FRASER, Hector
| Service Numbers: | 6013, 6145 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 May 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Bulla, Victoria, Australia, January 1872 |
| Home Town: | Hawthorn, Boroondara, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Bulla School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Gardener |
| Died: | Broncho Pneumonia, Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire, England, 27 January 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
Durrington Cemetery, Wiltshire Grave No. 161 |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 1 May 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6013, 6th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Jul 1916: | Involvement Private, 6013, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Themistocles embarkation_ship_number: A32 public_note: '' | |
| 28 Jul 1916: | Embarked Private, 6013, 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Themistocles, Melbourne | |
| 27 Jan 1917: | Involvement Private, 6145, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6145 awm_unit: 5 Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-01-27 |
Hector Fraser
Hector Fraser was born at Bulla, Victoria and went to the Bulla School. He working as a gardener when he joined the AIF on 3/3/1916. He was 44 years old and married. His NOK was his wife, Mrs. J Fraser of 758 Burwood Road Upper Hawthorn.
He left Australia on 28/7/1916 as part of the 6th Battalion, on board the HMAT Themistocles.
He took ill and died on 27/1/1917 at the Tago Military Hospital, UK.
He was buried at the Durrington Cemetery, Wiltshire, UK.
Submitted 16 December 2022 by Ross Martin
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
The summary below was completed by Cathy Sedgwick – Facebook “WW1 Australian War Graves in England/UK/Scotland/Ireland
Died on this date – 27th January…… Hector Fraser was born at Bulla, Victoria.
He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (A.I.F.) on 3rd March, 1916 stating he was a 44 year old, married, Gardener from Upper Hawthorn, Victoria
Private Hector Fraser, Service number 6013 (reallotted a Service number of 6145), embarked from Melbourne, Victoria on HMAT Themistocles (A32) on 28th July, 1916. He was transferred to 5th Battalion on 10th September, 1916 & reallotted a Service number of 6145 while on Troopship to England. Private Fraser disembarked at Plymouth, England on 11th September, 1916.
Reinforcements were only given basic training in Australia. Training was completed in training units in England. Some of these were located in the Salisbury Plain & surrounding areas in the county of Wiltshire.
On 15th September, 1916 Private Fraser was marched in from Overseas to 2nd Training Battalion, No. 3 Camp at Perham Downs Camp, Wiltshire, England.
He was admitted to Fargo Military Hospital on 25th December, 1916 suffering from Pneumonia – severe. Private Fraser was reported as being dangerously & seriously ill on 16th January, 1917.
Private Hector Fraser died of Broncho Pneumonia at Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire at 10.30 p.m. on 27th January, 1917* after spending 33 days in Hospital. (* most of the records in Private Fraser’s Service Record file state the date of death as 28th January, 1917, however a few have been amended to state date of death as 27th January, 1917).
A death for Hector Fraser, aged 51*, was registered in the March quarter, 1917 in the district of Amesbury, Wiltshire. (*From information on Roll of Honour supplied by the widow of Private Hector Fraser, she states his age at the time of his death as 44 years)
He was buried in Durrington Cemetery, Wiltshire where 140 other WW1 Australian War Graves are located.
**Private Fraser was the first of five men to die at Fargo Military Hospital, Wiltshire, England in the space of 12 hours from Broncho-pneumonia / pneumonia. (Private Albert Victor James, 2885, died 11.40 p.m. 27th January, 1917, buried Durrington Cemetery plot 160; Private Herbert Chester Canham, 6177, died at 1.30 a.m. 28th January, 1917, buried Durrington Cemetery plot 162; Private Ernest Beddow, 2545, died 5.50 a.m. 28th January, 1917, buried Bilston Cemetery, Staffordshire – private grave and Private George Alfred Adams died at 10 a.m. 28th January, 1917, buried Durrington Cemetery plot 163)
(The above is a summary of my research. The full research can be found by following the link below)
https://ww1austburialsuk.weebly.com/d---g1.html
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