Trooper Harold Frankham, of the Fourth New Zealand Contingent, who died in hospital on Thursday morning, was interred with full military honours on Friday afternoon. The circumstances surrounding the event provoked universal sympathy and every honour
possible was shown the dead. The deceased trooper was but 23 years of age. He spent his last birthday in Cape Town on sick leave, having been invalided from the front with enteric fever. To the end, the friend of his boyhood, Trooper Gerald Peacock, remained by his side. The comrades volunteered together in New Zealand and braved the dangers of the battlefield in company. Both enjoyed good health at the commencement and shared in many a fight. Outside Ottoshoop, in September last year the pair were in advance of the main body when they rode into an ambush. Frankham’s horse was shot dead under him, but Peacock stood by and assisted him to ride behind him. The Boers closed in and the pair decide to ride for it. They did so, but it was a miracle either escaped, for Frankham’s water bottle, hanging at his back was shattered by a bullet while the horse that they were riding was wounded in the neck. The British lines were, however, reached in safety. Early in the New Year Frankham contracted enteric fever at Klerksdorp and his life was then despaired of. He rallied after a long and dangerous illness and was invalided to Cape Town. The friends then parted for a time, but they were reunited on board the transport Tagus. At the start of the voyage Frankham appeared in good health, but afterwards he caught a cold in common with many of his comrades. He was present at the funeral * on the 24th, but that night he complained of pains in his head. The following morning he was admitted to the ship’s hospital and became delirious. He never regained consciousness. As before reported, he was landed and taken to the hospital the morning after the ship reached Albany and his comrade begged to remain. Permission was granted and so it was left to death to part them. Death was due to meningitis.
Source -The Albany Advertiser, July 9th 1901. Thanks to Sue Smith, Local History Coordinator
Albany History Collection, Albany Public Library.
Harold Frankham is the only NZ Boer War casualty buried in Australia. * The “funeral on the 24th” was that of Private KYLE, but the date is possibly wrong, as there is uncertainty as to his actual date of death. DB
