Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Fredrick John Sydney Morey was born on the 18th of October 1897 in Mannum, South Australia.  Fredrick was born to his father, Sidney Morey, and mother Ellen Morey. Fredrick was one of seven children. He had four sisters named Ellen Rose, Elise Annie, Rose, Jean Mabel, and two brothers named Edward Herbert, John E. The Morey family home was located on 40 Angas Street, Adelaide, South Australia. 

On the 7th of January 1916, Fredrick enlisted for the First World War. On enlisting he was 18 years and 3 months old, single, 3rd of 7 siblings, 5’4 ½ feet tall, brown eyes, brown hair, medium complexion, 118 pounds (53kg). To be considered to fight in the war, men had to be 5 ft and 3 inches or over. meaning This shows that Frederick was on the shorter side of those of the Australian soldiers who applied for WWI. His enlistment papers also state that his Mother, Nellie (Ellen) Morey was his next of kin. Before departing for the war, Fredrick’s occupation was a horse driver. His occupation served him well, as he was transferred from a private soldier to a driver with the same rank during the war. During the war, the role of a driver was to drive around guns and other equipment that the battalion needed for their battles.

After enlisting he was considered ‘fit for service’ on the 4th of January 1916, only a short time after he enlisted. Frederick started his basic training in Woodside, South Australia, where the 43rd battalion was formed in March 1916, in South Australia. In this training, they learn how to march, follow commands and how to use their weapons. Throughout his time at war, he maintained his private rank. A private was a soldier of the lowest rank in the army. His service record states that before departing overseas to France, Frederick went Absent Without Leave (AWL) which meant he was not in the correct place that he was supposed to be at that exact time. During this period of time, it is not clear whether he was in Australia or overseas.

Frederick departed for his journey on board the HMAT Afric A19 from Port Adelaide, on the 9 June 1916 with the first stop being in Egypt. From Egypt, it next made its way to Britain for training to prepare for war. In Britain they trained from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays and on Saturday’s they trained from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. They focused on company training, parading drills, and route marches. Once completing his training, he commenced in the war as a member of the 43rd Battalion. From here they made their way to the Western Front in late December 1916. In November 1916, the Battalion made its way to France where they spent some time in trench warfare. Fredrick’s service record showed that he fought in several battles over his time at war. He missed the battalion's involvement at the Battle of Messines in June 1917 as he was detached to school, but he fought at Third Ypres in the autumn, including the battles of Broodseinde and Passchendaele. He also fought at Ancre in April 1918.

Frederick was repeatedly ill during his war service. His worst illness was in May 1918 when he was admitted to hospital with influenza. He was evacuated to England and spent several months convalescing. He did not return to the front.

Frederick Morey returned home to South Australia on the 21st of June 1919 aboard the Königin Luise. The ship embarked from London and made a long journey back to Semaphore, SA. He was disembarked on the 10th of August 1919.

Frederick received 2 medals for his time at the war. He received the Victory Medal and the British War medal. These medals were the most common medals to receive, and they were rewarded for service, not victory. The Victory Medal was authorized in 1919 to commemorate the victory of the Allied Forces over the Central Power. Each of the allied nations was given this medal. It was given to those who served between the 5th of August 1914 and 11th of November 1918. On the back of this medal, it had the words “The Great War for the Civilisation”. The British War Medal was established by King George V in 1919 to mark the end of World War 1 and to record the service given. It was given to those who were in the Army and did the approved services overseas.

Frederick died on the 31st of May 1975, 59 years after enlisting to go to war. It is believed he died of natural causes. Frederick John Sydney Morey is now buried at Mannum Cemetery, South Australia. 

Bibliography:

ACT, R. (2013a). 1914-1915 Star : World War One : Department of Defence. [online] Defence.gov.au. Available at: https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/1914-15-Star.asp.

ACT, R. (2013b). British War Medal 1914-20 : World War One : Department of Defence. [online] Defence.gov.au. Available at: https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/British-War-Medal-1914-20.asp.

ACT, R. (2013c). Victory Medal : World War One : Department of Defence. [online] Defence.gov.au. Available at: https://www.defence.gov.au/Medals/Imperial/WWI/Victory-Medal.asp.

