S734
BANKS, Frederick Arthur
| Service Number: | 33424 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 22 January 1916, Natural born British Subject Age: 20 + 5 Trade: Labourer Single |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | Headquarters Australian Imperial Force (AIF) |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, Australia, 23 August 1896 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Lighthouse Keeper |
| Died: | Congestive Heart Failure (months). Left Ventricular Hypotrophy with Mitral insufficiency (years). Coronary atherosclerosis (years), Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, 14 August 1951, aged 54 years |
| Cemetery: |
Eltham Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Birdwood WW1 & WW2 Soldier's Memorial, Cudlee Creek Millbrook Public School Roll of Honour, Mannum District Roll of Honor |
World War 1 Service
| 22 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 33424, Natural born British Subject Age: 20 + 5 Trade: Labourer Single | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Gunner, 33424, Field Artillery Brigades, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '4' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 33424 | |
| 3 Mar 1919: | Wounded AIF WW1, Sapper, 33424, Transferred to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital at Dartford with a diagnosis of Debility After Hospitalisation (general post-illness weakness, convalescence). | |
| 26 Apr 1919: | Transferred AIF WW1, Sapper, Headquarters Australian Imperial Force (AIF), After finishing his leave, he reported back from Headquarters and was marched into No. 5 Group, one of the AIF repatriation groups in the UK that handled soldiers awaiting transport home. | |
| 16 Jun 1919: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 33424, Sailed home to Australia aboard the troopship 'Ormonde' as part of his demobilisation after the war. | |
| 29 Aug 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, 33424, Discharged from the A.I.F at Adelaide - termination of Enlistment |
My Great-Uncle Frederick
When Frederick Arthur Banks was born on 23 August 1896 in Norwood, South Australia, his father, Arthur, was 26 and his mother, Alice, was 25. Frederick enlisted in Australia as artillery, sailed on the Shropshire, trained at Larkhill, but was reallocated to signals. He trained at Shefford, then went to France in late 1917, joining the 2nd Division Signal Company. He served on the Western Front through the end of the war. In early 1919, he was hospitalised with influenza and “DAH” (a wartime diagnosis for stress-related heart fatigue), spent time in English hospitals and convalescent care, and then was granted leave. After returning from furlough, he was processed through the repatriation depots, and finally sailed home aboard the Ormonde for discharge in Australia. He married Freda Doris Warne in 1920 in Victoria. They had three children in 10 years. He died on 14 August 1951 in Heidelberg, Victoria, at the age of 54, and was buried in Eltham, Victoria.
Submitted 11 September 2025 by April Rolfe
Biography contributed by April Rolfe
When Frederick Arthur Banks was born on 23 August 1896 in Norwood, South Australia, his father, Arthur, was 26 and his mother, Alice, was 25. Frederick enlisted in Australia as artillery, sailed on the Shropshire, trained at Larkhill, but was reallocated to signals. He trained at Shefford, then went to France in late 1917, joining the 2nd Division Signal Company. He served on the Western Front through the end of the war. In early 1919, he was hospitalised with influenza and “DAH” (a wartime diagnosis for stress-related heart fatigue), spent time in English hospitals and convalescent care, and then was granted leave. After returning from furlough, he was processed through the repatriation depots, and finally sailed home aboard the Ormonde for discharge in Australia. He married Freda Doris Warne in 1920 in Victoria. They had three children in 10 years. He died on 14 August 1951 in Heidelberg, Victoria, at the age of 54, and was buried in Eltham, Victoria.
Click images to start slideshow.