Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

 Frederick (Fred) Kirsch was born in Warracknabeal, Victoria to August and Agnes nee Murdie in 1896, his birth was followed by two younger sisters, Maggie in 1898 and Olive born in 1900.

 In the early 1900's the family left the Warracknabeal area of Victoria and settled in the Donnybrook, Thomson's Brook region of South Western, Western Australia. Fred was to attend the Thomson's Brook Public School and be taught by Mrs. Bradshaw, who for many years was the sole teacher at this little bush school. He must have been an attentive student as his enlistment papers are testement to this as it was written with very clear and accurate writing. Mrs. Bradshaw obviously accepted the challenges of teaching the children of the area. She kindly donated to the school an Honour Board, recognising the significant contribution of her former students who served in the Australian Forces in WW1. Eighteen of her students served and three of those were to make the ultimate sarifice, a huge sacrifice from a very small tight knit community.

Frederick had enlisted at Donnybrook and from there he reported to the Army base at Guilford on the 9th of December 1914, he had already spent 2 years as a cadet in the civilian Army Corps, the 25th Light Horse Battalion of Western Australia. He was well aware of the discipline required, he had also been handling and riding horses for many years, also handling firearms as required by his early employment as a farmhand and during his time as a cadet.

Frederick was one of those who made that sacrifice, after leaving their beloved horses in Egypt he and his fellow troopers were to be landed at Gallipoli. Into the horrific, close trench warfare, with constant bombing, sniper fire, deseases, went the 19 year old Frederick,  to be killed, along with 36 other brave men from his unit in a senseless assault on the Turkish trenches, at an area known as The Neck, crossing the open section of ground during clear daylight. An enquiry was immediately formed on the orders of Lieutenant Colonel N. M. Brazier, the Commamding Officer of the 10th Light Horse. The enquiry found that Frederick and his fellow Officers, NCO's and Troopers, who had ben originally reported as missing, unreservedly confirmed all had been killed and their bodies were never recovered. As a footnote to this tragic event, for unknown reasons, after Frederick had been killed on the 7th of August 1915, his parents were not officially notified until the 18th November 1915. He is remembered on the Gallipoli Peninsular along with the names of many of his fellow brave men on "The Nek" memorial.

A poignant article appeared in the Western Australian newspaper, during February 1915, it was a copy of a letter written by Fredericks youngest sister Olive to her Auntie. In this letter, as a 14 year old Olive described how proud she was of Her older brother joing up, especially in the light Horse, that he had spent a wonderful 9 days of leave at Christmas time with the family. Olive descibes at length as to how she missed her brother and hoped he would be back soon.

Sadly we know this did not happen as Frederick was killed serving his country 6 months later. The family continued to live in the area, the girls marrying local men and they themselves having children, never forgetting their son, brother or uncle.