CAWSEY, Frederick Gabriel
| Service Number: | 3667 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 1 February 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 30th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Mascot, New South Wales, Australia, 23 September 1894 |
| Home Town: | Mascot, Botany Bay, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Sydney Technical High School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Bricklayer |
| Died: | Rockwood, New South Wales, Australia, 16 February 1966, aged 71 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Rookwood Cemeteries & Crematorium, New South Wales |
| Memorials: | Sydney Technical High School WW1 Roll Of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 1 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3667, 30th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 1916: | Involvement Private, 3667, 30th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '16' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Ballarat embarkation_ship_number: A70 public_note: '' | |
| 5 Aug 1916: | Embarked Private, 3667, 30th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ballarat, Sydney |
Help us honour Frederick Gabriel Cawsey's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Sydney Technical High School
Frederick Gabriel CAWSEY was born on the 24th of September 1894 in Mascot, NSW, Australia where he lived in Wilson Street with his family. His mother was Mrs Rose CAWSEY and his Father was William Gabriel CAWSEY. He attended Cleveland St Public School for primary school. During 1908 in his last year of primary school he also earned a primary school certificate from the Royal Lifesaving Society in 1909. Cawsey then attended Sydney Technical High School on a junior scholarship in 1909 (1) where he completed high school. Frederick worked as a Bricklayer after school.
Frederick Gabriel CAWSEY enlisted on the 1st of February 1916. When he enlisted for the AIF in Casula, Sydney he was described as having healthy, pink skin, light brown hair, brown eyes, weighing 63kg and standing at 5ft 8.5inches tall. At the time of enlistment, he was 21 years and 3 months old
He started as a private and trained in Australia until he embarked on the 5th of August 1916 on the HMAT A70 Ballarat from Sydney. He disembarked at Plymouth and attended signal training. He proceeded overses to France 31st December 1916 destined for an area in France called “The Nursery” in the Armentieres sector of northern France, near two villages on either side of the front line; Fleurbaix on the Allied side and Fromelles on the German side.
In February 1917 Frederick spent a few days in hospital with scabies and rejoined his unit 18th Febrary 1917. Unfortunately, 10 days later he was wounded and went back to hospital in England to recover. His recovery took several months and he returned to the 30th Battalion in France in July 1917. He was again wounded in September 1918 with a gun shot wound to his left thigh and was hospitalised until early December. Frederick spent another few weeks in hospital in early 1919 with tonsilitis. He was promoted to Lance Corporal in April 1919.
After the war, Fredrick Gabriel CAWSEY returned to Australia on the 5th of July 1919. His father William Gabriel CAWSEY died in 1919. He married Esther Ruth Fairbairn in 1923. The couple had one son, named Mervyn Andrew Cawsey, who was born in 1929 and lived until 2006 William returned to work as a bricklayer. He lived until 1966 when he died in Rockwood aged 71. He is buried in Rockwood cemetery(3).
References:
1. Evening News, State scholarships, CAWSEY Fredrick Gabriel soldier file:1909 scholarships pdf, Junior scholarships.
2. CAWSEY Fredrick Gabriel soldier file: Facts timeline,1919
3. CAWSEY Fredrick Gabriel soldier file: Facts timeline,1966
Bibliography
Fredrick Gabriel records in Virtual War Memorial Australia
Fredrick Gabriel unit details in the AIF Project
Scholarship records from Evening news Wednesday 7th July 1909 page 2
Fredrick Gabriel Timeline from Honour board Project Soldier files CAWSEY Fredrick Gabriel docx