FREEMAN, David Lindsay de Carle
| Service Number: | 5098 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 January 1916, Melbourne, Vic. |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 22nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia, 1894 |
| Home Town: | Castlemaine, Mount Alexander, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Castlemaine Grammar School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Bank clerk |
| Died: | Killed In Action, Bullecourt, France, 3 May 1917 |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Australian National Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, France |
| Memorials: | Castlemaine Uniting Church Memorial Window, Melbourne Bank of Australasia Roll of Honour WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Jan 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 5098, 5th Infantry Battalion, Melbourne, Vic. | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 5098, 5th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Suffolk embarkation_ship_number: A23 public_note: '' | |
| 1 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 5098, 5th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suffolk, Melbourne | |
| 24 May 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 57th Infantry Battalion, Egypt | |
| 26 Sep 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 22nd Infantry Battalion, France | |
| 3 May 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 5098, 22nd Infantry Battalion, Bullecourt (Second) |
Help us honour David Lindsay de Carle Freeman's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Robert Wight
Brothers: Capt L.A. Freeman and Sgt W.A. Freeman.
Biography contributed by Robert Wight
Working as a 21 year-old bank clerk when he enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 1 December 1915, David lived at “Waverley”, in Hargreaves Street, Castlemaine, and was one of three brothers to enlist.
David arrived in Egypt in May 1916, after the AIF had evacuated Gallipoli, and embarked for France two months later. After a short stint in the 57th Battalion, he joined the 22nd Battalion on 27 September 1916.
The harsh northern winter months were usually a “quieter” time on the Western Front, however the conditions in the trenches were atrocious, as freezing mud and snow created numerous health problems for the men.
During February 1917, the Germans pulled back to a more defensible position called the Hindenburg Line, and the allied armies pursued them. In early April 1917, as part of a wider British assault, the Australians were hastily ordered to attack the new German line at a place called Bullecourt. The result was inevitable and resulted in over 3,200 casualties for nothing.
In early May, they were told to try again. This time the 22nd Battalion were involved and, while the Australians managed to capture and hold part of the German line, it was a very costly “victory” for little actual gain.
David Freeman was one of the 7,482 Australian casualties sustained at Second Bullecourt. He was killed in action on 3 May 1917, and his body was never recovered. He has no known grave.
At the time of David’s death, his father, Arthur Freeman, was the Mayor of Castlemaine, and after the war his two brothers, Lancelot and William, both returned home.
Robert Wight, March 2024
Click images to start slideshow.