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Blog Comments: Ateo Frandi – Zealandia Rifles 1911 – Lost Long Service Medal

April 23, 2020
BLOG Comments - conveying a poignant story., ITALIAN CONNECTIONS
2 Comments

Blog Comments    My Life and Rhymes -A Life In Two Halves

Italian Connections

From Verna Crowley, Otaki, New Zealand.

 The Mystery Surrounding Ateo Frandi’s Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal.

 

 

 

Ateo Giusto Leale Frandi – killed by a sniper at ‘the daisy patch’ Gallipoli 8th May, 1915

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Verna Crowley

18 May 2014

Hi Anne, I came across your story while I was researching Ateo Frandi, born 04 May 1873, died [8th] May 1915. I have in my possession a WWl medal with his name [inscribed] on it. It was issued in 1911 for his long service in the Colonial Auxiliary Forces. I would dearly love for it to be returned to his family, he has no direct issue but if you know of a family member I can pass it onto I would appreciate it…. Thanks, Verna.

Verna

20 May, 2014 .

Good morning Anne,
I have not heard from you via my email today so I thought I would try again through here.

I realise you might be thinking that maybe this is some sort of hoax, but I can assure you that I do have the medal and I am very much hoping to be able to return it to his family, where it rightfully belongs, (after 100 years).
I can tell you it came into my possession through my grandmother, how she happened to have it I do not know, but she kept it safe along with her first husband’s WWl medals. This year being significant for WWl veterans, I was going through all the paper work and medals and as this medal did not have a ribbon, I was going to have it re-ribboned, it was only then that I noticed Ateo’s name [inscribed] on the side and I thought I would try and locate his family to return it.
The inscription reads: No. 179 COL-SERG. A. FRANDI ZEALANDIA RIFLES (1911). 

Please let me know where you want me to send it
Thanks, Verna

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Head inscription reads: EDWARD VS Vll REX IMPERATOR

 

 

 

Reverse and rim inscriptions read: For Long Service In The Auxiliary Forces; No 179

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Anne Frandi-Coory

Hello Verna, lovely to hear from you. I would so love that medal and I would treasure it as would my family. My mother, Doreen Frandi,was very close to Italia, Ateo’s sister, and Italia and Ateo were devoted to each other. Otherwise, I truly don’t know anyone else to recommend. Thank you for making contact.

I am so glad you found me, Verna, and I did not for one moment disbelieve you;  I would so love the medal which I would treasure as would my family.

Because of all the awful things that happened to my mother and me, I don’t have any mementos from the Frandi family, so this medal will mean a lot to me and the wider Frandi family.

The only memento I do have is a set of broken Rosary beads in a tiny leather case cherished by my mother, Doreen. Her father, Alfredo, was Ateo Frandi’s youngest brother and while Ateo died before she was born, Doreen knew Ateo’s sister, Italia, very well. By all accounts, Italia had a soft spot for the troubled Doreen. Ateo and his only sister, Italia, were close in age, both born in Pisa and devoted to each other.  Italia’s two daughters are long deceased and Italia’s only grandchild didn’t have any children. I truly don’t know anyone else to recommend.

Thank you once again, and please let me reimburse you for the cost of postage.

Kind regards, Anne.

Italia and Ateo Frandi

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Verna

Good morning Anne,

Ok …Firstly to answer your question: Where do I fit into the Frandi family? Simple answer , I don’t.

This may take a bit of explaining  but I will try and keep it as short as possible.

I’m sorry…when I did not receive your first email I thought maybe you did not believe I had a medal belonging to Ateo. I had to put myself in your shoes and think, who is this person who says (quite out of the blue) hey…I have a medal, it is more than 100 years old and does anyone in your family want it? So I thought if I told you what the inscription said it would let you know I was for real.

You may now be thinking that  if I don’t fit into your family anywhere, how do I happen to have the medal?

