Frederick Warren MUIR

MUIR, Frederick Warren

Service Number: 644
Enlisted: 22 August 1914, Enlisted at Sydney, NSW
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 1st Infantry Battalion
Born: Unanderra, New South Wales, Australia, May 1893
Home Town: Unanderra, Wollongong, New South Wales
Schooling: Unanderra District Public School, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Law Student
Died: Wounds, At sea on board Glenart Castle, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 28 November 1915
Cemetery: No known grave - "Known Unto God"
No known grave, buried at sea Panel 15, Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Unanderra Public School Roll of Honour
Show Relationships

World War 1 Service

22 Aug 1914: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 644, Enlisted at Sydney, NSW
18 Oct 1914: Involvement Private, 644, 1st Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Afric embarkation_ship_number: A19 public_note: ''
18 Oct 1914: Embarked Private, 644, 1st Infantry Battalion, HMAT Afric, Sydney
25 Nov 1915: Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 644, ANZAC / Gallipoli, Gunshot wound to the head, Transferred to HS Glenart Castle

Help us honour Frederick Warren Muir's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From AWM

Pte Frederick Warren Muir, a law student from Unanderra, enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force at Randwick on 22 August 1914. He had brief military experience, having spent two-and-a-half years as a lieutenant in the cadets. Muir was assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion and departed Sydney for Egypt aboard HMAT Afric on 18 October 1914.

After training at Egypt, Muir left with the 1st Battalion for the Dardanelles and participated in the landing on 25 April 1915. He wrote home to his mother almost every week from the trenches, describing in detail his experiences at the front line. His letters were published in the South Coast Times, a local paper in Wollongong.

In late November 1915, Muir was badly wounded and taken to the Hospital Ship Glenart Castle, just off the coast of the peninsula. Unfortunately, on 28 November he succumbed to his wounds and was buried at sea. Frederick Muir is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial, Turkey.

Read more...

Biography contributed by Carol Foster

Son of James R. Muir and Alice Chester  O'Donnell, formerly Muir, of Unanderra, NSW

Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal

The South Coast Herald published some of his letters which gave an excellent account of the war including the landing

Biography contributed by Evan Evans

From Gallipoli Association
 
Frederick Warren Muir, a law student from Unanderra, enlisted with the Australian Imperial Force at Randwick on 22 August 1914.

He had brief military experience, having spent two-and-a-half years as a lieutenant in the cadets.

Muir was assigned to the 1st Infantry Battalion and departed Sydney for Egypt aboard HMAT Afric on 18 October 1914.

After training at Egypt, Muir left with the 1st Battalion for the Dardanelles and participated in the landing on 25 April 1915.

He wrote home to his mother almost every week from the trenches, describing in detail his experiences at the front line. His letters were published in the South Coast Times, a local paper in Wollongong.

A letter from Anzac Cove #OTD in 1915:
Dear Mater,
“Once more into the breach”.

After an uneventful holiday of seven weeks on Lemnos, we find ourselves back again in the trenches and again at the old address. We received our orders to move with characteristic suddenness on Tuesday night, and early on Wednesday morning moved out of camp again with all our goods and chattel.

Our road took us through a seemingly interminable stretch of hospitals, and the nurses and convalescents all flocked to the roadside to bid us “Farewell”. As a stiff southerly gale was blowing, we lay in the harbour till Friday evening when the wind had abated sufficiently for us to set out. We were rather crowded on the boat but managed to make ourselves comfortable nevertheless. On arriving at Anzac we were surprised to find things have been much improved in the last few weeks, and preparations for the winter are being actively pushed forward.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went back into the trenches again and soon felt quite at home. We have been lucky enough to secure a very comfortable spot this time. Everything is very quiet along the whole line and especially quiet on our own front. At times there are spells when not a shot is fired, and a newcomer might imagine that hostilities had ceased.

“Beachy Bill” sends over a few shells in our direction now and again, but this does not trouble us much. Of course, we do not look forward to winter in the trenches with any great degree of joy, but I think we will get on fairly well in our current trenches.

At present the weather is extremely variable and reminds me of the rhyme of the little girl who “when she was good she was very, very good, when she was bad she was just horrid”. When it is good, the days are warm and mild and all that one expects of the ideal Mediterranean weather, but the next day may be cold and sleety with a chilly wind blowing. The cold has however accounted for most of the flies, although certain insects still survive. Our appetites, too, have sharpened up wonderfully since the cooler weather set in, and we are sometimes hard pressed to spin our rations out.

Your parcel with shirt, comforter etc arrived alright and was very acceptable. There is no need to send any more writing paper at present: I have been flooded with it during the last few weeks. Everyone who writes sends a few sheets of paper; most of the other fellows are in the same boat. It is rather disappointing to get a thick, fat looking letter and find it consists mainly of blank paper.

I am looking forward to the arrival of the box with the cake etc. Any biscuits of this sort are much appreciated in the firing line.

I will write again when it comes to hand.
Love to all.
Your affectionately,
Fred

P.S. I see that young Bill Beach has distinguished himself by inventing the periscope rifles which we used here. I did not know till I saw the notice in the paper that it was the Beach I used to know.

In late November 1915, Muir was badly wounded and taken to the Hospital Ship Glenart Castle, just off the coast of the peninsula. Unfortunately, on 28 November he succumbed to his wounds and was buried at sea. Frederick Muir is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial.

Read more...