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Main image extract of SA State records image in slideshow.

Surname: GAGE; Given Names: Frederick William; Date of Birth: 13 March 1898; Date of Enlistment: 1 March 1915; Trade or Calling: Blacksmith; Birth Location: Kensington; Address prior to enlistment: Rosewater; Photograph sent by: Mrs Gage
35 Gilles ST Adelaide formerly William ST Rosewater Source: State Records SA

Frederick William Gage had just turned 17 when he enlisted on 1 March 1915. He mis-stated his age at 19 years 2 months. One would have to say that his appearance in his photograph is more consistent with his real age rather than his stated age.  He cites 9 months service in the Senior Cadets prior to enlistment.

His older brother John Richard Samuel Gage (warmemorial.erato.vm.e2.com.au) possessed of equally youthful appearance, had enlisted the previous month.  Their physical resemblance is unmistakeable - both look more like 14 year olds than their actual ages which in Fred's case was still below official enlistment age.

Fred was assigned to the 2nd Reinforcements of the 27th Battalion. His brother John  was also enlisted into the 27th Battalion.

His occupation is stated as "Blacksmith", although given his youth his vocation could just as easily have been 'borrowed' from his father. With those minor 'impediments' aside, he was soon in camp at Mitcham on Adelaide's southern fringe. Fred was allocated to the Second Reinforcements of the 27th Battalion and embarked for Egypt on the 24th of June 1915 on the HMAT Kanowna. He joined 'E' Company of the Battalion.  His older brother John had left with the main body of the 27th Battalion as part of C Company one month earlier.  They would have caught up with one another ion Egypt.

The 27th Battalion was part of the Second Division which formed in Egypt and was destined to reinforce the ANAC Division which had been ashore since 25th April. The 27th landed at ANZAC  on and around the 15th September 1915.  Like many at that time of the campaign he succumbed to illness and was evacuated sick 12 December 1915, just prior to the main evacuation  to Alexandria.  He re-joined the battalion in Egypt and embarked for France and the Western Front.

After a short time in the Armientieres sector, the Second Division had moved to the Somme in June 1916.  The 27th Battalion was committed to a major attack at Pozieres at the Windmill on the 4th August 1916.  Fred was Wounded in Action with a severe gunshot wound to his right leg in this attack. Evacuated through the medical evacuation chain to  Chatham Hospital in the UK, he did not re-join the Battalion until April 1917 but was hospitalised almost immediately with an unspecified ailment..

Second Division then moved into its position for the Third Ypres campaign  from late July 1917.  Fred was Wounded in Action for the second time on 20 September 1917 at the Battle of Menin Road. Evacuated once again to the UK he re-joined the Battalion in December 1917 following Passchendaele.

He is recorded as having been AWL on Christmas and Boxing Day 1917 for which he was awarded 4 days stoppage of pay.  In March he transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion. He served out he remainder of the war with the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion and served through the German March Offensive and the "Last Hundred Days"  campaign later that year.

After War's end he would have been a high priority for repatriation to Australia, having been a 'Gallipoli man' but it is clear from his records that he had discovered a romantic interest. Frederick William Gage married Florence Kate Bird on 30th July 1919 in Loughton-Bletchley Buckinghamshire in England. They relocated to Australia on the SS Port Napier in December 1919.

In 1967, Florence claimed Fred's Gallipoli Medallion, by which time he had passed away. She was at that time resident at 40 Reid Avenue Tranmere South, a suburb of Adelaide.

Steve Larkins  May 2013

Completed by the great great granddaughter of Gage who attends Golden Grove High School

Frederick Gage was 1 of 11 children, being the 5th oldest, raised by John Gage and Selena Graham. Frederick was born in Kensington, South Australia on March 13th in 1898. On December 12th, 1903, Frederick became a member of the Morman church, which was when he started attending church and was later baptized in the faith.

