DOW (DAU), Frederick George
| Service Number: | 795 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 January 1901 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles |
| Born: | Kilmore, Victoria,Australia, 5 February 1882 |
| Home Town: | Balaclava, Port Phillip, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Scheveberg, South Africa, 23 August 1901, aged 19 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Ballarat Boer War Memorial (Queen Victoria Square), Nar Nar Goon Star of Northcote Tent No 217 "DAU" Memorial Tablet, Northcote Star of Northcote Tent No 217 DAU Memorial Plaque, Wandong War Memorial |
Boer War Service
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 795 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 1899: | Involvement Private, 795, 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles | |
| 14 Jan 1901: | Enlisted Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 795, 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles | |
| 15 Feb 1901: | Embarked Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 795, 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, HMT Orient, Melbourne | |
| 23 Aug 1901: | Involvement Australian and Colonial Military Forces - Boer War Contingents, Private, 795, 5th Victorian Mounted Rifles, The Boer Offensive |
Help us honour Frederick George Dow (Dau)'s service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
Frederick George Dau was the eleventh of seventeen children born to Martha Rye and Johann Dau a German immigrant. There were eleven girls and six boys in the family. Many of the girls served in the Salvation Army or Methodist Mission Service., whilst four of the brothers served in the military - Frederick in the Boer War, Charles and Walter during World War 1 and Arthur in both World Wars.
Fred enlisted under the name Frederick George Dow in the 5th Victorian Mounted Rifle on 14 January 1901. Whether he Anglicised his surname or whether it was a mistake of officialdom is unclear.
The Fifth Contingent was the largest to sail from Australia, after a request from Lord Kitchener for more men. The State Premiers, who were bound up in nationalism as they celebrated the formation of the Commonwealth, offered 2300 men and 2500 horses of which, 1017 men and 1048 horses were drawn from Victoria.
The Contingent sailed on 15 February 1901. The men embarked the HMT 'Orient' whilst the horses were transported in the HMT 'Angus' and HMT 'City of Lincoln'. The 5th Contingent saw service across much of the Transvaal before moving to Natal and then returning to the Transvaal.
Private Frederick George Dow was killed in action on 23 August 1901 at Schurweberg Hoek in the Utrecht district of northern Natal. His regiment was stationed at Middleburg in eastern Transvaal when General Louis Botha invaded northern Natal causing wild panic. All available troops were entrained for Newcastle and deployed in the area to stop the invasion developing further. Many skirmishes and actions took place with Fred and some of his comrades being killed. There is no known record of his grave.
Fred kept a diary which was returned to his family after the war. The diary was found on a dead Boer soldier and its entry dated 23/08/01 stated: 'I am full of regret for having killed Private Fred Dau for he seemed a fine fellow.'
A large public service was held after the war at the Northcote Rechibite Hall to dedicate Frederick Dau's memorial tablet now held at the Northcote RSL.
Source: Memorandum by Dr Stephen Coles - Great Great Nephew
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