Neither Black Nor White .. But ‘khaki’ – Private Frank Richard Archib

[Boss Meri]

Private Frank Richard ARCHIBALD was born at Walcha, New South Wales on February 17th, 1915 to Frank and Sarah Archibald. One of 12 children; he would find himself fighting alongside his fellow Australians in many faraway places. However, law of the time said that he was not a citizen of Australia. To the broader population back home, he was a black man in a white man’s army. But to his mates on the front, he was neither black – nor white ….. he was ‘khaki’ like the rest of them. And Frank, like many other indigenous Australians would prove his worth on the battlefield and shed his life’s blood in service of his country.

The Archibald family today are well known in the Armidale area. They are direct descendants of Robert King, or King Bobby, a renowned Aboriginal leader at the time of colonisation.

Frank Richard Archibald lived in the Armidale-Walcha area until 1935 when the family moved to Burnt Bridge Mission, near Kempsey. The family moved to the Mission after welfare authorities threatened to remove their children. The government authorities promised that, if the family moved to the Mission, their children would not be taken.

Private Frank’s military service began during May of 1940 when he enlisted into the AIF at Kempsey at the age of 25. He was assigned to the 2/2nd Infantry Battalion which was part of the 16th Brigade. Frank’s younger brother, Ronald Archibald, and his uncle, Richard Archibald (Senior) signed up in Kempsey around the same time.

After training at Greta, Frank sailed from Sydney in August 1940.

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