Pte. Frank Gilderoy Batters

Frank Gilderoy Batters was born at Heswall in Cheshire, England, on 9 February 1896. His parents were Frank Harry Batters and Isabella Eleanor Batters (née Gilderoy) who had married at Prestatyn in Denbighshire, Wales on 23 April 1889. Isabella died in 1903, and Frank remarried in 1904, but died in 1911. Both are buried in the Christ Church Churchyard at Prestatyn. Frank emigrated to New Zealand on board the Ionic on 18 July 1913, his older brother George likely emigrating at around the same time. When World War I broke out, Frank enlisted in the Otago Infantry Battalion at Christchurch on 26 August 1914, just 11 days after his brother had enlisted. Frank was wounded at Gallipoli in May, but recovered and rejoined his unit. Three months later he was wounded again, this time being admitted to the 4th Field Ambulance at Gallipoli. He was 19 years old when he died of his wounds there on 8 August 1915. Frank is remembered on Panel 15 of the Chunuk Bair New Zealand Memorial at Gallipoli. His brother George was invalided back to New Zealand on 29 January 1916, being no longer fit for war service due to illness. He died in the Cashmere Military Sanatorium on 8 March 1920 and was buried in Sydenham Cemetery (bio by Debbie McCauley, 3 February 2024).

Sources

1. Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
2. Flintshire War Memorials: https://www.flintshirewarmemorials.com/memorials/prestatyn-memorial...
3. New Zealand and World War One Roll of Honour: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/nzefrohBa.html / Ref 2.4.2021