As I said it was in my grandmother’s possessions along with her first husband’s WWl medals and papers. I don’t know how she came to have Ateo’s medal and I don’t know if she knew him. She may have, the time frame fits. Back then in WWl and also in WWll  a lot of things associated with the wars were not kept.  The men did not talk about, or want  any reminders of their time fighting overseas. Well that was the case in our family, so as children we never knew about what our mothers and grandmothers kept hidden. But my grandmother had treasured the reminders of her husband that she had been given (married in 1916); he never came home. He is buried in Cologne cemetery in Germany.  She only had one surviving child to that marriage, my mother. My grandmother later remarried and had more children.

When my grandmother died, what she had in her possession was handed down to my mother, who had a life similar to my grandmother’s.  She also lost her first husband, in WWll;  he also never came home and is buried in Belgium.  My mother later remarried, and had three children. That’s where I come in.  My mother obviously kept her husband’s medals together with her father’s medals. She died in 1971 and my father remarried. We three children from his first marriage were not given anything of our mother’s after she died.

When my father died in 2009, my sister and I (my brother had since passed away) I had to contest his Will to receive some things  that belonged to our mother…long story.

Some of the few things we received were the war medals; not my father’s war medals, but my mother’s first husband’s medals and those of her father’s. The medals have been kept in the original box that my mother kept them in.

Verna continues …

in her letter which accompanied Ateo’s medal which she later posted to me:

I was looking through your blog and read your post, [link]: Letters To Anne Frandi-Coory  which included the two letters from your mother’s youngest sister, Anne Albert.  I was a bit blown away and I truly believe that Ateo’s medal was meant for you all along.   I am convinced a higher power, maybe my mother, encouraged me to find you. If all three circumstances hadn’t come together at around the same time, the medal would probably have been lost forever and never returned to its rightful home:

  • My sister and I received, in 2009, the few things that belonged to our mother:
  • Your memoir and Frandi family history  [link] Whatever Happened To Ishtar? was published in 2010.
  • This significant ANZAC year of 2014 prompted us to scrutinize carefully the papers and medals we received as a result of contesting our late father’s Will, discovering that one of the medals had a different name on it.

I couldn’t get that medal out of my mind and so I decided to research the name and other details inscribed on the medal. I found a few clues and of course your web site and Blog. If we had rightfully received our mother’s treasures years ago, and tried to find Ateo’s descendants at that time, we would not have been able to trace any and that would have been the end of it.

I now know that your mother, Doreen Frandi, lived at 56 Hewer Crescent, Naenae, Lower Hutt,  in Wellington …

56 Hewer Crescent, Naenae, Wellington, NZ

 

We lived at 28 Hewer Crescent. It seems from your aunty Anne’s letter that Doreen and her son Kevin lived there for some years prior to 1980. She also mentions that Doreen worked at a factory close by. I would think that would be the Philips factory; it was a large employer in Naenae for many years and most of Naenae worked there at some stage. They employed hundreds of people at any given time.  Doreen’s  next door neighbours at number 54 were the Hardies; a father and three children: Trevor, Roberta and Marianne.  Roberta worked at the factory for many years, possibly alongside Doreen.  

 Many connections, but the mystery remains: how did Verna’s mother come to have Ateo Frandi’s war service medal in her possession? Did Doreen give it to Verna’s mother for safe-keeping or perhaps Verna’s grandfather and Ateo were war mates and Italia gave the medal to him? Perhaps someone reading this post could enlighten us?

Verna.

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READ here about the naming of Frandi Street, Wellington, NZ, named in memory of Ateo Frandi and  the Frandi family who lived nearby for many years:

[Link here]   FRANDI STREET 

RIP Ateo Frandi

*Note: Anne Frandi-Coory has   since passed the medal onto Ateo Frandi’s great nephew who is currently serving in the New Zealand Armed Forces.

Aristodemo and Annunziata Frandi are the parents of Ateo Frandi and Anne Frandi-Coory’s maternal grandfather, Alfredo, who was Ateo’s youngest brother.

