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Australia

Fredrick was born in Melbourne on the 18th June 1920 to Alexander James and Louisa Rose Serle. Alexander had been previously married to Henrietta for about eight years, but that had ended with Alexander’s escalating violence. There were two surviving children from that marriage. The second family lived in Robe. Unfortunately for Louisa and Fred, Alexander‘s character did not change as by the time Fred was four years old, his father appeared in the Adelaide Police Court with the News of May ’25 reporting that he was ‘ordered to pay £3 past maintenance for his two children, who are wards of the State and 7/6 a week future maintenance in respect of each child.’ Two months later Alexander was imprisoned for a month for being in ‘default in compliance with an order for the maintenance of a child.’ By that time Alexander was in arrears by £6 8/6. With the arrears remaining unpaid, in February ’26, Alexander was imprisoned for a month ‘for having failed to comply with an order made against him on May 29. 1925, for the payment of 7/6 a week toward the support of his son.’ Alexander declared that he had ‘been unable to continue the payments owing to ill-health.’
Post school, Fred worked as a labourer. He lived on land about three miles from Robe where he had become proficient in the use of a .22 calibre rifle, but which was unregistered. Unfortunately, as a 19 year old, he chose to discharge this near two small boys and faced the local Court where he was charged with a breach of the Firearms Act and ordered to pay a fine of £4 and 7/6 costs. One month was granted for payment. It was an expensive, but fortunately not fatal act.
Soon after, with the outbreak of WWII Fred was to use these skills in earnest. In a bid to encourage fit, single young men to volunteer, the army targeted country areas, including Robe, where Captain Harrington in the first week managed to attract 23 young men. 20-year-old Fred enlisted on the 3rd July 1940 at Kingston as SX7690 and was to later meet with Tom Woodall, SX7212 from Port Adelaide. Both were allocated to the 2/48th Battalion and serve alongside each other until New Guinea where both were injured, Tom fatally.
At the time of enlisting, several of Fred’s friends did similarly with many being placed in the 2/48th Battalion with him. These included SX8148 Wilf Backler, SX8147 Peter (Herbert) Banks, SX7494 Steve Hayes, SX8370 Ted Martin, SX8163 Menpes Tonkin, SX7689 Jack Wakeman and SX7688 William Westland. Not all returned home. (William Westland was killed in action on the 1st May, ’41 soon after the group arrived in the Middle East.) Many of these young men were influenced by Jack Wakeman, a competent horseman, and squadron Sergeant Major of the local 3rd Light Horse Regiment. Almost half of that troop enlisted for service.
The men’s initial days were spent in the cold of the Pavilions, now part of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds where their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The new enlistees then headed to Woodside for preliminary training. Early in July ‘40, a social was arranged by the local Patriotic Council with games and competitions, including a Ladies vs Gents question bee, convincingly won by the ladies. At that time a war savings group had been formed with children encouraged to subscribe to War Saving Certificates, a move that had already raised £2,000. The young students were also energetically supporting an appeal for clothing for refugee children, scrap metal, waste-paper, and knitting articles for the Red Cross.
Whilst undertaking training, Fred’s 58-year-old father died in the Thyne Memorial hospital in October. He had been injured in an accident in September whilst working as a labourer at the Hermitage.
At the start of November, the men returned home on pre-embarkation leave and to be honoured with the Robe Hall filled to capacity for a farewell social to the men of the 2/48th. As they approached the stage, the men were given a rousing reception as they were individually introduced and praised for being ‘prepared to risk their all for their King and country.’ Parcels were handed to the soldiers from the local Patriotic Council and C.W.A. Knitting Circle, with the best wishes of all for a speedy victory and safe return. Private Wilf Backler on behalf of the men, in response paid a high tribute to the work of women folk in the war. The singing "For They Are Jolly Good Fellows" was followed by Supper and dancing interspersed with items and community singing. Finally, "Auld Lang Syne" and the National Anthem brought the function to conclusion.
The battalion finally boarded the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December, then marched to a Staging Camp. During those early days, besides regular army duties was the need to quickly adapt to the locals. Within months, the 2/48th Battalion was involved in intense conflicts where their reputation for being the most highly decorated but decimated battalion was earned. Fred was to become one of the respected and famed Rats of Tobruk.
