Frederick Arthur (Fred) DYSON

DYSON, Frederick Arthur

Service Number: 3560
Enlisted: 4 November 1915
Last Rank: Private
Last Unit: 54th Infantry Battalion
Born: Kempsey, New South Wales, Australia, 1896
Home Town: Kempsey, Kempsey, New South Wales
Schooling: Sherwood Public School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation: Labourer
Died: Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916
Cemetery: Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery
Plot III, Row A, Grave No 1
Memorials: Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, South Kempsey Sherwood Public School and District Great War Honour Roll, South Kempsey Sherwood School Honour Roll
Show Relationships

World War 1 Service

4 Nov 1915: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3560, 18th Infantry Battalion
20 Dec 1915: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3560, 18th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: ''
20 Dec 1915: Embarked Private, 3560, 18th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Sydney
19 Jul 1916: Involvement Private, 3560, 54th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3560 awm_unit: 54th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19

Help us honour Frederick Arthur Dyson's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.

Biography contributed by Stephen Brooks

Frederick Dyson was the youngest of three brothers who served in WW1. His family lived on a farming property in the Macleay River area near Kempsey, New South Wales.  Fred was born in Yaravel and attended the local public schools, including both the Corangula and Sherwood schools. His family address is noted as Lovelock Creek, Sherwood, New South Wales.

Private Fred Dyson was reported missing 19-20 July 1916. Nothing further was known until his name appeared on the German death list dated 4 November 1916 and his identification disc returned by the Germans. This news was passed on to the family by the Red Cross along with information published in the local newspaper on 21 March 1917.

Fred Dyson had no known grave and he was to remain missing for almost a century.

On the 2 April 2009 the Australian Army announced that Pte Frederick Arthur Dyson is included in working list of Australian Soldiers believed buried in unmarked graves at Fromelles, France. Full archaeological excavation to commence in May 2009.

During January 2010, Fred Dyson became the first buried in the new Pheasant Wood cemetery at Fromelles.

It was noted by some who attended Frederick Dyson’s burial that it seemed extraordinarily appropriate that an ordinary and unassuming private – not yet 20 years of age - from a small country town in Australia, where he had been born, raised, and schooled, was the first to be buried in the new cemetery at Pheasant Wood, as a representative of all like men who given their lives and have no known grave.

His brother, 3559 Pte. Bert Edward Dyson 18th Battalion AIF, was killed in action in Belgium 20 September 1917, aged 22.

Another brother, 2464 Pte. William Stanley Dyson 7th Light Horse Regiment returned to Australia safely during mid-1919.

Read more...