Aristodemo Frandi (Aristodemo from the Greek ‘Aristodemos’)

Annunziata Fabbrucci Frandi

Ateo Frandi’s Service Medal Explained

August 18, 2019
Ateo Giusto Leale Frandi - Gallipoli, ITALIAN CONNECTIONS
4 Comments
Comment 1. received on my blog page ‘ My Life & Rhymes’ from Ian D Martyn 16 August 2019: 
Hi Anne,
‘Captain Ateo ‘Little Arthur’ Frandi’
Just stumbled across your 2014 article re the Long Service medal named to Ateo, found by Verna Crowley of Otaki.  . If you haven’t already been apprised of exactly what it is, I can tell you – I am in the FREE business of reuniting military medals with families:
THE MEDAL
The medal is the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (CAFLSM).
HISTORY OF LONG SERVICE MEDALS FOR VOLUNTEERS:
The Volunteer Long Service Medal (VLSM) was instituted in 1894 as an award for long service by other ranks in the part-time Volunteer Force of the United Kingdom. In 1896, the grant of this medal was extended by Queen Victoria to members of Volunteer Forces throughout the British Empire and a separate new medal was instituted, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies.
The CAFLSM was instituted by Queen Victoria in 1899 as a military long service award for part-time members of all ranks in any of the organised military forces of the British Colonies, Dependencies and Protectorates throughout the British Empire. The medal gradually superseded the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies in all these territories, with the exception of the Isle of Man, Bermuda and the Indian Empire.
In 1930, the CAFLSM along with the Volunteer Long Service Medal, the Volunteer Long Service Medal for India and the Colonies, the Militia Long Service Medal, the Special Reserve Long Service and Good Conduct Medal and the Territorial Efficiency Medal, were superseded by the Efficiency Medal in an effort to standardise recognition across the Empire.
QUALIFYING SERVICE
The CAFLSM could be awarded for TWENTY years of service as a part-time member of any rank in any of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces. Qualifying service could be had by serving in the forces of more than one Colony or Protectorate. Service in the Militia and Volunteer Forces of the United Kingdom was also reckonable (added), so long as at least half of all qualifying service had been rendered in the forces of the Dominion, Colonies or Protectorates. Service on the West Coast of Africa counted as double time. Service on the permanent staff was not reckonable.
Officers holding the CAFLSM who were subsequently awarded the Colonial Auxiliary Forces OFFICERS’ DECORATION were not required to surrender the medal, but were not permitted to wear it any more until such time as the full periods of service required for both decoration and medal were completed.
On 25 January 1923, the Royal Warrant was amended in respect of part-time members who had actually served, or accepted the obligation of serving, beyond the boundaries of the Dominions, Colonies, Dependencies or Protectorates during the First World War. Service on the active list during WW1 was counted as DOUBLE when reckoning the qualifying service towards the requisite twenty years, whether such service was in the Naval Forces, Military Forces or Air Forces, e.g. 6mths on active list (not necessarily at war overseas) counted as 12mths qualifying service towards the 20 yrs required for the the award of the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal.
Kind regards
Ian – Medals Reunited New Zealand©
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Thank you Ian, for taking the time to post this information on my blog. Ateo’s other descendants will be interested in learning more about his long service medal, especially his great nephew to whom I gave the medal. – Anne Frandi-Coory.
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Comment  2. received on my blog page ‘My Life & Rhymes’ from Ian D Martyn 17 August 2019: 

My pleasure Anne. The era these medals were produced was a confusing one as there were a number that to the uninitiated appear to be the same among the 18 different long service medals issued by the UK and NZ between 1895-1940ish. There were four versions of Long Service medals of Ateo’s type alone that transitioned 3 sovereigns – Victoria, Edward VII and George V.

Ateo’s medal was the Edward VII version (apologies, I said Geo in the my previous comment) of which there were 2 types identified by the little claw that the ribbon suspender is attached to the medal by. There is a single-toe and a double double-toe claw – Ateo’s is the later. The sovereigns head (Victoria, Edward VI George V) was the only way to tell the difference as the wording on the other side was the same although ER VII words were set in an ornate frame on the medal.

The medal itself to a collector is quite valuable (in good condition with ribbon, NZ$350-$550) since most militia & volunteer medals only had a short life in medal terms before being transitioned either by amendments to their Royal Warrant, or by being made obsolete and replaced with a new award.

The Edward VII CAFLSM having a life of only 30yrs before it was made obsolete meant that Ateo had to be serving at least from 1910 otherwise he would have got the replacement award, the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Officers Decoration (OD).