By June ’42 the desert conditions had contributed to Fred’s ill health with him developing an extremely high fever called Pyrexia of Unknown Origin before then contracting sandfly fever. He was treated by Field Ambulance before being able to re-join his battalion.
He earned a Commendation Card whilst in the Middle East with this being recognised just prior to the 2/48th returning to Australia via Melbourne at the commencement of ’43 for well-earned leave.
Training in Queensland followed in preparation to face a very different enemy in the tropical conditions of New Guinea. Fred arrived in Milne Bay at the commencement of August ’43. The following months Fred and his fellow soldiers had to quickly adapt to the humidity and very different terrain. Within two months Fred was severely wounded in action.
John Glenn in Tobruk to Tarakan described the surrounding area as being ‘dearly bought and dearly held. Bordering the road and lining many of the crests were tangled messes of almost impenetrable bamboo, ideal for concealing an enemy. In the fighting along the six thousand yards dividing Jivevaneng and Sattelberg, and in the final storming of the stronghold itself, the battalion’s casualties were, though we could not know it then, to number more than one hundred.’ Fred was one of these. Glenn described the unpredictability of the conflict which resulted in Fred being wounded.
On 19th November ’43 fierce fighting erupted on the slopes of Fougasse Corner, with sporadic shelling continuing to rain down on A and D Companies who had captured a mortar pit a few days earlier. Unfortunately, the Japanese made a direct hit on the pit, wounding Fred and VX82360 Private Jim McKee. Glenn shared that ‘Fred had noticed Jimmy McKee get out of his hole and take refuge in the weapon pit, and, realising this was Jimmy’s first time in action, hopped in with him to explain that the Jap could not hit the proverbial cow in the tail with a handful of wheat. This Jap, however, could and did!’ A shell exploded in the corner of the pit badly wounding them both. Fred sustained injuries to both thighs, his right cheek and frontal region and was immediately transferred to the field ambulance for treatment. In all sixteen men were wounded and ‘Privates Tom L. Woodall, S.C. Goodyear, C.R. Sellars, E.K. Reynolds, A.C. Kerber and D. Hammond all died through enemy action on this 19th November, sixteen others receiving wounds.’
Fred was returned to Australia via Brisbane on the hospital ship and thence on an ambulance train in January ’44. Because of the severity of his wounds, he spent several weeks in the Red Cross run Stonnington Convalescent Home on the Glenferrie Road in Melbourne. He was finally discharged in April ’44. Over the following months Fred continued to be treated at the Kapara Convalescent Home in Glenelg which cared for up to 50 severely injured servicemen. He was diagnosed with Quadriceps insufficiency, causing loss of muscle tension, constant muscle pain and the effects of adherent scars on his left thigh as well as the wounds to his face and mouth. He was fortunate to be alive, despite these injuries. Inevitably, this fit young 24-year-old was discharged on the 8th January ’45 as being medically unfit. He returned to initially live in the care of his mother at Evandale.
On January 25th ’47 Fred married Veronica Norma Virgin of Adelaide in the St. Luke's Church, Whitmore Square in an evening service. Norma was an active participant with the Western District Women’s Amateur Athletics, specialising in the walking competitions, which she dominated. During the war years she was an active participant in Patriotic Carnivals that were held at various venues including at Bridgewater.
After their marriage, Norma continued to support the Kindergarten Union and the Returned Servicemen's League. In July she volunteered to be an entrant as a Redhead, encouraging 500 hairdressers to sponsor her and other volunteers.
Fred’s 70-year-old mother, Louisa died on the 10th June 1958. She was buried in the Enfield Memorial Cemetery. Fred and Norma, plus Louisa’s nephews and nieces erected a headstone in loving memory of her.
82-year-old Norma pre-deceased Fred on the 21st July 2007. Aged 89 Fred died on the 1st December 2009 with his remains also placed in the eastern Niche Wall Enfield Memorial Park Cemetery, Number 1, alongside Norma.
Written and researched by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.