Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederic Maurice Purchas was born on the 25th April 1866 at Onehunga, Auckland, New Zealand.  He was the youngest son of 14 children born to his parents Arthur Guyon and Olivia Challinor Purchas.  He had 5 older brothers, 7 older sisters and 1 younger sister.  However, one of the older sisters died aged 4months in 1850 and the eldest brother died from drowning aged 8 in 1855.  Both died before Frederic was born. 

Frederic’s parents were married in 1845 in England and in early 1846 sailed for New Zealand.  His father was a prominent citizen of Auckland and was one of the first doctors in Onehunga.  Several of his children were born in the parsonage at Onehunga so he no doubt would have assisted with these births.  He was also very gifted as a surgeon, architect, engineer, geologist, explorer, musician, botanist, artist, inventor and the Vicar of St Peter’s Church of England in Onehunga from 1847 till 1875 when he resigned to resume medical practice.  He has 2 streets named after him in New Zealand.  One of Frederic’s brothers also became a doctor. 

Schooling was made compulsory in New Zealand in 1877 for children between 7-13 years of age.  Frederic attended the Auckland Grammar School for 7 years and the Parnell Grammar School otherwise known as the Church of England Grammar School for 2 years.  He went on to further study at Canterbury College which later became known as the University of New Zealand and then spent some time at the University of Adelaide in Australia.  It was while he was here that he gained an apprenticeship with Dr William Peel Nesbitt.  He had studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and graduated in 1873 before coming to Australia in 1875.  It was perhaps his influence that saw Frederic, aged 26, travel to Scotland in 1892 to study medicine at the University of Edinburgh.  He graduated in 1897 with a Bachelor of Medicine and a Master of Surgery degrees. 

While in Scotland he met Alice Charlotte Cox and they were married on the 14th September 1897 at the Parish Church at Painswick, Stroud, Gloucestershire, England.  They returned to Auckland, New Zealand, where Frederic practiced as a surgeon.  In 1902 he was appointed the Medical Health Officer for the Port of Kaipara in Auckland.

Frederic and Alice had a son born in 1898, Arthur John Maurice...known as Maurice, then in 1905 they welcomed a daughter, Olive Mary...known as May.

After the birth of May the family moved to Australia settling in the NSW central-west town of Blayney where Frederic set up his own medical practice.  The stately home they lived in was formerly owned by the first Mayor of Blayney who named the house “Framlingham.”  Over the years the property became home for several doctors in succession and was given several names, one of them “Te Rata” is attributed to Frederic having named it after the 4th Maori King.  On the 10th February 1909, Frederic was elected Mayor of Blayney.  The following year he sold the practice in Blayney and the family took a holiday to England and Scotland. 

Upon returning to Australia in 1912 the family settled in Young NSW approximately 90miles south-west of Blayney.  Frederic established his medical practice at 12 Boorowa Street and one of the doctors to follow after him at this practice was his son Maurice.  The practice is still operating today.  Maurice went on to become Mayor of Young in 1940. 

Frederic was a council member of St John’s Church of England at Young for some years up until he enlisted for WW1 at Young on 6th August 1915 aged 49.  As a member of the Medical Officers Unit with the Australian Army Medical Services he was attached to 1st Australian General Hospital.  He embarked from Sydney on the 30th October 1915 on the HMAT Argyllshire and was promoted to Captain the same day.  He arrived in Suez, Egypt, a month later and proceeded to Cairo to the 1AGH. 

On 21st March 1916 Frederic was transferred to the 3rd Field Ambulance at Tel-el-Kebir.  It was here that he met and served with my grandfather Cyril Morsley who was serving as a stretcher bearer.  A week later the whole Unit embarked from Alexandria, Egypt, on the HMAT Kingstonian.  During the voyage one of the men of the 3rd Field Ambulance was lost overboard while sleep walking...Private Percy Fennell.  My grandfather recorded this in his diary on 30th March 1916. 

“At 9.15pm I heard the cry “Man Overboard!” and the steam hooter on the funnel made an awful din.  It appears that Fennell (Private P.E.R. 2252) walked in his sleep and walked over the rail.  The Sentry saw him and shouted.  We went full steam astern, lowered a boat and a buoy etc. but did not recover his body.”