Frederick grew up living at 46 North Terrance in Kent Town, which is where he attended East Adelaide and Norwood Primary schools. In 1908 Fred and his family moved to live in Rosewater, William St where he transferred schools to Port Adelaide, Alberton and Woodville which was when he was around age 12.

Growing up, Frederick learned to be quite independent and became close with his brother, John, due to working together with their dad at their dad’s blacksmith shop where they both gained a trade. Before getting the job with his brother and Dad he had some experience blacksmithing due to his dad teaching Fred some tricks whilst he was in school. In 1914 Frederick joined the local Cadets to receive pre-military training at 16, due to being too young to be part of the Army whilst being a blacksmith.

At the age of 17, Frederick enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on May 11th, 1915, however, when enlisting he told them that he was 19. They knew he was lying, but due to the desperation of new recruits, they accepted him. During the enlistment Frederick gave his occupation as a blacksmith suggesting he’d take on any blacksmith tasks. Then as an attesting officer he had to say “I, Frederick William GAGE … swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War … SO HELP ME, GOD (“Item Details”)”. Frederick Gage worked as an Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossier, who took charge of the service records of individuals and joined the units 27th battalion in Keswick as a Private (Pte).

Before Frederick and his battalion were sent to Gallipoli on June 24th,1915 he had to do 6 weeks of training in Egypt. They departed for Gallipoli Peninsula on September 12th, 1915, where they were later admitted to a hospital at Anzac Cove due to some casualties within their battalion. During an ambush in Gallipoli Fred was shot in the leg. He couldn’t receive proper care and was wounded in action.
He was admitted to a camp on December 15th, 1915, where he stayed until December 30th,1915 to recover from the Gallipoli Battle. On this day the Brigade (7th Brigade) moved to Cairo and remained there until March 5th ,1916. During this time Fred was convalescing and was unable to join the battalion.

Frederick could eventually walk again and rejoined battalion before the Brigade moved to Ismailia in Egypt on March 5th,1916. The 7th Brigade stayed there until March 16th, 1916, which was where they moved to Alexandria. This period was when the battalion started to join the British Expeditionary Force (B.E.F), as they were going to be heading to the U.K very shortly due to the poor supply given from Cairo.
From Alexandria, Frederick and his Brigade took boats all the way to France where they disembarked in Marseilles on March 21st, 1916. Frederick and his Brigade then travelled to northern France. Here, Frederick received better medical attention on his leg. The 7th Brigade stayed in France from March 21st, 1916, until August 4th, 1916.

On July 23rd the major Battle of Pozieres started. The 27th Battalion was ready as they entered the front-line trenches on April 7th, 1916. On August 5th, 1916, the day after the intense artillery bombardment of the German positions, Frederick and his battalion were admitted to another town in France and remained there till August 10th,1916, due to some casualties. The Battle of Pozieres didn’t end until September 3rd, 1916. After the second attack, the Allies emerged, victorious.

Frederick embarked to Calais on August 12th ,1916 which was when he departed the battalion for a while assuming to be on leave. He transferred to London on October 21st ,1917, where he met a lady named Florence Kate Bird, his future wife. On November 16th, 1916, he travelled to Peckham Downs located in South-East London. Then on January 22nd, 1917, Frederick went to Clapham.

Eventually on February 1st ,1917, Frederick returned to France where he rejoined his battalion. He contracted an illness called ‘French Fever’; he was admitted to a hospital on April 3rd, 1917. After his time in the hospital, Frederick slowly made his way to another town on April 18th ,1917 before rejoining the battalion once again. May 6th, 1917, Frederick was back in France and rejoined the battalion.
On September 20th, 1917, the 27th battalion conducted a battle known as the first wave at the Battle of Menin Road. This was where Frederick Gage was wounded in action. Although Frederick was wounded during this battle the battalion received victory at the end due to the capture of Broodseinde Ridge which the battalion played a part in.

