MORLEY, Frederick John
| Service Number: | 1531 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 December 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | St. Pancras, London, England, 19 February 1893 |
| Home Town: | Lismore, Lismore Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farm Labourer |
| Died: | MG bullet during attack, France, 11 April 1917, aged 24 years |
| Cemetery: |
Queant Road Cemetery, Buissy, France Plot VI, Row A, Grave No. 21 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Woodburn Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Dec 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 1531, 15th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 1915: | Involvement Private, 1531, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Seang Choon embarkation_ship_number: A49 public_note: '' | |
| 13 Feb 1915: | Embarked Private, 1531, 15th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Seang Choon, Brisbane |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
From Kevin Morley to 15th Battalion AIF
My great uncle serverd with the 15th Bn. The following is a brief account.
PRIVATE FREDERICK MORLEY 1531, 15TH BATTALION AIF Frederick John Morley was born in St. Pancras, London, England on 19th February 1893. Morley was a British born subject who joined the AIF and was killed at Bullecourt on 11th April 1917.
Morley immigrated to Australia and worked as a farm labourer. Despite being far from his homeland he felt compelled to do his bit for the war effort and joined the AIF. He enlisted at Lismore, New South Wales on 29th December 1914.
He embarked aboard HMAT Seang Choon on 13th February 1915. He joined the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force on 12th April 1915 In Egypt and took part in the Gallipoli campaign. He served on the peninsular with the 15th Battalion until the evacuation during December 1915. Morley arrived in France on 8th June 1916 and was sent to the Western Front on the Somme. He was wounded on the 8th August 1916 when the 15th Battalion captured a communication trench which ran in front of Mouquet Farm. Morley was evacuated from the battlefield. He was first taken to the 44th Casualty Clearing Station with a gunshot wound to the knee. On the 10th August he was admitted to the No.3 Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne. He recovered from his wounds and returned to the 15th Battalion on 23rd September 1916.
Morley would fight his last battle on the 11th April 1917 when the 15th Battalion assaulted the Hindenburg Line at Bullecourt. Morley advanced towards the German positions during that morning with C Company. He crossed the machine gun swept No Man’s Land but fell when he reached the first German line. Private C Evans 5388 was C Company runner declared: ‘I saw him fall, pitched forward on his face. He was next to me at the time. This was about 300 yards from enemy’s 1st line of wire in No Man’s Land. Was shot by machine gun fire. I could not swear it was Morley, but I always took it to be him. He was always next to me and he was never seen again’. (Australian Red Cross File: Private C Evans).
Corporal M. L. Goodyer was more certain about Morley’s fate: ‘I was with Morley all away across in the attack till reaching the German first line of wire. I saw him fall as if killed instantly. I did not stop but went on he would be about three yards in front of me when I saw him fall, I did not see anything of him again’. (Australian Red Cross File: Private C Evans).
Morley was killed at Bullecourt on 11th April 1917. He was initially listed as missing. There was no trace of his remains. During October 1917 he was still considered as missing. After a court of inquiry which convened in November 1917 Morley was proclaimed as killed in action. His remains were not recovered until 1920. However some investigation had to take place before Morley’s remains were positively identified, because on his person was found a watch and identity disc bearing the name of Lieutenant Edward Wareham. During the Gallipoli campaign Morley was batman to Wareham until his death on 10th May 1915. It was Morley’s intention to return this disc to Wareham’s family when he returned home from the war. Wareham’s father wrote:
‘The disc undoubtedly belonged to my late son, and the newspaper cutting referring to him which accompanied the disc was a cutting from the Brisbane Courier. The F.J.Morley mentioned is the Private No.1531 as surmised by you; he was my late son’s Batman when he went to Gallipoli, and wrote giving me the full account of my son’s death. The watch did not belong to my son, therefore presumably was Morley’s own property. I am therefore returning the watch to you. Morley undoubtedly intended bring my son’s disc back to us had he lived, because in a letter we received from him after my son’s death, he mentions he would bring back his field glasses and anything else belonging to him that he could’. (National Archives of Australia: Service record of Private Frederick Morley 1531).
Subsequently the remains of Private Frederick Morley were identified and he was buried in a grave bearing his name at Queant Road Cemetery.
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