WATTS, Frederick
| Service Number: | 358 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 20 October 1914, An original of B Company |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 15th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, September 1896 |
| Home Town: | Hamilton, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Builders labourer |
| Died: | Died of wounds, France, 18 September 1918 |
| Cemetery: |
Hancourt British Cemetery Row C, Grave 9, Hancourt British Cemetery, Hancourt, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Oct 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 358, 15th Infantry Battalion, An original of B Company | |
|---|---|---|
| 22 Dec 1914: | Involvement Private, 358, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ceramic embarkation_ship_number: A40 public_note: '' | |
| 22 Dec 1914: | Embarked Private, 358, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ceramic, Melbourne | |
| 18 Sep 1918: | Involvement 358, 15th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 358 awm_unit: 15th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Lance Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-09-18 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Frederick Watts M.M. enlisted with his brother George during October 1914. They both served at the landing on Gallipoli and George Watts was killed in action shortly after on 9 May 1915.
Frederick was seriously wounded on 1 July 1915 at Anzac and was evacuated to Egypt with a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. He was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery on 5 May 1918 when his good work silenced two troublesome enemy machine guns. ‘His cheerfulness and gallantry throughout the tour of duty in the line greatly inspired all the men around him.’
He was promoted to Lance Corporal and then Lance Sergeant on 5 September 1918. On the 18 September 1918, almost 4 years from the day he enlisted, Frederick received a severe wound to his thigh, as a result of a shell fragment, which caused a significant loss of blood, and he died of his wounds the same day.
In a letter from Frederick’s father, Ernest George Watts to Major J.M. Lean of Base Records, regarding his sons’ medals, Ernest wrote “"I feel the loss of my two sons very much as they was very good sons to me…” and in another, “"I do feel the loss of my two boys, they was my all.”
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