McJENNETT, Frank James
(Service number 22442)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 30/11/1888 | Place of Birth | Oamaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | |||
| Occupation | Bookseller | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | R.W. McJennett,(brother) York St, Timaru, New Zealand | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company, 16th Reinforcements | ||
| Date | 21 August 1916 | ||
| Transport | Mokaia | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Plymouth, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western Europe 1916-17 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
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 |
Death
| Date | 13 June 1917 | Age | 28 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Belgium | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Messines Ridge Memorial,Messines Ridge British Cemetery, Belgium | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Knox Church Memorial, Christchurch | ||
Biographical Notes
Fifth child of John and Margaret McJennett of 49 Wansbeck St, Oamaru, New Zealand. Brother of John (b.1876), Maria Isabella (b.1880), Margaret (b.1881), Robert William (b.1885), and Andrew (b.1884).
Frank attended Oamaru South School from 1894 to 1902, when he left to go to work. At some stage Frank moved to Christchurch, where he joined the staff of Messrs Simpson and Williams Ltd, booksellers. When he left to go to the non-commissioned officers' training camp in February 1916, Frank, was presented with a wristlet watch by his fellow workers. Frank’s brother Robert McJennett, then resident at York St, Timaru, was designated next-of-kin and it was he who received the telegram from the Defence Department advising that Frank was killed in action on June 13 1917. The Timaru Herald reported that “the young soldier belonged to C. Company, 16th Reinforcements. He belonged to Oamaru, but left for camp from Christchurch." On 13 June 1918 brother R. W. (Robert) McJennett recorded in memorium for his “dear brother Private F. J. McJennett, 16th Reinforcements, who fell in the fight at Messines, on June 13, 1917. Oft do our sad thoughts wander, To your grave so far away; Where they laid our loving brother, Just one year ago to-day.” Frank’s memorial is included in Messines Ridge Commonwealth War Cemetery. A memorial to members of the Knox Church (Christchurch) congregation who died in the Great War also includes Frank McJennett. Frank was unmarried and produced no known descendants, although Frank’s nephew, anotherFrank McJennett, was an RNZAF pilot killed in action in the Second World War.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph Database (Nov 2013); War Census CD (Nov 2013); CWGC (Nov 2013); NZ War Graves (Nov 2013); NZBDM 1888/11225 (Nov 2013); SCRoll web submission by J Cameron, 20 April 2015
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Janette Clarke, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
JCl
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.