Ougden: Frank Leslie
Born on 3rd June 1893 at Alberton, South Australia, Frank was the son of Charles and Elizabeth Ougden.
At the time he enlisted in Adelaide on 26th August 1915 Frank was living in Blackwood with his widowed mother and working as a Hardware Assistant. Ougden’s enlistment papers state that he was 5’9” (175cm) in height, weighed 132lbs (approx. 60kg), with blue eyes and dark brown hair. He was a member of Blackwood’s IOOF Lodge.
After departing for overseas service, Frank arrived as a reinforcement in Egypt and disembarked at Suez in February 1916. He was transferred to the 48th Battalion as Private (Pte) 1798 in the following month.
After several weeks of training Frank and other reinforcements departed for France, arriving at Marseilles on 9th June 1916. His battalion was sent to the Somme where it saw heavy action at Pozieres as part of the Australian attack on German positions in the August.
Badly wounded by rifle fire to several parts of his body on 7th August Frank Ougden died, aged 23 years, as a result of those wounds the following day. He is buried in the Puche-Villers Military Cemetery, France.
Frank’s widowed mother received a pension of 20/- per week from October 1916. His name is listed among the fallen on the Blackwood War Memorial.
Research by Geoff Lock, 2015
