Francis William Banks ^{1 2}

   Another name for Francis was Frank Banks. ⁶

  General Notes:

Frank went to the war, then went west (source - Ruby Masterson, 21 March 2002). Verified by KS.
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It appears from his death certificate that Frank never married. He is the informant to the registrar of his father Andrew Banks death in 1928. The ages he states for his brothers and sisters are not very accurate, especially Priscilla, who he states is 34 (she was about 37) when he had also stated that Andrew had been in WA for 35 years. In particular he gives the name of his second youngest sister as Irene Matilda - it was Alice Maud! All of this seems to indicate that he had little if any contact with his family in Victoria. Note that he did have a cousin Irene Matilda, so the name was not completely imaginery.
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Noted on AIF Enlistment Attestation Paper 4 Oct 1917:
"Enlisted in W.A. papers missing commandant advises re-enlistment".
Noted amid army records - WILL declaration states that Will is lodged with "Bank of Western Australia, Laverton, West Australia". This indicates that Frank probably lived at Laverton, WA, prior to his enlistment in Melbourne. It also concurs with the address he gave for his father at Laverton, WA.
Served during WW1 in Egypt with 8th Mobile Vetinary Unit, rank private, no 1291.

  Birth Notes:

The Victorian Pioneers index of births records Frank's birthplace as Mt Korong, and his date of birth as 24 September 1878. On his AIF enlistment, Frank give his place of birth as Wedderburn, and the year as 1879. While it was apparently not uncommon for young recruits to give an incorrect age at enlistment, Frank was 39 when he enlisted. ⁵

  Burial Notes:

Buried at the Roman Catholic Portion of Karrakatta Cemetery. Service by A.P.Molloy, Roman Catholic. ⁵

  Noted events in his life were:

• AIF enlistment: 4 Oct 1917, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. ³ Assigned to Army Vetinary Corps

• Occupation: 4 Oct 1917, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. ³ Mail Contractor

• Marital Status: 4 Oct 1917, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. ³ Single

• Physical Description: 4 Oct 1917, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. ³ Height: 5 feet 7 inches
Weight: 140 lbs
Chest Measurement: 33-35 inches
Complexion: Sallow
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black

• Religion: 4 Oct 1917, Melbourne, Vic, Australia. ³ Presbyterian

• Will: ⁷ Declaration states that Will is lodged with "Bank of Western Australia, Laverton, West Australia"

• Embarked for active service: 30 Apr 1918, Sydney, NSW, Australia. ⁸ Embarked at Sydney per Pt Darwin
Disembarked Suez 17 June 1918

• Return to Australia: 10 Jul 1919, Egypt. ⁹ "Embark per HT Oxfordshire at Kanlana (?) for returm to Australia"

Disembarked 13-8-19

• Whereabouts: 1921, Laverton, Western Australia. ¹⁰

• Occupation: Mail contractor, 1921, Laverton, Western Australia. ¹⁰

• Informant of death: 5 Sep 1928, Laverton, Western Australia. ¹¹ Frank was the informant to the registrar of his father Andrew Banks death.

Frank gave the following information about children of Andrew Banks:

Elizabeth 52, Frank 49, Margaret 46, Robert 44, Robina 41, Irene Matilda 38, Priscilla 34, deceased 1 male.

• Occupation: 23 May 1964, Hilton Park, Western Australia. ⁵ Mail contractor