Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick George Groom #144 15th Battalion

According to information supplied by Frederick’s brother, John, for the Roll of Honour, he had been born in Middlesborough, Yorkshire and emigrated to Australia with his family at the age of nine. Fred Groom was enrolled at Coorparoo State School in 1888.The family would appear to have been engaged in the grocery business in East Brisbane around 1914. An elder brother, Richard, lived at Church Street, Coorparoo.

Frederick enlisted in Ayr, North Queensland, on 21st September 1914 and stated his occupation as labourer, aged 30. His eldest brother when completing the Roll of Honour card gave his occupation as grocer’s assistant aged 37. It is possible that Frederick gave a false age to ensure that he was accepted.

It would have taken some time for Frederick to travel from North Queensland to Brisbane (there was no coastal rail link at the time, most travel was by ship) and on arrival in Brisbane, the first of the Queensland battalions to be raised, the 9th, already had a full quota of men. Frederick was drafted into the 15th Battalion, comprised of volunteers from Queensland and Tasmania. For training the Queensland contingent were sent to Broadmeadows in Victoria to meet up with their Tasmanian compatriots. The 15th Battalion was part of the 4th Brigade under the leadership of John Monash. The 4th Brigade departed Melbourne on 22 December 1914 bound for Egypt where they would join the force that would land at ANZAC Cove on 25th April.

The 15th battalion landed at ANZAC late on the 25th April and were immediately sent to defend a precarious section on the heights above the beach. This section would be named Quinn’s Post after Captain (later Major) Hugh Quinn of the 15th Battalion. Quinn’s Post was one of the hottest positions on the ANZAC beach head, with the Turkish trenches just metres away and overlooking the position. On 9th May 1915, just two weeks after landing, Frederick Groom was listed as Killed in Action. He was buried at Quinn’s Post but between the time when the Australians evacuated the area and the Imperial War Graves Commission began to erect permanent monuments to the fallen, the grave marker had been lost. A headstone was erected in the Quinn’s Post Cemetery with the inscription: “#144 Pte. F.G.Groom, 15th Battalion AIF, Believed to be buried in this cemetery”.