EDWARDS, Frederick Richard Charles
| Service Number: | 5963 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 July 1916, Charleville, Queensland |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 26th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goondiwindi, Queensland, 2 February 1888 |
| Home Town: | Mitchell, Maranoa, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Surat, Queensland, 15 May 1961, aged 73 years |
| Cemetery: |
Surat Cemetery, Qld |
| Memorials: | Mitchell Memorial Walls |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Jul 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5963, 26th Infantry Battalion, Charleville, Queensland | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 Oct 1916: |
Involvement
AIF WW1, Private, 5963, 26th Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Boonah embarkation_ship_number: A36 public_note: '' |
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| 21 Oct 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 5963, 26th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Boonah, Brisbane | |
| 22 Jun 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 5963, 26th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography
5963 Pte. Frederick Richard Charles Edwards enlisted under the name of Thomas Edwards to avoid some trouble with the local constabulary.
Charlie was the eldest of the four sons of Richard and Amelia Anne (nee Owen) Edwards, of "Chevy Chase", a property just south of Mitchell, Queensland. All of their four sons enlisted for Service, they were;
347 Pte. Arthur Guy Edwards (/explore/people/142117), survived the landing at Gallipoli and served there for the entire campaign. Also survived the Pozieres campaign. Arthur was killed at Bullecourt 08 May 1917, aged 25.
769 Pte. Owen William Edwards (/explore/people/342726), Served at Gallipoli and the Sanai. Owen was shot in the arm in the charge of the lighthorse at Beersheba, having to have the limb amputated days later. Owen returned to Australia and cared for his widowed mother, dying in 1971, aged 77.
5392 Pte. John Max Edwards (/explore/people/81374), was the youngest son, he was "blown to pieces" about 6 weeks after disembarking at Marseilles for his first taste of the war, at Pozieres on 08 Aug 1916, aged 20.
Charlie survived the war and returned to Australia. He died in 1961 at Surat, Queensland, estranged from all family members, aged 73.
"FOUR SONS AT THE FRONT.
Mr. and Mrs. R. Edwards, of Chevy Chase, Mitchell, have four sons at the war-we should rather say "had" four sons, for two have made the supreme sacrifice. Word came through on May 21 that Corporal A. G. Edwards died of wounds at Bullecourt on May 8. He was the second son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, and volunteered in August, 1914, went through the whole Gallipoli campaign without a scratch, went to France with the first Australians, was wounded at Pozieres in July, 1916, was sent to the school of instruction, and had returned to the trenches a few weeks, when he was fatally wounded. Only a few days previously word had come that the youngest son, Private J. M. Edwards, who had been missing since August 8, 1916, was killed in action on that date. The eldest son, Private F. R. C. Edwards, is at present in France. These three all joined infantry battalions. The third son, Private O. W. Edwards, of a Light Horse Regiment, enlisted in 1914, was at Gallipoli, and is at present in Egypt." - from the Queenslander 23 Jun 1917 (nla.gov.au)
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