Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Early Life

Fred Gaskell was born on 16 Mar 1896. He was the youngest son of Henry Gaskell and Caroline Elizabeth (nee Knight) of Stirling East, SA. Fred attended the Ashton Memorial Methodist Church with his parents and siblings.

Education

Fred attended Adelaide High School (AHS) and won a government bursary in December 1913. He was a member of the 1st XVIII Football team and a Prefect. In 1914 Fred commenced studying Engineering at the Adelaide University, with an Education Department Scholarship and passed a number of subjects in the exams in November 1914. (Pure & Applied Mathematics, Physics I, Drawing I (Solid & Perspective), Solid Geometry, Fitting and Turning I, Mechanical Engineering I and Woodwork. During his WWI service Fred wrote letters back to the staff and students at AHS.

Adelaide University Football Club

Fred played at least one game for the Adelaide University B Grade Football team in the 1914 season. Fred was not in the team Photo of the 1914 B Grade Football team.

World War I

Fred enlisted on 10th February 1915, aged 18 years and 11 months, joining the 27th Battalion, B Company with Regimental Number 315. Fred was 5' 7.5”with a fair completion, grey eyes and sandy hair.

Fred was promoted to Lance Corporal on 1st May 1915 and to Sergeant on 16th May 1915. His unit embarked from Adelaide, South Australia, on board HMAT A2 Geelong on 31 May 1915 and served at Gallipoli from August to October 1915. He contracted dysentery and was sent to Malta to recover. Fred rejoined his unit in Egypt in December 1915. In late March 1916 Fred transferred from Alexandrina, Egypt to Marseilles, France. On the 31st May 1916 he received a General Shrapnel Wound in the left eye. By 14 June Fred was in hospital in England, he was transferred to various hospitals in the UK but sadly lost his left eye. Fred returned to Australia on the Nestor on 21 September 1917 and discharged as medically unfit on 22 October 1917.

Fred’s WWI record is a little hard to interpret as some of his later records refer to him as a Corporal, however Fred signed for his WWI medals – 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal as a Sergeant and is referred to in the AHS Magazines as a Sergeant.

Fred was one of four brothers who served in WWI. Wilfred Samuel enlisted aged 21 in August 1914, Harry Knight enlisted aged 28 in August 1915 and Roy enlisted aged 33 in February 1916. Tragically Fred’s brother Harry was killed in action on 15th April 1916.

Family
Fred married Amy Frances Elliott the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. H. Elliott, Middleton Stoney, Oxon, England on the 19th December, 1918, at Ashton Memorial Church, Stirling East, and their only son Henry Elliott Gaskell was born at Nowra, NSW on 19th October 1919.

Career

In 1918 Fred was an Assistant Teacher at Adelaide High School. In late 1918 Fred registered a 7.9 Excelsior Motor Cycle .

In the early 1920’s Fred and Amy moved to Hallett in the mid north of South Australia where Fred became the District Clerk of the Hallett Council. Fred and Amy lived in Hallett until 1953 During their time in Hallett Fred played tennis, was a hard worker in the setting up of the Hallett Golf Club , and was involved in the RSL and the Masonic Lodge.

World War II

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=6345705&isAv=N
GASKELL FRED : Service Number - S73397 : Date of birth - 16 Mar 1896 : Place of birth - STIRLING EAST SA : Place of enlistment - HALLETT SA : Next of Kin - GASKELL AMY

Per RSL Virtual Memorial - Fred was a Lieutenant in the 10th (Lower & Mid North) Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps , Australian Military Forces (AMF). His WWII record was not digitised at the time of the writing of his profile for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project. The record has now been digitised and shows that Fred was an Assistant Master at the Royal Australian Naval College from 1919 to 1922 (see recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=5216761)

Fred was a Farmer and Agent when he enlisted on the 24th April 1942. He was with the 7th VDA. He was appointed a Lieutenant in the 10th SA VDA.

Fred and Amy’s only son Henry Elliott “Harry” was a pilot in WWII.

https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=5541160

Death

Fred died on 1 October 1969 and is buried at the Centennial Park Cemetery, Adelaide, SA.

Author EE (Beth) Filmer

For the complete profile including photographs, newspaper articles, documents and sources prepared for the AUFC/AUCC WWI Memorial Project please see the document attached.