Born in Ballarat, Frank Leslie Sugget travelled to England in 1913 to study for an Arts degree at the University of Durham. He enlisted in the British Army and served with the British Expeditionary Force from 1915 to 1918, first as a Private and later as a Chaplain.

He returned to Australia in 1918 but, in October, embarked once again for England under an "entitled passage" on board Wyreema. In March 1919, at the age of 34, he enlisted in the AIF in London as a Chaplain 4th Class. He resigned his commission in July after serving in France for three months and was released in September 1919 to allow him to complete his studies before his return to Australia.

Lucas’s Staffs Appreciation of Brave Men, the original Avenue register, records his name as Frank Suggett.