COONEY, Francis Joseph

Francis Joseph Cooney was the son of James and Catherine Cooney and was born at the family home, Doontallie, 1121 Hoddle Street, East Melbourne 1886.  He was the youngest of nine children.  The others were: twins, Annetta and James (b.1871); Hugh Patrick (b,1874); Thomas (b.1876); Edward Augustus (b.1877); John Joseph (b.1879); Mary (b,1881) and Catherine Grace (b.1883).   Members of his family remained at this address at least until 1944 when his sister, Catherine Grace, died.  When he enlisted in Sydney on 1 August 1916 Francis stated that he was a clerk. He nominated his mother as his next of kin, his father being dead (1915).  He was nearly 6ft with a fresh complexion, hazel eyes, and black hair.  On 9 December 1916 he was appointed to 8th Machine Gun Company, 9th Reinforcements as a private and sent to Seymour for training.

He embarked from Melbourne aboard HMAT Orontes on 23 December 1916 and arrived at Plymouth on 17 February 1917 and was then sent to a training depot at Perham Downs.  The same day he was admitted to the Isolation Hospital where he remained for nearly a month.  He was soon back in hospital on 12 March 1917.  He proceeded to France on 24 April 1917 and on 5 May 1917 he was taken on strength from the 9th Reinforcements. The unit was then at Bapaume. He was in hospital for another week in July, and another two days in August.  In September his unit was based at Chateau Segard, Belgium, in the Ypres area. He was wounded in action (gunshot wound to right finger) on 18 September 1917 and was out of the action until 1 November when he rejoined his unit.  On 17 April 1918 at Villers-Bretonneux, his unit was subject to an early morning mustard gas attack.  Many of the men had difficulty getting to their respirators in time and Francis was one of 5 officers and 28 men affected that day.  He was taken to hospital and transferred to England.  His unit was absorbed into the 5th Machine Gun Company in early 1918.   Another period in hospital in June 1918, this time with syphilis, caught, so the medical report said, from a London prostitute.  In August it was bronchitis.  After time at No 2 Command Depot he returned to Australia on 16 January 1919 and was discharged medically unfit on 7 April 1919.

After the war Francis settled in New South Wales.  He married Gladys Minnie Jaques in 1921 and died at Bathurst in 1969.