Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Fred was born on 6 June 1909 at Riverton (SA) to Friedrich Kschenka and Bertha Christina Kschenka  

(nee Werner).  He was the second eldest of 5 children in the family, 2 boys and 3 girls.  His family lived at Riverton (SA), before moving to Tumby Bay in February 1923

Fred started school at Riverton, then transferred to Tumby Bay on the relocation of his family.  He completed his schooling at Grade 7 at the end of 1923 and then took employ as a labourer/mechanic in Kschenka Bros garage, which was located in the building currently housing Trenberth's joinery.

He remained in this employ until his enlistment in the Army at Port Lincoln on 10 December 1940. At the time of enlistment he gave his occupation as mechanic.

After enlistment he was sent to 3 Training Battalion  at Wayville for basic training before being allocated to  2nd /10th Battalion on 22 May 1941. On completion of training (27 June 1941) he entrained at Adelaide bound for Sydney and onward movement overseas. Two days later her embarked aboard a US Convoy bound for the Middle East, disembarking a month later and undertook further training with 18th Training Battalion before finally being taken on strength by his unit (2nd/10th) on 20 September 1941 in Palestine.

The 2nd/10th Battalion (The Adelaide Rifles), formed in 1939, was the first unit of the 2ndAIF raised in South Australia;  after garrison duties in the UK it finally arrived in the Middle East in late 1940. The Battalion first entered combat at Giarabub, with an attack against the Italian garrison there, in Mar 1941. This was followed by defensive actions during the siege of Tobruk later the same year before the 2nd/10th joined the Allied garrison in Syria.

In early 1942 it was decided that the 2nd/10th would be withdrawn from the Middle East and returned to Australia in a bid to thwart the Japanese advance in the Pacific. Thus on 11 February 1942 Fred, with the remainder of his Battalion, embarked aboard the HMT "New Amsterdam" for return to Australia: however, they were transhipped at Bombay (India) to HMT "Nevasa" and then continued their journey, arriving at Outer Harbour on 29 March 1942, where they were allowed leave. Unfortunately Fred was a day late back from leave and was charged with being Absent Without Leave - a long way from Adelaide to Tumby Bay with the transport available in those days!

After a period of reorganisation and training around Kilcoy in Queensland, the Battalion was committed to its next campaign: New Guinea. Following the Japanese landings on the north coast of New Guinea in July 1942, Australian forces in the area had been fighting a desperate holding action, which had seen them being pushed inexorably towards Port Moresby. By early August 1942, the situation for the Australians was critical!

Thus on 5 August 1942, the 2nd/10th embarked on the Dutch transport "Botha".  A week later, on 12 August, the 2nd/10th, along with the other two Battalions of the 18th Brigade, landed at Milne Bay ( PNG) where they reinforced the 7th Brigade who were defending the area; a fortnight later the Japanese landed a large force at Milne Bay in an attempt to secure the airfield that the Australians had built there.

The Australians eventually won a significant victory in the ensuing Battle of Milne Bay, but the 2nd/10th suffered heavily, losing 43 killed and 26 wounded on their debut in the Pacific.

Unfortunately Fred was one of the casualties during this action. Less than two weeks after his unit entered the front lines, Fred was Killed in Action on 27 August 1942 at Milne Bay and buried in the K.B. Mission Cemetery at Milne Bay. His remains were reinterred on 14 Dec 1942 at Milne Bay War cemetery