august september welsh born australian world war soldier recipient victoria_cross highest decoration gallantry face enemy awarded members british commonwealth forces born served years australia serving non commissioned officer landing gallipoli battle commissioned second lieutenant september advancing alongside corporal forced garrison surrender captured sixteen men attack actions later recognised victoria_cross following day killed shell attempting save men early life born wales august groom wife mary née williams family lived garden cottage lane end youngest siblings years old father died coal mining accident attended local anglican school awarded medal years absent late known adventurous active boxing association football local left school fourteen entering workforce steel nearby thought enlisted staying service years august migrated australia friends sailed london melbourne went work tasmania stayed friend brother south_australia victoria later late march age nineteen started relationship sixteen year old lived susan kept contact service apparently lost contact time known lived suburb adelaide lodged world war enlisted august weeks war started trained camp assigned 2nd field ambulance 2nd field ambulance boarded melbourne october set sail egypt stopping albany unit arrived egypt december gallipoli campaign unit incorporated sent action landing cove providing medical support 2nd brigade sent assisted attack battle carrying wounded heavy shell rifle fire areas unable reach devotion duty good work earned military medal recommendation june wounded returned service day remaining gallipoli september france unit sent france promoted lance corporal april served bearer battle july engaged duties australian british forces fought supremacy village day continually led squad village exposed heavy shell fire commended constant good services recommended military medal announcement decoration supplement london gazette november later presented military medal lieutenant general sir promoted temporary wagon orderly corporal august rank substantive days later unit moved away line opportunity return visited old school gave turkish flag attained gallipoli following return france hospitalised days rejoined unit february commissioning took classes australian 1st division school france commissioned second lieutenant 6th battalion served battalion earlier bearer began serving characterised mud battlefield widely example attrition warfare commonwealth german forces suffering heavy casualties failing sir general command offensive victoria_cross battalion ordered attack capture german line parallel men moved positions night september coming fire gas shells september incident free battalion preparing attack day known early morning 20th light fell battlefield germans sent battalion position battalion advanced resistance met corporal taking machine gun positions group officers rushed strong post attacked bombs corporal seriously wounded continued reaching rear forced occupants surrender led attack series edge fought machine gun bombs assisted reorganisation consolidation australian men drifted away unit day september enemy response movement allied artillery buried men platoon attempted dig men standing exposed shell aimed post killed save legacy actions subsequently awarded victoria_cross announcement november citation read 8th november majesty king pleased approve award victoria_cross offices non commissioned officers man 2nd late imp force conspicuous bravery attack accompanied corporal rushed strong point holding advance corporal wounded bomb 2nd went killed remainder enemy occupying position captured machine gun shortly organised small party attacked strong point occupied enemy killed officer men captured consolidation officer magnificent work parties units operations wonderful personal bravery 2nd kept men splendid spirits killed post shell whilst men buried shell grave china wall near memorial constructed old school wales funded largely contributions local people school demolished memorial moved outside stands remembrance sunday local branch continues place memorial portrait fred display australian war memorial canberra alongside victoria_cross remembered museum belgium cloth hall service war earned star british war medal victory medal
Frederick Birks