Lieut. J.M. Coffee, 24 Bn AIF

Lieut. F.M. Coffee, 24th Bn AIF
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COFFEE
Lieutenant Frank Matthew

24th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force

Born 18 Apr 1887, in Willoughby (now Chatswood), Sydney, NSW

Educated: St. Stanislaus' College, Bathurst, NSW, St. Ignatius College, Riverview, Sydney, NSW, Kentucky University and Stanford University, USA

Single; Engineer and journalist, of 'Iriquois', Mowbray Road, Chatswood, Sydney, NSW
Next Of Kin: Father; Frank Coffee. Mother; Sarah Coffee (nee Molony?), of same address.

Photos of Lieutenant Coffee are known to exist in the following locations:
Our Alma Mater Xmas 1915 p23. Sydney Morning Herald 29 Nov 1915 p5

Killed in Action
18th November 1915
at Lone Pine
Aged 28






24th Battalion, A.I.F.


Grave:

Lone Pine cemetery

Epitaph:

He Died For God, Right And
Liberty And Such A Death
Is Immortality


Notes:


'Though Mr. Coffee was the third generation of his family on his mother's side to be born in Australia, his father is an American, born in Warsaw, N.Y. His grandmother, Mrs. Charles Coffee, died in Lexington and is buried in the Lexington cemetery.' Entered the College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Kentucky University, at age 15. (From Lexington Herald [Kentucky] in Coffee p43). Studied Civil Engineering at Kentucky University, Political Economy at Stanford. 'At the outbreak of war Frank was in newspaper work at Melbourne.' (Coffee p35).
Worked on the staff of the Sydney Sun, Melbourne office. Chief of staff was Keith A. Murdoch, a letter from whom appears in Coffee p37. Was a member of the Vancouver Council Knights of Columbus. (Coffee p38).

Worked for some time in journalism in Western Australia (no specific dates given) (Our Alma Mater Xmas 1915 p22 - 23).

' ...born at 'Carmen', Mowbray Road, Willoughby (now Chatswood) on April 11th, 1887. His first tuition was received at the hands of a governess, in 1895 the family moved to Wahroonga, where he attended the private school of Miss Matthews. Later on he was a pupil of St. Stanislaus' College, Bathurst (from 1897 to 1899). From 1899 to 1902 he was a pupil at St. Ignatius' College, Riverview, Sydney, from which institution he passed his Matriculation Examination at the Sydney University in 1902, obtaining honours in English, French, Latin, and Greek. ...In 1902 he left Australia for Lexington, Kentucky, to study engineering, where he remained for a couple of years. Later on he returned to Australia, via Ireland, England, and the Continent, through which countries he travelled for some months, reaching Australia by the Orient steamer.
Returning to America in 1906 he entered Stanford University, California, and then selected journalism as a profession in Vancouver, B.C.' (Coffee p1).

Enlisted Melbourne, as a Private, 13 January 1915. Promoted Corporal, Sergeant, 2nd Lieutenant 16th May 1915.
Embarked with 2nd Reinforcents, 24th Battalion, as 2nd Lieutenant, aboard HMAT 64, 'Demosthenes', 16 July 1915, ex Melbourne.

'At the moment that Frank fell the enemy were shelling our position very heavily, and he was on duty in the firing line; The '75' shell which struck him fell right into our trenches. He was buried by Chaplain Bladen in a valley known as Brown's Dip, where so many of our brave lads have their last resting place.' (Extract from a letter from Lt. Colonel W. Russel-Watson C.O., 24th Battalion, to Mr Frank Coffee senior, 18 Nov 1915 from Anzac; in Coffee p34).

'It was just pure chance that he should have been where he was when he met his death. Fifteen minutes before he was chatting in my dugout and 9 o'clock was approaching. When he was leaving I wished to detain him, but he remarked that he was due for duty at 9 o'clock. I left my dugout about five minutes after and was proceeding along the trench when I met the stretcher bearers returning with a figure, and upon enquiring I was told that it was Lieut. Coffee. (Extract from a letter from Lt. J.R. Elsbury to Mr F. Coffee senior., 2 May 1916; in Coffee p41).

'Dear Mr. Coffee,- I have just come away from your son's burial, and know you would like to hear the sad particulars of his death. He was killed, as you may have been informed by Company-Commander, whilst in the trenches; he was struck by a piece of shrapnel on the right side and probably died instantly - he certainly was not conscious to suffer pain.' (Extract from a letter from Lieut. Harold Cox, 24th Battalion, in Coffee p34).



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