BRYEN, Frederick Edward
| Service Number: | 6287 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 4 October 1916, Lismore |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 37th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Kangaroo Valley, New South Wales, Australia, 3 November 1889 |
| Home Town: | Lismore, Lismore Municipality, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, near Zonnebek, Belgium, 4 October 1917, aged 27 years |
| Cemetery: |
Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial Tyne Cot Cemetery, Passchendaele, Flanders, Belgium |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lismore & District Memorial Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Oct 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 6287, 19th Infantry Battalion, Lismore | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 6287, 19th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '13' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Suevic embarkation_ship_number: A29 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 6287, 19th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Suevic, Sydney | |
| 4 Oct 1917: | Involvement Private, 6287, 37th Infantry Battalion, Third Ypres, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 6287 awm_unit: 37th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1917-10-04 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Michael Silver
6287 Private Frederick Edward Bryen and his brother in law, 6382 Private Ashley Stennett joined the AIF together at Lismore on 4 October, 1916, starting an eventful and tragic journey that would see both young men dead within 12 months. Frederick, it appears, had only married Ashley's sister 'Irene' Muriel Stennett a few days prior to enlistment.
The pair then entered camp together at the Sydney Showground on 30 October where they were issued with Australian Imperial Force service numbers and assigned to the 19th Battalion AIF, 18th Reinforcements. They sailed from Sydney in HMAT 'Suevic' on 11 November, 1916 bound for Captetown, South Africa and then for England.
Illness seems to have been rife on the ship with numerous soldiers admitted to hospital and several deaths recorded. Both Ashley and Frederick were disembarked at Capetown and hospitalized at No 2 General Hospital suffering from measles.
Sadly for Ashley Stennett he developed complications and within a week of admission to hospital was dangerously ill. His state of health rapidly deteriorated. He died from pneumonia on Christmas Day and was buried at Maitland Road Cemetery the following day.
Frederick Bryen endured the death of his brother-in-law and remained in hospital until he recovered. He sailed from Captetown in HMAT 'Ballarat' on 23 March, 1917 for England. But his challenges weren't over, with the 'Ballarat' being torpedoed by a German submarine as it entered the English Channel off The Lizard, Cornwell on 25 April, 1917. Fortunately, all 1751 passengers on board were resuced. The 'Ballarat' could not be salvaged and sank the next day.
In England, Frederick Bryen undertook training with the 10th Training Battalion at Durrington but fell ill with the mumps during July, 1917. He proceeded to France in early September and was marched out to the front on 19 September, being taken on strength of the 37th Battalion on 29 September as part of a machine gun team for the Battle of Passchendaele. He lasted only five days, being killed in action near Zonnebek, Belgium on 4 October 1917.
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