POTTER, Frederick
| Service Number: | 4850 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 10th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Not yet discovered |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Riverton Holy Trinity Anglican Church Honour Roll WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Mar 1916: | Involvement Private, 4850, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Mongolia embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1916: | Embarked Private, 4850, 10th Infantry Battalion, RMS Mongolia, Adelaide |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Saint Ignatius' College
Frederick Potter was born on the 21st of January, 1881 in the regional South Australian town of Riverton, to James Potter and Mary-Jane Lord. He had a sister and three brothers. In his adult life, he worked as a labourer in Adelaide, however still considered Riverton as his home, as he visited his family often. He enlisted into the army on the 4th of October, 1915, age 35. At the time, he was single, had no children, and was a part of the Protestant religion. He was 5’11 and weighed in at 146lbs.
Frederick was added to the 2st depot battalion and promoted to the 1st depot battalion before he was sent abroad. He was then put into the 50th battalion and shipped to France on rms Mongolia on the 9th of March, 1916. His unit was previously training in Egypt.
After arriving in France on 11 June 1916, the 50th fought in its first major battle at Mouquet Farm between 13 and 15 August. Three Australian Divisions made nine attacks on the Germans here between 8 August and 3 September 1916. A total of 400 casualties were suffered by his battalion, however the number of Australians killed was close to 11,000. This was Frederick’s first battle, and an unsuccessful one for the ANZACS who could not capture or hold the farm. It eventually was captured by the British. The battalion took part in another assault launched there on 3 September. Frederick saw out the rest of the year alternating between front-line duty, and training and labouring behind the line. This routine continued until he became sick in November and was evacuated to hospital.
During his service, Potter suffered many injuries and was taken in and out of medical care for almost a year. He suffered from trench feet many times which eventually led him to sickness. On the 20th of November 1916, he was taken to a French hospital and treated for numerous diseases. On the 19th of July, 1917, Frederick was taken to England to be further treated and then would be discharged back to Australia later that year. During his time in hospital, his battalion was busy attacking the Hindenburg line.
During his time at war, he was penalised on a couple occasions for not following the strict rules of his battalion. On the first occasion he was absent from the 2pm parade and was had 5 day’s pay forfeited. On the second occasion he was found in the French village of Tubersent, contrary to the orders he was given. He had 28 days of pay forfeited. Despite these two incidents, he was described by Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Hurcombe, the leader of the 50th, as having a good character.
He was the only member of his family who fought in the great war and came home in pride. Frederick Potter was a true example of the ANZAC spirit as he faught in unimaginable conditions on the Western front, suffering many diseases and succumbing to devastating losses but he never lost his spirit. He was praised as a local hero in his hometown of Riverton, alongside some of his colleagues of the same battalion, some of which never came home.
He lived the rest of his life simply in the North Adelaide suburbs and passed away peacefully of natural causes at the age of 59 which was just about the life expectancy of Australian males at the time. He was awarded a British war medal and a Victory medal. He lays in the AIF cemetery in Adelaide.