Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

 Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors

Frederick Goldsmith was born on the 12th July 1867 in Robe, South Australia. He was the son of Dr Francis Edmund Goldsmith and his wife Emma, nee Hallett. He was educated at St Peter’s College. He was one of the first four graduates from the University of Adelaide medical school in 1889. He was resident physician and resident surgeon at the Adelaide Hospital in 1890. Afterwards he was in private practice at Balhannah, Port Wakefield and Hindmarsh. He served in the militia for 2 years, and transferred to the AAMC Reserve in 1903. He was the District Registrar for the Port of Darwin in 1904. He offered his services as a Doctor with the Red Cross contingent from London to Montenegro during the Balkan Wars of 1912-13. He was awarded the Order of Prince Danilo for this service. He studied tropical diseases in the Northern Territory of Australia, New Guinea, where he became the Federal Medical Officer, and in India and travelled to England several times. He married Edith Ellen, sister of a Mrs Ainslie a caterer of St Peter’s College in 1912.

Goldsmith volunteered for the AIF on the 6th August 1914. He was a 47 year old surgeon, and his wife of Balhannah, was named as next of kin. He was 6ft tall, and weighed 13st10lbs. He was allocated to the tent sub-division of B Section, 3 FdAmb. He went ashore at Gallipoli on 28th April 1915 and was almost immediately sent up White’s Valley to 12 Bn to relieve Captain Stewart. He established an advanced dressing station at the head of the valley which was maintained by the FdAmb for the rest of the campaign. Between June and September Goldsmith suffered from several episodes of febrile illness, and at the end of September he was evacuated to Alexandria and then to Cairo. He recovered sufficiently to rejoin the unit at Gallipoli in October. At Gallipoli Corbin described Goldsmith ‘with a permanent cigarette in his funny little holder, quite unchanged by war’s alarms’.  In March 1916 he was promoted major, and continued to serve with the unit in France until February 1917 when he was admitted to hospital in England with pneumonia. After convalescence he was attached to 2 AAH, and then transferred to the Sea Transport Section. He left England for Australia in October 1917. Undaunted, he then made two further return trips to England on transports, being finally discharged in January 1919 with his appointment with the AIF terminated on 28th March 1919. Goldsmith was issued with the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. 

Goldsmith had a practice in Chatswood, NSW after his return to Australia, but moved back again to South Australia. He invested with others from Adelaide in the White Hope Junction Gold Mining Company in Western Australia which was not successful. He lived at Rose Park in 1922 and lived at 49 Kensington Road Norwood South Australia in 1937. Frederick Goldsmith died at his residence in Norwood on 4th March 1942. His wife Ellen died nearly three years later on 1st December 1944.

"Dr. Frederick Goldsmith, M.B., B.S., who has been appointed Federal medical officer at Papua, held a similar position in the Northern Territory from June, 1897, till May I904. He graduated at the Adelaide University, and ¡n 1890 was resident physician and resident surgeon at the. Adelaide Hospital. Afterwards he was in private practice at Port Wakefield and Hindmarsh. He was also for a time surgeon in the South Australian military forces and acting medical officer at the Adelaide Children's Hospital. He was succeeded by Dr. Fulton at Palmerston, and has spent some years in Europe undergoing a course of special study in tropical medicine." - from the Adelaide Advertiser 02 Nov 1909 (nla.gov.au)

"AUSTRALIAN DOCTORS

LONDON, October 17 5.15p.m.

The Red Cross Society of Great Britain are sending an ambulance corps to Montenegro to assist in the treatment of the wounded, who have been greatly neglected owing to the lack of field hospital in connection with the Montenegrin military estabishment. Dr Antony Bradfor and Dr F. Goldsmith, Australina medical men have volunteered to accompany the ambulance, and their offers have been accepted." - from the Express and Telegraph 18 Oct 1912 (nla.gov.au)