The Unit disembarked at Marseilles, France, on 3rd April and took a train ride for 3 days before disembarking at Godewaersvelde near the Belgian border.  They marched 10miles to their billet at Pradelles…the barn of a farmhouse.  It was 6 miles from the ‘front’ and the boom of the artillery was very loud in the cold night air.   

A month later Frederic was temporarily attached to the 10th Infantry Battalion then re-joined the 3rd Field Ambulance in mid-May at Doulieu.  At the end of July he was temporarily attached to 44th Casualty Clearing Station at Brandhoek Siding, Belgium, until 9th September when he was detailed for duty to the 1st Anzac Army Corps HQ at Abeele to help with the heavy casualties from Pozieres.  He then took special leave to England on the 12th September, re-joining the 3rd Field Ambulance on the 19th September at Reninghelst, Belgium. 

The Unit moved regularly throughout October then on the 11th November experienced an enemy air raid on their camp near Albert, France.  This entry from the Unit war diary records the event. 

“At 00.40 this morning an enemy aeroplane flying low, dropped 6 bombs on the 1st Anzac Rest Station.  Five patients were killed outright, thirty three wounded more or less seriously and three slightly.  Of the personnel at this station one was killed, four seriously wounded and one slightly wounded.  All of these belonged to No. 3 Australian Field Ambulance.  One bomb was dropped on the Orderly Room, destroying a number of the records of the station and of the unit.  Damage was done to four marquee tents and eight bell tents.  The distinguishing lamps were burning brightly at the time the attack was made.” 

In late January 1917 Frederic was attached to the 11th Infantry Battalion for temporary duty as the Medical Officer during the advance to the Hindenburg Line.  He was there till 27th March when he was attached to the 3rd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples.  In early June he moved with the Base Depot to Le Havre and 2 months later marched out to England for return to Australia.  Frederic embarked from England on the HMAT Benalla on the 25th August and served as part of the medical staff on board the ship during the voyage home.  He arrived back in Australia on the 26th October 1917 and was discharged on the 10th November 1917. 

In September 1918 Frederic’s son Maurice enlisted while still a medical student at the University of Sydney but the war ended before he could be sent overseas. 

Upon returning home Frederic returned to his medical practice at Young.  The following is an extract from a Shire Council article written about the history of Young.

“In 1919 local doctor Frederic Purchas, who had gained some experience of X-ray technology during military service in World War I, asked Council’s Electrical Engineer Alfred Patroni to build an X-ray machine.  Working together Frederic and Alfred built a locally crafted X-ray machine that was put to good use by the Burrangong District Hospital.”

In 1929 Frederic had complications after an operation for gallstones and spent several months in hospital.  However, that didn’t keep down for long...he was still practicing at 70 years of age in 1936. 

During his years at Young he was at different times the Patron and President of the Golf Club, trustee of the Tennis Club and Government Medical Officer for 2 years.  In 1936 he bought the Railway Hotel in Young and in 1940 won the title for the B Grade Bowls Championship. 

Frederic and Alice were very involved in the community and their local church.  Alice suffered a stroke and died on the 21st September 1942, exactly 1 week after their 45th wedding anniversary.  She was aged 72.  A few months later, due to ill health, Frederic moved to Oakdale in the south-west region of Sydney to live with his daughter.  He died at the Camden Distrit Hospital on the 3rd December 1948 aged 82.  He was survived by his 2 children and 9 grandchildren...two of whom went on to become doctors and so continued the family legacy.  Only 2 of his sisters survived him.  Frederic and Alice rest together at the Young Cemetery in Thornhill Street.

Frederic’s name appears on the Soldiers’ Memorial at the Young Shire Council building in Boorowa Street.  The Soldiers Memorial Tower is the central feature of the building.  It has a clock face at the top and a bronze statue of a Digger located on the street-side of the tower at roof level.  There are several polished granite tablets on the outside of the main doorway beneath and inside the entrance foyer on which inscriptions and veterans' names from the First and Second World Wars are engraved. 

Frederic Maurice Purchas was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 30th September 2021

Sources

https://www.unibooks.co.nz/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=118697

https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/purchas-arthur-guyon

http://www.higround.com.au/docs/YoungShire.pdf

https://www.warmemorialsregister.nsw.gov.au/content/young-soldiers-memorial-clock-tower-and-memorial-boards