Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Before the war:

Samuel Clement Fairbrother (Sam) was a farmer born in Fullarton, SA sometime in 1873. He had six siblings, Bertha Fairbrother, Mary Jane Warnes and 4 unnamed others. As an adult, Sam lived in Malvern with his wife, Edith Matilda Fairbrother, whom he married in 1910 when he was 37.

 They had one child before Sam made the brave decision to join the army and fight in WWI at the age of 43. As Sam was quite old in comparison to other soldiers (the average age of enlistment was 24 years) his age was likely a factor in his multiple injuries and slower recovery time. 

He enlisted on the 24th of June 1916, just under 2 years after the war was declared in August, 1914. Sam was a farmer and because of this, he was used to working long, gruelling days in the harsh Australian sun. His strength and endurance was an advantage that placed him at a comparable level to his younger counterparts.

 He trained at Keswick Barracks, where he spent 52 days in the hospital with psoriasis. Psoriasis is a skin condition which is triggered by stress, infections and colds. One possibility is that Sam was so stressed about training for war and potentially dying that he developed psoriasis.

Sam’s unit, the 21st Reinforcement of the 10th Battalion, embarked from Melbourne on board the HMAT A16 Port Melbourne on 21 October 1916. He arrived at Devonport in England on 28 December.

During the War:

After three months of training, Sam travelled to France in early April 1917 and joinef the 10th Battalion. He fought in the Battle of Bullecourt in early May and came through unscathed. Next, the 10th Battalion travelled to Belgium to participate in the major British offensive of that year, the third battle of Ypres. On 2 October 1917, Sam was recorded as wounded in action, shell shocked. 

Shell shock is a name coined by soldiers themselves that refers to the psychological effects of exposure to prolonged warfare and artillery bombardment. Symptoms of this can include impaired sight or hearing, fatigue, tremors, confusion and nightmares. A letter was sent to his wife a few months later in January informing her that he had been shell shocked and of Sam’s postal address. 

Sam was admitted to hospital and remained there until 12 February 1918. On 7 March he rejoined his unit.

Only 9 days later, on 16 March 1918, he was admitted to the 1st Auxiliary Hospital at Harefield for inflammation of the connective tissues of his right hand, which may have been exacerbated by his previous injuries. He was discharged from the hospital on 5 April 1918.  

Meanwhile, the 10th Battalion was helping to stop the German spring offensive and were later involved in the actions leading to the allied counter strike in March and April of 1918. Due to Sam’s injuries and time spent in the hospital, we can assume he was not involved in these actions or only was for a short time.

On 30 May 1918, Sam was again wounded in action suffering a gunshot wound in his right arm and was admitted to the Lines of Communication hospital a couple of days later on 2 June. Just 10 days later, Sam was transferred to the Colchester Military Hospital for a gunshot wound in his right arm. During Sam’s time at this hospital, another letter was sent to his wife, Edith Matilda, outlining the nature of his injuries and the name of his hospital.

Following his transfer to the Colchester Military Hospital, Sam was transferred to the 3rd Auxiliary Hospital on the 24th of June. A gunshot wound would have been extremely painful and hard for Sam to recover from, especially after suffering multiple previous injuries. Military hospitals were also under immense pressure, with hundreds of soldiers in critical condition and rationed supplies. As many of these hospitals were makeshift tents, they were less than ideal locations to recover from a wound as serious as Sam’s. 

On 5 July, Sam was finally discharged from service due to his injuries and was sent to a training depot. When the war finished he was one of the first sent home, departing England on 20 November 1918, just 9 days after the official end of the war, making his total service time 2 years and 259 days. 

After the war:

While Sam was at war, his family had moved houses. Official documentation shows his wife and son moved from their 1900 house at 62 Winchester Street, Malvern to ‘Ludlow’ Catherine Street, College Park. Sam died in 1961, reaching the ripe old age of 88. He was lucky enough to live through two world wars, one of which he fought in, and live a long and fulfilling life with his beloved family. 

Sam’s name can be found on the Myrtle Bank Memorial and at the Yallunda Flat Memorial Park. 

Persevering through the multiple difficulties and injuries he encountered, Sam showed the true ANZAC spirit of endurance by holding out so close to the end of the war. He, like so many other Australians, was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to protect his country and his loved ones by fighting in one of the bloodiest wars in human history. Displaying admirable ANZAC courage, Sam was unafraid to fight for his family and loved ones. 

Something I find particularly inspiring about Sam’s story is that he openly volunteered to fight. Many Australian men so significantly older than the average soldier would be happy to stay at home and get out of fighting, but not Sam. He willingly chose to serve in a war he knew very well he may not return from; bravery that, in my opinion, is virtually impossible to match. ANZAC soldiers were widely recognized as the hardest, most loyal soldiers, and I truly believe Sam was worthy of his title as an ANZAC soldier, through and through. 

References

Clement Fairbrother n.d., MyHeritage, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.myheritage.com/names/clement_fairbrother>.

Shell Shocked 2012, American Psychological Association, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.apa.org/monitor/2012/06/shell-shocked>.

Samuel Clement Fairbrother n.d., UNSW Australia, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=93959>.

First World War Embarkation Results n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/advanced-search/people?people_preferred_name=Samuel+Clement+Fairbrother&people_service_number=6510&people_roll_title=&people_embarkation_date=&facet_related_conflict_sort=8%3AFirst+World+War%2C+1914-1918&roll=First+World+War+Embarkation+Roll>.

Search Results n.d., Commonwealth War Graves Association, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.cwgc.org/search-results?term=Samuel%2BClement%2BFairbrother&name=Samuel%2BClement%2BFairbrother&fullname=Samuel%2BClement%2BFairbrother>.

RecordSearch n.d., National Archives of Australia, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=3546691&isAv=N>. 

NAA: B2455, FAIRBROTHER S C n.d., National Archives of Australia, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=3546691>.

Papers relating to No. 6510 Private S. C. Fairbrother, 10th Battalion. n.d., National Library of Australia, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://trove.nla.gov.au/work/210537668?q&versionId=231085059>.

Outdoor formal group portrait of the 21st reinforcements to the 10th Battalion. Most of these... n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1278418>.

10th Australian Infantry Battalion n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/U51450>.

Page not found n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/people/roll-search>.

Papers relating to No. 6510 Private S. C. Fairbrother, 10th Battalion n.d., State Library of South Australia, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/record=b2954835~S1>.

AWM4 23/10/2 - December 1916 n.d., Australian War Memorial, viewed 2 April 2020, <https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1343553?image=4>.