Frank Payton
Alias Dave Libman (true name)
Born 15.04.1892
Place Riga, Latvia
Ethnic origin Jewish
Religion Jewish
Father Solomon Payton (Solomon Berkoff)
Residence before arrival at Australia At 13 years of age ran away from home and changed name, worked as a sailor
Arrived at Australia
from Argentina
on 02.1913
per Nordlysset
disembarked at Geraldton, WA (as a sailor)
Residence before enlistment Geraldton, WA
Occupation Sailor, fisherman, painter, wharf labourer
Service service number 4200
enlisted 29.12.1915
POE Blackboy Hill, WA
unit 28th Battalion
rank Private
place Western Front, 1916-1918
casualties WIA 1916, 1917, 1918
final fate RTA 23.09.1918
discharged 10.04.1919
Naturalisation 1945
Residence after the war Western Australia, Darwin, 1942 evacuated to Adelaide
Died 1959, Perth
Materials
Naturalisation (NAA)
Digitised service records (NAA)
Digitised Embarkation roll entry (AWM)
Personal case file 1 2(NAA)
Blog article
Newspaper articles
Stranded fisherman rescued. - The West Australian, Perth, 14 May 1927, p. 9.
The fishermen's peril. - Truth, Perth, 4 June 1927, p. 11.
Fishing tragedy. - Sunday Times, Perth, 13 September 1931, p. 1.
Fishing tragedy. Survivors' story at inquest. - The West Australian, Perth, 29 September 1931, p. 13.
From Russian Anzacs in Australian History:
Frank Payton had a colourful life -- he ran away from his Jewish family in Riga at just 13 years of age and reached Australia as a sailor; on the Western Front he was wounded four times. After the war he worked in Western Australia as a wharfie, a whaler, and a prospector, and on the wharves in Darwin but was evacuated from there in 1942, to South Australia, where he ran into some difficulties over his nationality and observed: 'I have never been subject to such indignities as I have suffered here since it had been discovered that I am apparently not a British subject and I want to be naturalized as soon as possible'.