Profile

CRAVEN, Frank Roland
(Service number 28857)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Corporal

Birth

Date 20 August 1895 Place of Birth Dudley, Worcestershire, England

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment Catherine Street, Timaru
Occupation Carpenter & Joiner
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status
Next of Kin Mrs Rhoda Louisa CRAVEN (mother), Catherine Street, Timaru
Religion Non-conformist
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 18th Reinforcements, J Company
Date 11 October 1916
Transport Tofua
Embarked From Destination Plymouth, Devon, England
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Radio dealer

Death

Date 27 June 1957 Age 61 years
Place of Death Lower Hutt
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Frank Roland Craven was the oldest son of Henry (Harry) and Rhoda Louisa Craven. Corporal F. R. Craven arrived at Port Chalmers per the “Tofua” in May 1919, the South Canterbury men reaching Timaru by special train on 29 May. There was a very large and enthusiastic crowd on the station platform to welcome the men when they arrived at 7.40 pm. Loud cheers erupted, which were “followed by the usual rush of overjoyed relatives and friends to unearth their respective soldier heroes.” The Mayor welcomed them back on behalf of the citizens of Timaru, assisted by members of the Timaru Soldiers’ Reception Committee and ladies of the Patriotic Society. “All ranks were very cheerful, and looked in the pink of condition, and were evidently pleased at their return home.” (Timaru Herald). Frank married Helena Craven Higgins in 1921. Helena died in 1950 at Lower Hutt.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 August 2019]; Timaru Herald, 30 May 1919 (Papers Past) [12 August 2019]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Logo. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.

Tell us more

Do you have information that could be added to this story? Or related images that you are happy to share? Submit them here!

Your Details
Veteran Details
- you may attach an image or document up to 10MB