RAWLINGS, Frederick
| Service Number: | 916 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 19 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 31st Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Ballarat, Victoria, Australia, 1887 |
| Home Town: | Ballarat, Central Highlands, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Drapers Assistant |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Fromelles, France, 20 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Grave III.A.6 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 19 Jul 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 916, 31st Infantry Battalion, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 916, 31st Infantry Battalion | |
| 9 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 916, 31st Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 916, 31st Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix) |
Help us honour Frederick Rawlings's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Holding
Frederick Rawlings was born in Ballarat, Victoria and enlisted on the 19th July 1915. At the time of his enlistment he was working as a draper's assistant, aged 29 and engaged to Miss Christina Nankervis.
He joined the 31st Infantry Battalion, 8th Infantry Brigade, 5th Division AIF, with Regimental No. 916. He was killed in action during the Battle of Fromelles (Fleurbaix) on the 20th July 1916 (one year and one day after his enlistment). At the time of his death, his body was never recovered and consequently he was listed on the memorial at VC Corner, Australian War Cemetery and Memorial, Fromelles, France.
When Frederick had gone into battle he had carried a small New Testament that included instructions inside the front cover to return it to his fiancé in the event that it was found.
In 1935 this New Testament arrived back in Australia – apparently a German soldier had taken it from Frederick’s body and then almost 20 years later sent it back to Frederick’s fiancé in Australia.
In 2008, a mass grave was found at Pheasant Food near Fromelles. Descendants of the Rawlings family registered with their DNA. Frederick’s remains were subsequently identified in 2010.
A story in the local Ballarat Newspaper following his identification resulted in the Nankervis family contacting the Rawlings family and the New Testament and picture of Frederick in uniform were returned to the Rawlings family.
Frederick is now buried in a known grave at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery, Fromelles, France. At the opening of the cemetery, his great niece, great nephew and the grandson of one of his best mates attended a short graveside service. At that service, the celebrant read a short passage from Frederick’s New Testament.
His brother, Sydney, the youngest of the 12 Rawlings children, also served in WW1 and was killed in action 11th July 1918. He is buried in Borre British Cemetery in France.
Both Frederick and Sydney Rawlings have a tree in Ballarat’s Avenue of Honour (numbers 940 and 765 respectively) and a street has now been named “Rawlings Street” in the Lucas Estate on Ballarat’s western edge is named in their honour.
Recently, a letter Frederick sent to two of his sisters on the 16th July 1916 has come to light. These were his final words written just days before the disaster at Fromelles.
16/7/16
Dear Lila & Liz
Just a card to say that a letter will follow as soon as possible, we have been in the reserve and support trenches for a week under heavy shell fire it has been great, quite exciting, we have laughed until our sides ached, we are moving to another front tomorrow, to the front line to do out bit, we are all looking forward to it. There has been very heavy artillery bombardment the last three days, the noise is terrific, but it is surprising how quickly we get used to it, you will have heard long before this reaches you, should anything happen to me I think everything will be right have no fear whatever, don’t worry, all is well.
Fondest love to all your loving brother Fred
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