"Dr F. Goldsmith Dies

Private advice has been received in Perth of the recent death in Adelaide of Dr Frederick Goldsmith. Dr Goldsmith was a medical officer with the first contingent to leave Australia in the Great War. After the Armistice he went to India to study bubonic plague and other tropical diseases. Later he did research work at Darwin and in Papua. He wrote a thesis on the subject of tropical diseases for which he was awarded an honorary degree. Returning to Australia, he again took up practice at Chatswood, Sydney, but later returned to his birthplace, Adelaide. The late Dr Goldsmith had many relatives in this State." - from the Perth Daily News 02 Apr 1942 (nla.gov.au)

Frederick Goldsmith, known as Fred, was born on 12th July 1867 at Robe South Australia, the eldest of 2 sons born to Dr Francis and Emma Goldsmith.  His younger brother by 2 years, John, died of cerebral oedema aged 2.  Frederick was educated at St Peter’s College and went on to study medicine at Adelaide University.  He was one of the first four to graduate from the medical school of the University in 1889 with the degrees MB BS.  In 1890 he was resident physician and surgeon at Adelaide Hospital for 12 months and also held the position of Acting Medical Officer of Adelaide Children’s Hospital.  He was in private practice at Balaklava, Port Wakefield and Hindmarsh and later went to England and India to study tropical medicine about which he wrote a thesis and was awarded an honorary degree for this.  He returned to private practice at Chatswood in Sydney NSW.   

On the 2nd April 1891 Fred married Edith Ellen Edmunds at St Peter’s College Chapel and in 1906 they welcomed a daughter, Freda Helen.  She was their only child and died at age 4.

From 1897 to 1904 Fred was the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of the Northern Territory based at Port Darwin Hospital Palmerston.  He was also Protector of Aborigines for the Northern Territory.  This required him to learn the Aboriginal language and his duties included watching over the rights of Indigenous Australians and Torres Strait Islander people, guard against encroachment on their property and to protect them from acts of cruelty, oppression and injustice.  The Protector was typically also the chief medical officer, coroner and registrar of births, deaths and marriages of the NT.

In 1909 Fred became the first CMO in Papua.  He and Edith travelled to England in 1912 and while there Fred responded to a call from the British Red Cross for surgeons for the Balkan War.  That ran from October 1912 to May 1913 and when the second conflict began in June, Fred was put in charge of the British Red Cross hospital attached to the Army of Montenegro.  It was the only field hospital unit with the Montenegrins and the only British Red Cross party on the battlefield throughout the campaign.  The conflict ended in August 1913 and Fred was awarded the Red Cross Medal for his service at Mt Tarabosh, Scutari and Medua.  Edith was a nurse and worked with the Red Cross in Australia so when the second conflict began she volunteered her services and travelled to Montenegro to join Fred but the war ended before she saw active service.  On their way back to England travelling through the capitol city Cetinje, the Red Cross surgeons were called for by King Nicholas of Montenegro and personally thanked by him for their services.  Fred was presented with Red Cross Medal by Queen Alexandra at Marlborough House in England on 8th July 1913.  He and Edith returned to South Australia and settled at Balhannah on an orchard property.  Fred served with the Militia for 2 years and the Commonwealth Military Forces (CMF) for 6 months. 

When WW1 broke out he enlisted at Adelaide on 6th August 1914 aged 47 and a short time later was commissioned with the rank of Captain.  He was posted to the 3rd Field Ambulance B Section and proceeded to the camp at Morphettville.  He embarked from Adelaide on HMAT Medic on 20th October 1914 and sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany on 1st November 1914.  Upon arrival in Egypt he proceeded to Mena Camp where he remained till 3rd March 1915 when he embarked from Alexandria on HMAT Malda and anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island 3 days later.  In early April he transhipped to the HMT Nizam going ashore at Gallipoli on 28th April 1915, 3 days after the landings.  Two days later he was attached to the 12th Battalion as Medical Officer (MO) then in mid-June he was evacuated on the hospital ship HMHS Gascon with rheumatism.  He re-joined the unit in early July but in mid-September was admitted to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station with influenza.  He was subsequently evacuated on HMHS Guildford Castle to Alexandria and admitted to the 17th General Hospital.  On the 1st October he was transferred to 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis in Cairo and 4 days later transferred to the Convalescent Depot at Helouan.  He re-joined the 3rd Field Ambulance at Lemnos Island 4 days before Christmas.  On the 26th he embarked on HMT Caledonia and after disembarking at Alexandria on the 28th he proceeded to the camp at Tel-el-Kebir, 75 klms south of Port Said. 