Adfa.edu.au. (2016). Details. [online] Available at: https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=213661 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

alh-research.tripod.com. (n.d.). His Majesty’s Australian Transports [HMAT] Ships, Transporting the AIF. [online] Available at: https://alh-research.tripod.com/ships_lh.htm [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

Anzacday.org.au. (2019). Australian WW1 Hospitals - ANZAC Day Commemoration Committee. [online] Available at: https://anzacday.org.au/australian-ww1-hospitals.

Australian War Memorial (2016). Life in the trenches | The Australian War Memorial. [online] Awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/visit/exhibitions/anzac-voices/life-trenches.

BBC Bitesize. (2019). What was life like in a World War One trench? [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zqhyb9q/articles/z8sssbk.

City, I. on the L.M.T. in D.K., Missouri and U.S.A. (2015). Australian Infantry Uniform and Equipment. [online] National WWI Museum and Memorial. Available at: https://www.theworldwar.org/support/donate-object/recentacquisition/australian-uniform [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

Fritsch, B. (2018). British Ranks - Over The Front. [online] Overthefront.com. Available at: https://www.overthefront.com/resources/military-ranks/british-ranks.

Morley, J. (n.d.). A Street Near You - exploring the local legacy of the First World War. [online] A Street Near You. Available at: https://astreetnearyou.org/#=undefined&lat=-34.929736400003826&lon=138.6082397&zoom=17.

National Archives of Australia. (1914). MOREY Frederick John Sydney : Service Number - 117 : Place of Birth - Mannum SA : Place of Enlistment - Adelaide SA : Next of Kin - (Mother) MOREY Nellie. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7986475 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

Passengers in History. (2016). KÖNIGIN LUISE. [online] Available at: https://passengers.history.sa.gov.au/node/929778 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au. (n.d.). Frederick John Sydney Morey | South Australian Red Cross Information Bureau. [online] Available at: https://sarcib.ww1.collections.slsa.sa.gov.au/eyewitness/frederick-john-sydney-morey [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica (2017). trench warfare | Definition, History, & Facts. In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/trench-warfare.

Virtual War Memorial Australia. (n.d.). [online] . Available at: https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/rslvwm/comfy/cms/files/files/000/002/376/original/Abbrev___Glossary.pdf [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

Vwma.org.au. (2015). 43rd Infantry Battalion. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/64.

vwma.org.au. (n.d.). Frederick John Sydney MOREY. [online] Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/252137 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). AWM4 23/60/6 - February 1917. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1345439?image=5 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). AWM4 23/60/10 - June 1917. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1344147?image=2 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). AWM4 Subclass 23/60 - 43rd Infantry Battalion. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1339186.

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Frederick John Sydney Morey. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1938451 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). HMAT Afric. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2076729.

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Nominal roll of Australian Imperial Force who left Australia for service abroad. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1380321#:~:text=The%20nominal%20roll%20was%20compiled [Accessed 8 Mar. 2021].

www.awm.gov.au. (n.d.). Private Frederick John Sydney Morey. [online] Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/P10541726 [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

www.findagrave.com. (n.d.). F. J. S. Morey (Unknown-1975) - Find A Grave... [online] Available at: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/202498128/f.-j._s.-morey [Accessed 7 Mar. 2021].

“Australian Imperial Force Unit War Diaries, 1914-18 War.” Awm.gov.au, 2016, www.awm.gov.au/collection/AWM4.

“HMAT Afric.” Www.awm.gov.au, www.awm.gov.au/collection/C2076729.

“MOREY Frederick John Sydney: Service Number - 117 : Place of Birth - Mannum SA : Place of Enlistment - Adelaide SA : Next of Kin - (Mother) MOREY Nellie.” National Archives of Australia, 1914, recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=7986475.

“South Australian Regiments and Battalions (1914 – 1918).” Veterans SA, veteranssa.sa.gov.au/history-and-stories/south-australian-regiments-and-battalions-1914-18/.

“The Forty-Third: The Story and Official History of the 43rd Battalion, A.I.F.” Trove, nla.gov.au/nla.obj-52860815/view?partId=nla.obj-105234597#page/n270/mode/1up. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.