If he did qualify for the OD, he would have had to remove the CAFLSM. (maybe the reason it was found?) We know Ateo was a Captain in 1911 so he would have had to serve at least until 1931 to get the OD, depending when he enlisted.
If no OD, all 20 qualifying years would have to have started at the latest by 1910.

The only way to know whether Ateo’s medal was obsolete or valid, is to know his enlistment date, length of service as a soldier/NCO, length of service as an officer, date he was commissioned, and his date of Discharge. Confused?

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Not confused at all, Ian, and thanks once again. It does make sense as to why the medal was found in the collection of a non-relative. I know that Ateo was a military man through and through and although he was born in Italy, he was very loyal to New Zealand.

Regards
Anne Frandi-Coory

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Ateo.

Captain Ateo Frandi 

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Comment 3. received on my blog page ‘ My Life & Rhymes’ from Ian D Martyn 19 August 2019: 

 

Last comment Anne.
Ateo’s titles:
1891, Jan to 1911 >>> 179 Private to Sergeant – Wgtn City Volunteer Rifles; Zealandia Rifle Volunteers
1911 up to 18 Jan >>> 179 Colour Sergeant AGL Frandi – ‘G’ Company, 1st Battalion Wellington Rifles.
1911 from 19 Jan >>> 179 Captain AGL Frandi – 31st Company, Senior Cadets, the Office i/c YMCA Cadets, Wellington
1914 enlisted WW1 >> 10/1169 Captain AGL Frandi – 9th Company, Wellington Infantry Battalion, NZEF – 2nd Reinforcements
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I have worked the medal stuff out … I first went through the military service files of all five Frandi brothers, all of whom served in WW1 with only Alfred Joseph serving during WW2 as well (and also his son Reginald but of course he was a generation later).
These gave me a good sense of what military service the family had been involved with however I found an additional file of Ateo’s in the NZ Archives which ran into 96 pages and gave me the answers I needed. The other useful clue was the photo on your blog of Ateo sitting wearing a sword and the date year 1912 which confirmed my findings.
In the photo Ateo is a Captain and is wearing two medals. 1912 is the year the NZ Volunteer Militia system transitioned to the NZ Territorial Force. Ateo had enlisted in the Wellington City (Volunteer) Rifles on 19 Jan 1891 as a Private. By Feb 1902 he was a Sgt and had completed 11yrs 41 days of “Efficient” volunteer service. To be passed as Efficient in any one year, a soldier had to attend so many training days and attend an annual camp, plus pass all the requisite skills required of them – then the could be recorded as being “Efficient”.
Accordingly, in 1903 Sgt Frandi was awarded the NZ Volunteer Service Medal (inst1902-1911, plain khaki ribbon) for completing 12 years of Efficient service. His next award came four years later in 1907 having completed 16 years of Efficient service. At that point he (still a Sergeant) the NZ Volunteer Long and Efficient Service Medal (inst 1887-1931, maroon ribbon with two central white stripes).
In 1911, having now completed 20 years and 15 days Efficient Volunteer & Territorial service, Ateo applies for the Colonial Auxiliary Forces Long Service Medal (CAFLSM) – it is approved. This medal replaced the 16 years NZ LESM in 1911.
The two medals Ateo is wearing in the photo (dated 1912) is the 12 year NZ VSM (plain khaki ribbon) and the 20 year CAFLSM (plain dark green ribbon). This is proven by the design on the back of the medal posted on your blog (GR VII version). I cannot see any particular reason why he should not also be wearing the 16 yr NZ LESM as well unless. That was 1907….
So – the question, where his NZ LESM (maroon/two white stripes) might be now?
It also means the CAFLSM that was found was NOT obsolete, it was a valid medal to be wearing until Ateo’s death.
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In Mar 1910 Ateo, now a Colour Sergeant, transferred from the Wgtn City Rifles to the Zealandia Rifles Wgtn to start a new company of Cadets.
In Mar 1911 Ateo applies to be commissioned after 20 yrs of Volunteer service. This is where his file gets interesting. Ateo is commissioned in 1912 and almost immediately sits and passes his Captain’s promotion exam thereby confirming him in rank. Defence commissions a civilian (nil mil experience and not qualified by exam) also in the rank of Capt however with seniority for rank greater than Ateo’s! Result – to say Ateo is irate is an understatement as his file shows. Ateo resigns from the Volunteer Force after a flurry of public protestations. A public war of words erupts, covered in the NZ Times of the day (I guess even a man’s career wrangles with his boss was newsworthy in 1910s Wgtn).
