Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

# 1307 BROWN Frederick (Fred) James George                    5th Light Horse Regiment
 
Frederick Brown was born in Cairns, North Queensland, on 21st September 1896 to parents Frederick and Hannah Brown. He was the second eldest of three siblings. Fred probably attended primary school in the Atherton region but according to his father he received a secondary education at Ipswich Grammar and Southport High School (which became The Southport School) perhaps as a boarder as his parents were living in Cairns.
 
Fred attended the recruiting office at Atherton on 8th April 1915. He advised the recruiting officer that he was 18 years old and furnished a note from his father to the effect that he gave his permission for Fred to enlist in the AIF. Fred stated his occupation as farmer and named his father, Frederick Brown. Fred advised the authorities that his fathers’ address was Toogoolawah, even though the note giving permission to enlist is addressed from Atherton. The family may have had land holdings in both places and it would seem that the entire family all were living in the Toogoolawah area after 1915. Once Fred was accepted into the AIF, he had a long journey by coastal steamer from Cairns to Brisbane before he was added to the 10threinforcements of the 5th Light Horse, a regiment that is first credited with placing an emu feather plume in their hats; and which was subsequently adopted by all light horse units. On 5th October 1915, the reinforcements embarked on the “Warilda” bound for Egypt.
 
By the time that the reinforcements landed in Egypt, those light horse units that had been on Gallipoli had been evacuated. The Gallipoli veterans and new reinforcements went into camp at Serapeum on the Suez Canal. The light horse was assigned to defence of the Suez Canal while excess reinforcements were transferred to the newly enlarged infantry divisions and artillery brigades to act as drivers of the horse teams. Fred however was posted to the 5th Light Horse at Moascar on 23rd February 1916.
 
The 5th Light Horse was combined with the other light horse regiments into the Anzac Mounted Division which became part of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force. This force was responsible for meeting a Turkish threat across the Sinai Peninsula directed at the Suez Canal. Most of the light horse duties consisted of long-range patrols along the Mediterranean coast from the canal east following the railway line.
 
On 3rd August 1916, a large Turkish force supported by German officers had advanced as far as the wells at Romani; some 40 kilometres from the Suez Canal. This force was met by the 1st Light Horse Brigade (1st,2nd and 3rd Light Horse Regiments) which had established outposts on prominent sand dunes. The three regiments slowly withdrew under superior numbers before the 2nd Light Horse Brigade (4th,5th and 6thLight Horse Regiments) supported by the New Zealand Mounted Rifles forced the attackers into deep sand where they became exhausted due to heat and lack of water. The 5th Light Horse, including Trooper Fred Brown, occupied a position on the far right of the Australian line at Qatia. The war diary records that most of the action over those three days was centred around Romani and the 5th LHR saw little activity.
 
The Battle of Romani marked the end of the Turkish advance across the Sinai and the combined Turkish force withdrew eastwards to El Arish, 40 kilometres from the Palestinian border. Along the route of the withdrawal, a number of rear-guard actions occurred as the Light Horse followed the Turks. Between the 16th and 18th September, the 5th LHR war diary records that the troopers were moving into an oasis near Mazar when they were met with a strong force of infantry supported by artillery. The action was brief but resulted in four casualties, one of whom, Fred Brown, was killed on 17th September 1916. He was 4 days short of his 20th birthday.
 
The situation for the 400 or so light horsemen was perilous, and an immediate withdrawal was ordered. Sadly, Fred’s body could not be recovered and he was left at the oasis. The regimental chaplain explained that it was too dangerous to attempt to extricate Fred’s body. By the time that the Turks had been forced out of the Sinai at the end of 1916, no sign of Fred Brown remained. In all likelihood, the Turks had buried Fred in an unmarked grave.
 
A small parcel of personal effects from the kit store at Kantara was despatched to Fred’s father who had by that time moved permanently to Toogoolawah. Fred Brown has no known resting place. He is commemorated on the tablets of the Jerusalem War Memorial as well as war memorials at Ipswich Grammar, The Southport School, Esk and Toogoolawah.
 
Frederick (snr) and Hannah both died in 1933. They are buried in the Toogoolawah cemetery in a family plot which includes two of Fred’s siblings. The grave stone also mentions Frederick James George; killed in action 1916.