• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Roberts and Arscott family history

Four centuries of my ancestors in Devon

  • Home
  • About
  • Information
  • Newspapers
  • Latest
  • Contact

The day Frank ran for 18 hours – delivering key Great War battlefield messages

8 August 2022

Devon-born Frank Saffin was twice-honoured for his immense bravery as a runner for the Australian Army in the Great War. He once ran vital messages virtually non-stop for18 hours in a battle near Ypres in 1917. Here, I reveal the extraordinary story of Frank – who was connected to my mother’s family.

What are your legs? Springs. Steel springs. What are they going to do? Hurl me down the track. How fast can you run? As fast as a leopard. How fast are you going to run? As fast as a leopard. Then let’s see you do it…

These memorable words from my favourite war film Gallipoli are indelibly imprinted on my mind. They are part of a conversation between sprinter Archy Hamilton (played by Mark Lee) and his Uncle Jack (played by Bill Kerr) as Archy prepares for his next big race.

The words gather importance as Archy joins the Australian Army in Gallipoli as a trench runner – and dies in a hail of bullets in No Man’s land as his friend and sprint rival Frank Dunne (played by Mel Gibson) makes a desperate attempt to save his life.

I thought of that tragic end to the Great War film when I discovered the remarkable real-life story of Devon-born soldier Frank Saffin, who was honoured for two acts of remarkable courage on the front line in France in 1917 and 1918.

Frank – who fought with the 24th Infantry Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force after emigrating from Devon before the war – was one of the heroes in the brutal battle at Brookseinde Ridge, near Ypres on October 4, 1917.

Thousands of Australian troops were involved in an attack on heavily defended German positions on the ridge. A seventh of their number were wounded or killed before the assault began as they were shelled in their trenches.

When they headed across No Man’s Land, they were confronted by a wave of attacking German troops advancing towards them. The Australians fought through the enemy forces and captured key positions. But at a very heavy cost – suffering more than 6,000 casualties in the offensive.

Frank was a runner for his battalion that day – carrying a series of important messages on foot from the trenches to the 24ths HQ in the face of heavy enemy machine gun and rifle fire and amid carnage almost beyond belief.

Remarkably, he ran messages ‘continually backwards and forwards’ for 18 hours. The only survivor of eight runners attached to the 24ths Report Centre, he was awarded the Military Medal for his immense courage.

A citation outlining his bravery in and around the battlefield – published in official Australian Army records – said: ‘His conduct proved that his sense of duty was far stronger than any sense of his self-preservation.’

It’s hard to truly understand what Frank did that day. He would have dodged bullets and shell fire as he dashed between posts and probably escaped injury or death on many occasions – and he kept running for an exhausting 18 hours.

That’s a mind-boggling 1,080 minutes or 64,800 seconds in the most dangerous terrain imaginable. Where snipers and artillery fire were raining down on him, where his fellow soldiers were desperately fighting for their lives.

Another act of great courage a year later – at Montbrehain, near Aisne in France, where soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) fired their final shots of the Great War – earned Frank the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

In a decisive attack in which the Germans were driven back beyond their defences at the Hindenburg Line, Australian forces captured the village after tired British troops, who had fought their way in two days earlier, had been unable to hold it.

Thirty officers and more than 400 men of the AIF were wounded or killed in the fierce fighting at Montbrehain on October 5, 1918. Among those who lost their lives were the three company commanders of Frank’s battalion, the 24th.

Frank was signalling corporal for the 24th when he showed ‘conspicuous gallantry’ in the battle. A citation detailing his actions that day – and published in The Western Times on December 27, 1918 – said:

‘At a critical juncture and at a time when enemy machine gun and shell fire were particularly heavy, he volunteered and carried to Battalion HQ an important message.

‘On his return to the line, acting on his initiative, he established a Lucas (military signalling) Lamp. This he manned himself at great personal risk and transmitted to HQ several important messages which proved of inestimable value.

‘Later in the day, when the rest of his platoon NCOs had become casualties, he assumed command, and with admirable initiative and superb courage, for machine gun fire was particularly heavy, supervised the establishment of strong posts’.

Frank, perhaps the most decorated Great War soldier connected to my family, returned to Australia as a hero on July 7, 1919.

Born in 1893 in Cheriton Bishop, he emigrated to Australia in 1911 or 1912. He married Ruby Carol Bush (1893-1927) in Victoria, Australia in 1912. Frank was 57 when he married 54-year-old Mabel Bolt (1896-1982) in 1950 in Totnes, Devon. He died on March 13, 1958 in Geelong West, Victoria, aged 64.

He is remembered on the Roll of Honour at Ararat in Victoria, where he lived for many years, and is one of 100 men commemorated on Glenthompson War Memorial in Victoria.

NOTES

Frank – whose brother, Fred, also served in the Australian Army in the Great War – was the son of William Saffin (1853-1941) and Mary Ann Jordan (1858-1904). William was the brother of James Saffin (1862-1938) – the father of George Robins Saffin (1886-1915), a private in the 1st Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment, who lost his life in Belgium on March 27, 1915.

George married Amanda White (1879-1934) in 1907 in Drewsteignton. Amanda was the daughter of William George White (1856-1931) and Mary Ann Lee. William was the son of Eliza Tancock (1828- 1896 and Samuel White (1829-1891). Eliza was the sister of Sarah Tancock (1851-1900), who married Daniel Arscott (1857-1922) on October 17, 1877 at Tristram Chapel, Puddington. Daniel was my great-grandfather.

Picture

An unidentified Australian officer examines one of two guns captured by Australian forces at Brookseinde Ridge. Public Domain image E04514 from Australian War Memorial. Created October 5, 1917.

Share this post:

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • Rifleman Louis survived Great War after being shot in the head
  • Your family history – told in a unique newspaper
  • Unveiled: An extraordinary story that would have shocked the world
  • Boy who went to Australia served as field ambulanceman in WW2
  • Cook’s mate Ernest’s day of high drama in Battle of Jutland

Search

Data, Terms & Privacy Statement | Home | Contact Me

Copyright © 2025 · Roberts and Arscott family history
Website designed and hosted by Mid Wales Design

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Read MoreAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT