SCHNEIDER, Ferdinand James William
| Service Number: | 8583 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF) |
| Born: | Oakbank, Adelaide, South Austrlalia, 26 April 1895 |
| Home Town: | Oakbank, Adelaide Hills, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Adelaide High School |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Adelaide High School Great War Honour Board, Adelaide University of Adelaide WW1 Honour Roll, Balhannah Old Scholars Roll of Honor, Glenelg and District WW1 & WW2 Honour Board, Mount Barker High School Great War Honour Roll, Oakbank Old Scholars Roll of Honor, South Australian Education Department Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Dec 1915: | Involvement Private, 8583, 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF), --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: RMS Malwa embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Dec 1915: | Embarked Private, 8583, 1st Stationary Hospital (AIF), RMS Malwa, Adelaide |
Ferdinand James Schneider
Name: Ferdinand James Schneider
Service Number: 8583
Place of Birth: Oakbank
Date of Birth: 26 April 1895
Place of Enlistment: Keswick
Date of Enlistment: 11 June 1915
Age at Enlistment: 20 years 3 months
Next of Kin: Mother, May Florence Schneider
Occupation: Student
Religion: Methodist
Rank: Lieutenant
Ferdinand left Australia on board the Borda on 11 January 1916. He temporarily transferred to the 2nd Field Ambulance on 6 March and proceeded to join the British Expeditionary Force in France on 23 March. On 30 January 1917 Ferdinand was attached to the 1st Australian Divisional School of Instruction. A bout of tonsillitis led to a few days at the Indian Stationary Hospital Lahore. After completing a course at No. 4 Officers’ Cadet Battalion at Oxford, England, Ferdinand proceeded to France on 19 August where he was promoted to Lieutenant on 15 January 1918. He was wounded in the right arm in action on 26 April and was sent to the 14th General Hospital at Brighton, England the next day. Further treatment was administered during the 1st week in July at the 3rd London General Hospital at Wandsworth. Ferdinand returned to Australia on the Arawa on 21 September disembarking on 17 November and was discharged on 27 December.
Submitted 26 October 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Adelaide High School
Ferdinand James William Schneider was born on April 26, 1895, in Oakbank, South Australia. His father worked on the railway and his mother worked at home. Schneider was educated at Adelaide High School, and went on to study to become a teacher at Adelaide University.
At the age of 20, Ferdinand Schneider enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on June 11, 1915. His enlistment marked the beginning of a journey that would take him from to training camps in Egypt and eventually the battlefields in France.
As a member of the AIF, Schneider was deployed to the Western front, where he faced the harsh realities of war. His leadership abilities quickly became apparent, and he rose through the ranks, achieving the rank of Lieutenant on January 1, 1918.
Schneider's time on the front lines was not without its challenges. On April 24, 1918, he was shot in the field, sustaining a gunshot wound to his right arm. This injury required immediate medical attention, and he was hospitalized in London. The physical and emotional toll of this injury was significant, having spent several months hospitalised but Schneider's resilience and determination helped him to recover.
During his time in France in 1918, after his initial injury, Schneider also contracted an infection that required treatment.
Following his recovery and the conclusion of his service, Lieutenant Ferdinand Schneider returned to Australia on August 28, 1918. His return marked the end of his active military career but not the end of his contributions to his country and community.
Back in Australia, Schneider likely resumed his career as a teacher. He is honoured on the Adelaide High School honour board, Adelaide University Honour Roll and the South Australian Education Department Roll of Honour and numerous others.
Biography contributed
From Adelaide High School Magazine, Christmas 1916 p 11-15
Extract of letter from Ferd. Schneider :
"Just a short note to let you knoe that Ray and I are still going strong, like Johnny
Walker. We are in a wonderfully-smashed city, or, at least, near it, where there are thousands
of axamples of smashing reduced to a fine art by the hun. We are quartered in an old mansion,
in the part left intact but shamy. These ruins and the ruins of blow-in dug-outs are an ideal
home for rats, and these provide the best part of our sport in leisure moments. Here is a
description of a rat hunt. Eight or nine of us, armed with dangerous-looking waddies, sally
forth intent upon exterminating the pests which destroy our clothes, candles, and leggings.
we surround a warren near our dug-out and force the fumes of explosives obtained from -
never mind where - down the hole, block up the rest of the holes, and wait a few seconds, all
alert. Suddenly - Smash! A rat has been driven out to avoid suffocation, and two of the
hunters made a big swipe at the animal, and while one hit the ground where the rat was not,
the oyther, slightly more successful, missed it also, but hit someone's toe, thereby eliciting a
war-dance, to the accompaniment of solid language. Meanwhile, rats have been pouring out
of a hole and all got safely off, except one unfortunate that got a hit with a shovel sufficiently
heavy to place his nose-point and ear on a level. We go through different holes till dark, and
when we go to bed they aspire to be bed-mates, but are greeted with a light military boot. I
must now close (Censor's restrictions)."