Due to the injuries of Frederick, and many others in the battalion, they were admitted into Rouen at a hospital, on September 21st, 1917. Frederick Gage later left Rouen on December 7th, 1917, and stayed till February 16th, 1918. On March 29th ,1918 he was sent to Belgium and transferred to the 2nd Machine Gun Battalion. Later that year he served through the German March Offensive and the ‘Last Hundred Days’.

January 10th, 1919, Fredrick was said to be outfield camping, and then returned to France on January 15th,1919. A couple of months later on April 28th ,1919 he received some awful news that his sister Vera had passed away from double pneumonia.

On July 22nd, 1919, Frederick was sent to London and eventually moved to a camp called ‘Codford Camp’. Over the years he kept in contact with Florence, which then led to them getting married whilst Frederick was living at this camp. Frederick was 23 years old whilst Florence was 27. The two married at Longhton Parish Church on July 25th, 1919, which was one of the happiest moments of Frederick Gage’s life.

November 11th, 1918, World War 1 came to an end. A year later Frederick returned to Australia and brought with him his wife Florence. After all Frederick’s service he had received a Gallipoli Medallion, a British War Medal and a Victory Medal which he accepted with pride.

Once he returned, he took up his trade as a blacksmith at O’Halloran Hill, where he and his wife lived in a house close by. Over the years Frederick and Florence had 10 children, one being my great-grandfather Leonard Gage who was born at Keswick Barracks.

After 30 years, early in 1922, Frederick’s parents officially separated. His mother married a man called Robert Brunton who worked as an Adelaide City Corporation worker. They later lived in a cottage house on 28 Ada Street with Fred’s 3 youngest siblings.

Frederick’s dad remarried twice before he passed away on February 8th, 1930, of old age. A couple of years later in early 1923, Frederick received more dreadful news which was the death of his mother also due to old age.

Throughout the years, Frederick continued to work whilst Florence was a stay-at-home mother raising a family. Eventually Frederick Gage died of old age at 66 on September 3rd, 1964, and was buried at West Terrace Cemetery. Showing Frederick’s determination to never quit and finish what he started, during his lifetime Frederick was awarded with a Gallipoli Medallion, a British War Medal, and a Victory Medal. Three years after Frederick’s death, Florence collected these medals from the Australian Imperial Force Base Records Office. Florence then died on October 18th, 1976, of old age in Adelaide.

Sources: Websites
1. News, BBC. “Gallipoli, the Famous Battle Explained.” BBC News, BBC News, 24 Apr. 2015, www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-32445981 . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
2. “What You Need to Know about the Gallipoli Campaign.” Imperial War Museums, 2024, www.iwm.org.uk/history/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-gallipoli-campaign . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
3. Genge. “Aftermath of the Gallipoli Campaign.” Anzac Portal, 7 June 2022, anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/where-australians-served/gallipoli/aftermath. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024
4. “27th Australian Infantry Battalion.” Awm.gov.au, 2024, www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51467 . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
5. Genge. “Battle of Pozières 23 July to 3 September 1916.” Anzac Portal, 28 Oct. 2020, anzacportal.dva.gov.au/wars-and-missions/ww1/where-australians-served/western-front/battle-of-pozieres. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
6. “Frederick William Gage (1898-1964) - Find a Grave...” Findagrave.com, 2016, www.findagrave.com/memorial/158906290/frederick_william-gage . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
7. “Home Page | Naa.gov.au.” Naa.gov.au, 2024, www.naa.gov.au/ . Accessed 29 Aug. 2024.
8. “Frederick William GAGE.” Vwma.org.au, 2024, vwma.org.au/explore/people/14713. Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.
9. “Frederick William GAGE, B.1898 D.1964 - Ancestry®.” Ancestry.ca, 2021, www.ancestry.ca/genealogy/records/frederick-william-gage-24-837sn1?geo_a=r&geo_s=ca&geo_t=ca&geo_v=2.0.0&o_iid=41016&o_lid=41016&o_sch=Web+Property . Accessed 30 Aug. 2024.