldiers he faced at Gallipoli, "never disparagingly or with enmity but with the respect that has become the hallmark of Australia's regard for the Turkish defenders of their homeland".
Frank succumbed to his war wounds and died in 1956.
