Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Son of Frederick ADKISSON and Louisa nee WHITHAM

Of 26 Steele Street, Moonee Ponds, Vic.

Husband of Fanny Mabel ADKISSON nee ROBINSON

1/5/1916          Enlisted at Mount Gambier, SA

21/9/1916        Embarked on HMAT Commonwealth A73
                        5th Reinforcements, 50th Battalion

Returned to Australia 14 January 1919 per 'City of York"

Enlisted and served in WWII

 

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Fredrick Adkison Charles was born in South Melbourne Australia, 25 May 1891. He was the son of Fredrick Adkisson and Louisa (nee Whitham), who was listed as his next of kin.  Fredrick and his family were practicing Christians and members of the Church of England.

Although Fredrick was born in South Melbourne, at some point he moved to Mt Gambier, more than likely as an adult, to pursue a career as an Electric Engineer. At the time of enlistment his address was Mt Gambier South Australia. Fredrick was a striking young man with blue eyes and light brown hair. He weighed 169kg. His height was 170 cm (5 ft 7). He was not married at the time of enlistment at 24 years and 11 months old.  

Fredrick Adkison Charles enlisted in Mount Gambier on the 9th May 1916. After a few months of training atMitcham, on the 21st September 1916 Fredrick embarked the HMAT A73 Commonwealth in Adelaide, on route to join the 27th regiment on the Western front.  After long days and nights at sea, Fredrick and his fellow troops arrived in the United Kingdom, disembarking in Plymouth on November 14th, 1916.

Records show the following day, November 15th, 1916, Fredrick marched into the 15th Training Battalion and was placed into 5th Training Group, which was formed in Larkhill, England on the 8th of August that year.  This group trained in London, Gosford, as reinforcements to fill active battalions as required across the Western Front  (aif.adfa.edu.au, n.d.)

Following one month of intense training in Gosford, on the 28th December 1916, Fredrick was transferred from the 50th Battalion to the 27th Battalion. The next day he boarded the SS Princess Victoria from Folkestone proceeded overseas to France. He remained at the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot until he was taken on strength with 27th Battalion 28th February 1917.

The 27th Battalion during this time period joined with the 26th AIF and were only involved in minor attacks in early 1917 during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg line. (Australian War Memorial, 1918). They played a minor role in the German attack on Lagnicourt, Northern France, between the 3rd of March and 30th of April , where 4 German divisions conducted a ‘spoiling’ attack on the positions of the 1st Anzac corps of the British fifth army, to delay the advancement of the fifth army towards the Hindenburg line. This attack was brutal and its intention to destroy as much equipment, artillery and men was successful. The 27th Battalion, despite their minor role, still suffered greatly with 11 deaths and 29 wounded. (www.awm.gov.au, n.d.)

The 27th Battalion regrouped to take part in a major attack on the 20th September 1917  until the 15th September, as part of the 2nd Division’s first wave at the battle of Menin Road.  For Fredrick, almost a year and a half after enlisting, this was to be his first major battle fighting for his country. This battle was part of the third battle of Ypres on the Western Front, undertaken by the British Second army to try and take sections of the curving ridge, east of Ypres , where Menin Road crossed. (www.awm.gov.au, n.d.)

Although successful, it was a fierce battle across the front, Fredrick and his fellow troops would have engaged in bitter fighting and experienced a fierce German counter attacks from trenches and concrete pill boxes.  The Australian artillery support of the British fight, including the 27th Battalion was a major reason for the success, but none the less the 2 AIF divisions sustained over 5013 casualties in the fight.  The capturing of the “blue line” between Polygon Wood and Iron Cross Redoubt was a most historic event tied to this battle as this was a key position in the German defenses. (Story of the Days, 2019)

The dry conditions aided the allies in the battle of Menin Road, but in early October the British Meteorologist Lieutenant Gold told the British Second Army Chief “only a miracle might save us from rain”. The battle of Broodseinde, the battle of the third Ypres, in Belgium, was characterized by heavy rains that soaked the ground and with that the German’s changed tactic forcing their positions forward to the front line, joined by more troops returning from the eastern front, all dug in on Broodseinde Ridge. This was a most significant battle for Commonwealth forces, a large-scale event involving 12 divisions of commonwealth forces, 120, 000 men and amongst that all 4 Anzac divisions, united for the first time during the war. (www.awm.gov.au, n.d.) (East, 2019) (Story of the Days, 2019)

Fredrick and the 27th Battalion as part of the 2nd Australian division were given orders to advance over a 1000-yard area towards the German frontline. This put them in the direct line of fire to the German artillery or gun fire, which proved devasting to this division, with 1000s of lives lost.

The eventual face to face clash of the 27th Battalion and other Australian divisions at 6am of the 5th of October was a brutal clash but one which was won by the Australians. The win was at the cost of over 20, 000 lives lost, many of these have unmarked graves (www.awm.gov.au, n.d.; East, 2019).

Fredrick as part of the 2nd Division following this victory secured a small village of Broodseinde on the Broodseinde ridge and set up temporary trench headquarters there.

Fredrick on English leave from the 26th January 1918 to the 15th of February 1918, after which Fredrick returned to France and to duty as part of the 27th Battalion.

The Somme front was erupting in March 1918, where the Germans were trying to “dislocate” the French British front and cut Paris off from the Channel ports so they could use their positions to try and make a deal for peace before US forces arrived in large numbers.  The AIF was dispatched “piecemeal” to block the gaps in the crumbling British 5th front with Fredrick as part of the 2nd AIF division manning an arc South of Villers-Bretonneux. (vwma.org.au, n.d.)

On the 11th of June 1918, whilst in battle, Fredrick suffered a gunshot wound to his left leg and right thigh and was admitted to the Casualty Clearing Station to be stabilized and to assess the wound, before he was evacuated to the 1st Australian General Hospital in Rouen France on the 15th of June 1918.

On the 29th of June 1918 records show Fredrick was transported by ship to England and was admitted to Ontario Military Hospital Orpington Kent on the 30th June 1918.

 On the 10th of July Fredrick was again transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford. His time here convalescing would have been scattered with some activities and music to keep the spirits of the wounded high.  His mother Mrs. A. Atkinson was sent notification of Fredrick’s wounds.  On July 23rd, 1918, he was moved to the Ontario Military Hospital in England Orpington and records suggest his injuries were serious and his recovery slow

On the 29th September 1918, Fredrick was finally discharged from hospital and sent to Littlemoor camp in Dorset Weymouth England for Purport and repatriation or getting ready to return home.

 On the 14th of January 1919, Fredrick left England, marked as medically unfit and arrive back in Adelaide on the 24th of February 1919.  He was officially discharged from the AIF on the 4th October 1919.

Fredrick went on to marry Fanny sometime after returning and moved to St Kilda, Melbourne where he worked as a motor mechanic. Fredrick did enlisted once again to serve his country in WW11 on the 25th May 1941 at 50 years of age.

Fredrick was discharged from service in WW11 on the 24th November 1943, due to age and fitness, at 53 years of age.

He passed away in 1968, at 80 years of age in Queensland.

 

 

 

 

 

Bibliography

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