In mid-February 1916 Fred had 4 days duty as Sanitary Officer at the HQ Camp then was promoted to Major on the 25th February.  Fred along with the whole 3rd Field Ambulance embarked from Alexandria on the 27th March 1916 on HMT Kingstonian and disembarked at Marseilles, France, on 3rd  April.  In July 1916 the unit participated at Pozieres then moved to Belgium in August.  In October Fred was Officer in Charge of all motor vehicles for duty at La Folie in France.  While the unit was serving at the Corps Rest Station at Buire on the 11th November, an air raid on the station killed one of their men outright with another 2 subsequently dying from their wounds and 3 more were wounded and evacuated.  This excerpt from the Unit Diary describes the event: “At 00.40 this morning an enemy aeroplane flying low, dropped 6 bombs on the 1st Anzac Rest Station.  Five patients were killed outright, thirty three wounded more or less seriously and three slightly.  Of the personnel at this station one was killed, four seriously wounded and one slightly wounded.  All of these belonged to No. 3 Australian Field Ambulance.  One bomb was dropped on the Orderly Room, destroying a number of the records of the station and of the unit.  Damage was done to four marquee tents and eight bell tents.  The distinguishing lamps were burning brightly at the time the attack was made.” 

In late January 1917 Fred took leave to England and while there he was admitted to Queen Alexandra’s Military Hospital at Millbank with pneumonia due to exposure.  In late March a medical board ruled him unfit for field service.  After being discharged from hospital in late April he was transferred for duty to the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital (2AAH) at Southall.  In mid-October 1917 Fred embarked for Australia on HMAT Beltana serving on duty as Medical Officer for the voyage.  He disembarked at Melbourne on 10th December and proceeded to Adelaide.  After transferring to No. 5 Sea Transport Section of the AAMC, he embarked for England of the 5th January 1918 on HMAT Borda and arrived at Plymouth on the 4th March.  He proceeded to the AAMC Training Depot at Parkhouse Camp at Tidworth on the Salisbury Plain then embarked for Australia from Plymouth on the 15th April as Senior Medical Officer (SMO) on HMAT Marathon and disembarked at Melbourne on the 12th June 1918.  Two months later he embarked from Adelaide on HMAT Gaika and disembarked at London on the 13th October.  He proceeded to the AAMC Training Depot at Fovant Camp.  His final voyage serving as SMO was on HMAT Port Hacking which sailed from Devonport on the 3rd December 1918.  Aboard with him were 15 Officers and 659 other ranks.  On Christmas Eve Fred made the awful discovery of the body of the Officer in Command in his cabin with a fatal bullet wound to his heart.  He was buried at sea that night in the Gulf of Aden.  The next day the troops were served a Christmas dinner and each man was presented with a pipe and a card.  The ship arrived in Melbourne on the 27th January 1919 and Fed’s appointment was terminated on 28th March 1919. 

Fred’s wife Edith worked with the Red Cross and served throughout the war in England assisting Sir Frederick Treves 1st Baronet.  He was a prominent British surgeon who attended Queen Victoria and was Chairman of the Executive Committee of the British Red Cross from 1905-1912.  During WW1 he served as President of the War Office Medical Board.  Edith later went to the front in France to work specifically under the direction of the military authorities in organising clubs for the British Officers. 

After almost 51 years together in marriage, Fred died at his home in Kensington Street Norwood SA on the 4th March 1942 aged 74.  His funeral was held on the 3rd April and he was buried at St George Cemetery Magill SA.

On the 29th June 1955 a road in Parap, Darwin NT was registered as “Goldsmith Street”.  It was named after Fred for his services to the Northern Territory as Medical Officer and Protector of Aborigines 1897-1901. 

Fred is commemorated on the Balhannah Soldiers’ Memorial Honour Roll, Balhannah ANZAC Honour Roll, St Peter’s College Honour Board and Woodside District of Onkaparinga Honour Board.          

Frederick Goldsmith was awarded for service in WW1 the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 10th October 2022.