Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Before WWI:

Frederick George Moody was born in Walkerville, South Australia on the 9th of April 1886 and was the child of John and Mary Moody. Frederick had 4 brothers and a sister, and his religion was the Church of England.

Frederick became a tramway motorman and served in the 10th militia. This was a part-time military job/army reserve (AIR). Having these past experiences may have helped him in the war as he had already done some training and he would be fit due to his job. This may have meant he had extended fitness and knowledge for war.

Frederick married Emma Silvia Dibell on the 29th of November 1906. Frederick’s father passed away 3 days later. Fredrick and Emma had Eva Moody, in 1907, then Henry Moody in 1909 and Dorothy Moody, in 1911.

In Frederick’s enlistments, he said he had brown eyes, black hair, dark complexion, 20/20 eyesight, was 5 foot 6 ½ inches tall and weighed 146lbs (66kgs). Frederick was 29 years and 10 months old when enlisting.

During WWI:

Frederick enlisted on the 1st of February 1916 and embarked Adelaide on the 9th of June. Boarding the HMAT A19 Afric to begin his journey, Frederick was a private and was in the 43rd Infantry Battalion. This battalion was a part of the 11th Brigade along with the 41st, 42nd and the 44th Battalions.

Frederick's ship reached Marseille in July 1916, and he then moved on to England for further training. Training involved physical training, marching, learning how to follow commands and learning how to use weapons. According to Frederick’s service records, the 43rd battalion moved to France in late November 1916 to fight.

It was likely that Frederick was fighting in trench warfare as most battles occurring on the Western Front were fought like this. Trench warfare was an unpleasant experience to most soldiers due to risk of infection and disease. Some suffered from shellshock, caused by constant bombardment towards the trenches, leaving soldiers with long-term mental illnesses such as PTSD. Trench foot and mouth were also very common due to living in trenches, but it is unknown if Frederick was affected by these things. Trench warfare could have negatively affected Frederick’s experience in the war as the conditions were unsanitary and almost unbearable. After a few months, Frederick was promoted to Corporal. 

However, Frederick’s time as corporal did not last long as he was severely injured on May the 30th 1917. He was wounded in La Bizet, a French town near the Belgium border. he was treated by the field ambulance and he arrived at hospital on the 6th of June.

Frederick was sent to the Edmonton Military Hospital in London later finding out that a gunshot wound had fractured his left tibia meaning it was unlikely for him to return to the war. On June 26th, a letter was sent to his wife to let her know that Frederick had been sent to hospital. This shows that the communication was slow as it took almost a month to receive the information. This would have been difficult and frightening for Emma to find out that Frederick is in hospital not knowing the extent of the injury.

On July 17th, 1917, Frederick was transferred to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital in England. After just over a month, Frederick was sent to the Burdon Military Hospital in Weymouth, England. Finally, on the 18th of October, Frederick was sent on the HMAT A19 Afric to return home to his family in Australia.

After WWI:

Once back in Australia, Frederick would have most likely spent the following months recovering. On December 27th, Moody was officially discharged from the 4th Military District (43rd Battalion). While in the war, Frederick was not punished for any bad behaviour and his records show that he didn’t take any sick leave. Like most soldiers serving at the same time in the same battalion, Frederick received the Victory and British War medal for his contribution to the war.

In December, Frederick’s mother, Mary, died. However, a while after recovering, Frederick and Emma had their 4th, and last child, in October 1928. Unfortunately, at 62, Frederick Moody passed away from an unknown cause. He was buried in July 1948 in the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide.

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MOODY.—On July 28, at Daws Road Hospital, Frederick George, the beloved husband of Emma Sylvia Moody, of 207 Brown street, Adelaide, and loving father of Eva, Henry,  Dorothy, and Shirley. Aged 62 years.