Ateo writes to General Godley (head of NZ Military Forces then) …. the arguments for/against are all published in the newspapers ……… my take is that Ateo was technically in the right BUT, he was trying to overturn an entrenched Army policy …. junior officers’ never win those battles … you have to read his file to grasp it all (see NZ Times, see 20 Sep 1912) ….. The net result – Ateo publicly withdraws his resignation via public letter to Godley, and is reinstated.
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Ateo enlists for WW1 NZEF service 12 Aug 1914 at Trentham – goes first to Egypt for training; on 25 Apr 1915 he is a “First Day Lander” with the Wellington Battalion at Gallipoli. Killed by a sniper leading an attack between 6 and 10 May 1915. (8th selected arbitrarily) – body not located.
For his service in WW1, although mother: Annunziata Frandi was NOK, medals were sent to sister Italia [Corich] at 16 Murphy Street, Thorndon, Wgtn. Italia was sent Ateo’s medals in 1922 as follows: 1914/15 Star, British War Medal 1914-18, Victory Medal. Italia also received Ateo’s Memorial Plaque & Scroll (sometimes called Death Plaque, Death Penny, Deadman’s Penny etc) and a Certificate of Service.
So, Ateo’s medal bar should have SIX medals on it. If you or others in your family are interested, Replica medals are available and can be worn as being representative of a deceased ancestor’s awards – they are permitted to be worn on Anzac Day and Armistice/Remembrance Day by descendant relatives (and …. there is no limit to the number of relatives who can wear a replica set of medals). I can help with this if interested.
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NOW, THIS IS THE GOOD BIT –
In looking at the files of the brothers, I noted that three went to Gallipoli – Ateo, Alfred and Richard. Only two of these came home. In 1967, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli the Australian and NZ govts struck the ANZAC (Gallipoli) Commemorative Medallion. Eligibility for the plaque was for all living Gallipoli veterans, and the next of kin of those who were killed or who died within two years of leaving Gallipoli/returning home. Those Gallipoli veterans who returned alive also received a miniature version of the plaque with their service number on the back which was a lapel badge.
The unique thing about the plaque was that it had to be applied for – it was not automatically sent out to families (an impossible task 50 years after the landing anyway). This also allowed the plaques to be engraved with the soldiers name on the back. The medallion was not designed to be worn but comes in a black case and is a display piece.
Fifty years, on many veterans had died by 1967, or did not hear about the plaque’s availability, were not interested, families were not really aware they could claim for a dead family veteran. There were hundreds left in Defence, but after 100 yrs, all have now been disposed of. As a result of new claims being raised by descendants who have found they would have been entitled (were they alive) brand new ANZAC Plaques are being produced for descendants who are making valid and approved claims (when they hear about it – they do from me).
I have found no evidence on any of the eligible Frandi men’s files that their ANZAC Plaques have ever been claimed !! Normally there is a stamp on the top page of a file which is signed off and dated on the day the Plaque/lapel badge was issue – there is nothing.
So far I have arranged for the issue of 5 of these in the last two years that had never been claimed. So, as I see it this may be your lucky blog post. There are three ANZAC Plaques with the Frandi name on them if you want them – some proof of Ancestral connection is required of course, however I can talk you through the requirements and pass you the relevant applications if you are interested (providing they have not already been claimed of course?). Email me if you decide to pursue this and I can get the ball rolling.
Kind regards
Ian
I. D. Martyn
[Maj. Rtd – NZ Army]
Medals Reunited New Zealand©
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Thanks once  again, Ian.  I have altered Italia’s name above; it was often spelled  incorrectly on official documents.

Ian, I have contacted my cousin to whom I gave Ateo’s medal and asked him if he would like to request the three unclaimed ANZAC Plaques. One of us will be in touch.

Kind Regards,

Anne.