S5747
MELVILLE, Frederick Hector
| Service Number: | 1996 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 6 October 1915, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Driver |
| Last Unit: | 5th Division Artillery |
| Born: | Upper Sturt, South Australia, 6 February 1887 |
| Home Town: | Upper Sturt, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | 13 February 1940, aged 53 years, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Upper Sturt Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | District of Upper Sturt Methodist Church Honour Board, District of Upper Sturt Methodist Church Honour Roll, Upper Sturt and District Roll of Honour WW1 WW2 |
World War 1 Service
| 6 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1996, 9th Light Horse Regiment, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Feb 1916: | Involvement Private, 1996, 9th Light Horse Regiment, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '2' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 10 Feb 1916: | Embarked Private, 1996, 9th Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Warilda, Adelaide | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 5th Division Artillery | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Driver, 1996 | |
| 3 Nov 1920: | Discharged AIF WW1, Driver, 1996, at SA |
Help us honour Frederick Hector Melville's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Heathfield High School
Life Before the War
Frederick Hector Melville was born on the 6th of February, 1887 in Upper Sturt. He was the son of Maria (Thomas) and William Melville. His siblings were Christina Melville, Annie Dollenna Melville, Lilly Melville, Mary Melville, William Elisha Melville, John Melville, Jessie (Melville) Lomman, William Elisha Melville, Sydney James Melville and Alexander Melville. Before becoming a soldier, Frederick was a gardener. This would have made him physically fit for the war. At the time he enlisted, he was described as 5ft 7 ½ (171cm), around the average height for a man at the time, and weighed 146lbs (66kg).
Life in Service
Frederick Hector Melville enlisted in Adelaide on the 6th of October, 1915. He served in 5th Division Artillery. Artillery is in control of the larger weapons. He spent most of his time throughout the war in the 14th Field Artillery Brigade (FAB)
Being in the 14th FAB meant he was positioned near Egypt for the first 6 months of 1916, and by July he arrived in France to serve on the western front. In October 1917 he left for England, for medical treatment. He was admitted to hospital several times throughout 1917, getting sick a few times and having gas poisoning.
On the 2nd of November 1918, he was promoted to driver. Once the war was over, there wasn’t much to do, so he took some leave. He embarked on his return journey to Australia on April 17th, 1920, aboard Bahia Castillo, and disembarked on June 16th. He was discharged on November 3rd that same year.
After the War
He later died in Upper Sturt, South Australia, aged 53, on February 13th, 1940. He is buried in Upper Sturt Methodist Cemetery.
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