Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Fred was born in Orange, New South Wales, Australia on the 9th of April 1885, the third child of Mary Ann Fardell.

Abandoned age 3½ at the Sydney Benevolent Society, Fred was first fostered out to a James Phillips of Balmain, Sydney on 22 November 1888 and was returned to the depot, age 13, on 6 Jan 1899, he was sent directly to Thomas F. Schick at Lismore, from whom he learned his trade of hairdressing. The Shick family ran a Tobaconist and Hairdressing Business. Mr. Shick trained lads as apprentices in trades they could earn a living.

At age 17 Fred stepped out on his own in 1902. By 1907 Fred married Ethel Mary Uptin and was working as a barber for a Mr. Soloman at Bega, NSW. In 1910 established his own hairdressing salon at Bega before moving in 1915 to Balmain, Sydney where he setup another hair salon.

Fred embarked H.M.A.T. A40 Ceramic on the 14th May 1916. The Ceramic narrowly escaped after having two torpedoes fired at her and was able to out-distance the U-boat while in the Mediterranean with 2,500 troops on board. One of the largest of the troop ships to serve, Ceramic was also one of a relatively small number of merchant ships to see military action in both World Wars

On the 1st of September 1918 at the Anvil Forest outside of Peronne, France, Fred apparently stood up to talk to one of his mates and was instantly killed by machine gun bullet wound to the head (according to a Red Cross witness). He was initially buried on the side of the road going into Peronne.

Fred was survived by his wife Ethel and thier children Arthur, Victor, Daisy, Dulcie and Allen. His youngest son Allen served in WW2 and was in his unit's boxing team.