Frederick Robert Weedon
From Our Contribution
 | |
| Personal Information | |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | unknown |
| Place of Birth | Walton-on-Thames, England |
| Death | 9 Oct 1976 |
| Place of Death | Hamel, Western Australia |
| Age at Enlistment | 28 years, 5 months |
| Description | 5' 6½" (1.69m) tall; weight 145 lbs (65.8 kg); fresh complexion, brown eyes, dark brown hair. |
| Occupation | butcher |
| Religion | Church of England |
| Address | Seventh road, Armadale, Western Australia |
| Next of Kin | Wife Mrs Blossom Georgina Jane Weedon |
| Military Information | |
| Reg Number | 6598 |
| Date of Enlistment | 10 Apr 1916 |
| Rank | Private |
| Unit/Formation | 11th Battalion, 21st Reinforcements / 3rd Brigade, 1st Division |
| Date of Embarkation | 13 Oct 1916 - 2 Dec 1916 |
| Ship Embarked On | HMAT A39 Port Macquarie |
| Date of Return | 21 Sep 1918 - 11 Dec 1918 |
| Ship Returned On | SS Saxon |
| Fate |
Wounded in Action 2 Oct 1917 Ypres salient Returned to Australia |
| Monument | Armadale (West Armadale panel) |
| Medals |
British War Medal Victory Medal |
Pre War
1914 married Blossom Georgina Whittaker in Fremantle.
Electoral Roll entries - 1906 a miner at Higginsville (near Coolgardie); 1910 at 382 Egan street, Hannans with Mary Ann (mother?); 1916 Carradine road, Armadale, farmer with Blossom.
War Service
During training in Australia, Fred participated in a signals training course from 30 May to 24 Jul 1916.
On arrival in England he was first sent to the 8th Training Battalion at Larkhill, but on 17 Dec he joined the 3rd Training Battalion at Durrington.
Fred entered France via Southampton on 9 Jul 1917, disembarking in Le Havre, and along with 80 other reinforcements joined the 11th Battalion on the 4th Aug 1917 in a rear area, west of Hazebrouck.
On 1 Oct the 11th Battalion relieved the 47th Battalion in reserve at Westhoek Ridge east of Ypres. Although the Unit War Diary records two WIA and three gassed for the 1st, it records nil injuries for the 2nd, so Fred's wounds may have been received overnight 1/2 Oct. He sustained a slight GSW to his right leg and jaw. Treated first by the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance, he was admitted to the 20th General Hospital in Camiers north of Étaples on the 4th, and on 8 Oct 1917 he embarked for England on HMHS St Andrew for admission to the Colchester General Military Hospital the next day.
On his recovery he was sent to Hurdcott to build up his strength. While there, in Jan 1918, he contracted scabies and was placed in an isolation hospital, also spending time in hospital with a deflected septum, perhaps resulting from his wounds. Most of 1918 was spent in Sutton Veny or Tidworth base units, before he was sent home early for discharge.
Discharged 5th Military District 31 Mar 1919.
Fred is mentioned in the 1917 Feb-Mar edition of The Drill of the Foot-Hills, but no details.
Post War
Electoral Roll entries - 1921 - 1936 at 549 Edmund street, South Fremantle, a storeman; 1949 - 1963 street number was now 109 Edmund street, 1972 by himself. Blossom died 18 Aug 1972 aged 81 at Beaconsfield, and Fred on 9 Oct 1976 at Hamilton Hill.
Notes