S25213
AITKEN, Frederick Harold
| Service Number: | 420 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 3 February 1916, Nominal Roll Date of Enlistment: 8 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 43rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goodwood, SA, 19 July 1891 |
| Home Town: | Mylor, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Butcher |
| Died: | Cerebral Haemorrhage, Arteriosclerosis, Glen Osmond, SA, 30 April 1955, aged 63 years |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (AIF Section) Section: KO, Road: 20, Site No: 61 |
| Memorials: | Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 3 Feb 1916: | Enlisted Australian Army (Post WW2), Private, 420, 43rd Infantry Battalion, Nominal Roll Date of Enlistment: 8 February 1916 | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 420, 43rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '18' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: '' | |
| 9 Jun 1916: | Embarked Private, 420, 43rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Adelaide | |
| Date unknown: | Wounded 420, 43rd Infantry Battalion |
Help us honour Frederick Harold Aitken's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Dan Nguyen
Frederick Harold Aitken was born on the 19th of July 1891. He was born in Goodwood, but his hometown was Mylor, Adelaide Hills. He was the son of Alexander Smith Aitken and Mary Matilda nee Nolan. He had a brother, James Alexander Aitken, who also fought in the war and a sister. He was a Roman Catholic dedicated the to church. Before joining the war, he was a local butcher in his hometown.
Aitken enlisted to the army on the 3rd of February 1916 [1], at an age of 24, feeling he had to help fight in World War 1. He was placed in the 43rd Battalion, C Company and was ranked as a Private. His service number was 420. He and his Battalion embarked for the war on the 9th of June 1916, on the HMAT Afric A19. He was paid a daily rate of 5 shillings.[2] The 43rd Battalion was South Australia’s contribution to the 3rd Division. The battalion briefly stopped in Egypt and arrived in England for more training. The 3rd Division moved to the Western Front in December 1916. Here the battalion trained in the Salisbury Plains until the first half of 1917, where they engaged in trench warfare.
The 3rd Division’s first major fight was at Messines on the 7th of June 1917. Later, they fought during the Third Ypres Campaign. This is where Aitken was wounded. He was wounded on the 31st of July 1917[3]. He had a severe shrapnel wound to the left humerus. He was brought from the war back to base. He was transported to Alexander Hospital, Cosham Portsmouth and then evacuated to the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield Park, Middlesex.
On the 21st of December, 1917, he returned to Australia. He later found out his brother had died from wounds on the 2nd of August, 1918. After the war, he was awarded a British War Medal and a Victory Medal. On the 30th of April, 1955, he died from Cerebral Haemorrhage and Arteriosclerosis at an age of 63. He died at Glen Osmond, South Australia. He was buried at the West Terrace Cemetery, Adelaide.
[1] Frederick Harold AITKEN n.d., UNSW Australia, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=1812>.
[2] Australian Imperial Force - Nominal Role n.d., Australian War Memorial, Pdf, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1950917/>.
[3] No.420 Private. F. H. Aitken n.d., SLSA, Pdf, <http://images.slsa.sa.gov.au/sarcib/SRG76_1_3491.pdf>.
Biography
Son of Alexander Smith AITKEN and Mary Matilda nee NOLAN
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