HANDCOCK, Frederick Ather
| Service Number: | 7568 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 April 1917, Wangaratta, Victoria |
| Last Rank: | Sapper |
| Last Unit: | 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company) |
| Born: | Myrrhee, Victoria, Australia, July 1893 |
| Home Town: | Myrrhee, Wangaratta, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Myrrhee State School |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Natural causes, Victoria, 18 April 1963 |
| Cemetery: |
Milawa Cemetery, Victoria |
| Memorials: | Myrrhee HB1, Myrrhee State School Pictorial HB, Oxley War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Apr 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 7568, Wangaratta, Victoria | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 1917: | Involvement AIF WW1, Sapper, 7568, Tunnelling Companies, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '6' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Anchises embarkation_ship_number: A68 public_note: '' | |
| 8 Aug 1917: | Embarked AIF WW1, Sapper, 7568, Tunnelling Companies, HMAT Anchises, Sydney | |
| 23 Jul 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, Sapper, 1st Tunnelling Company (inc. 4th Tunnelling Company) |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Evan Evans
The ‘Aggressive’ Handcock's from Myrrhee
Frederick Ather Handcock was one of eight brothers to sign up from the family of Charles and Harriet Handcock, from the Upper Fifteen Mile Creek area of Myrrhee in North East Victoria. Like many soldiers in WWI Fred suffered more than his fair share of sickness, which was luck in retrospect as it kept him out of harms way to some degree. It is said that the Handcock family had the world record for number of sons enlisting for WWI from any one family. Of the brothers Albert John was the only member to be killed in action (Gallipoli, May 1915) while Charles Handcock was the other brother from the eight who did not make it home to Australia, dying of broncho pneumonia that followed on from influenza in November 1918. The other six brothers survived WWI, although Reginald had his right leg amputated below the knee due to a gunshot wound during Third Ypres otherwise shortened to just Passchendaele (around Zonnebeke?). He was earlier wounded at Pozieres in August 1916 (to the ankle) but recovered to rejoin his battalion. In an up-beat letter from England after the amputation he wrote that it was amusing to see the other fellows trying to use their artificial legs and that he was keen to have a go himself. He also has one of his arms paralysed.
Then as now the Handcock's are a well regarded and respected family of hop farmers whose Upper Fifteen Mile Creek hop gardens have seen continual production since the 1890's. That the family hop growing enterprise survived the boom – bust (mainly bust) hop growing profitability cycle of the 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and 2000’s, when most independent growers went out of business, is testament to the family’s resilience and hardiness of the family.
“The Handcock's must be aggressive, six of them going!” (Capt Gerald Evans MC, 8th Bn, Myrrhee resident, letter to mother, 11/6/1916)
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"...7568 Sapper Frederick Ather Handcock. A farmer from Myrrhee South via Moyhu, Victoria prior to enlistment, Spr Handcock embarked with the April Reinforcements, Tunnelling Companies from Sydney on HMAT Anchises on 8 August 1917. Later serving with the 1st Tunnelling Company, he returned to Australia on 23 July 1919." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)
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