Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick Leslie Bannerman
 
Frederick Leslie Bannerman was born in approximately February 1886 in Adelaide, South Australia. He was the son of Mrs Annie Elizabeth Bannerman and George Hugo Bannerman who had previously lived in Victoria, 43 Princes Street, Prahan. He lived in Sandwell, South Australia and was a farmer who followed the Church of England. He was 5’8” and 160lbs (72kg). He had a fair and pale complexion with green eyes and dark hair. His distinctive marks had included a tattoo of clapsed hands on his left arm. Frederick was a single 28-year-old who had no previous military service and was eager to embark in service.
 
 
Frederick enlisted for the war on the 2nd of February 1915 Adelaide, South Australia. He was assigned to the 27th Infantry Battalion with the service number 16. On 31 May 1915 he embarked on the HMAT Geelong for his journey to Egypt. Frederick then proceeded to join the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force (Gallipoli) on the 4th of September 1915. The Force was part of the British Army in which commanded all forces at Gallipoli.

He was promoted to Lance Corporal in the field on Gallipoli on 27 September 1915. On the 30th of October 1915 he proceeded sick to hospital with enteric fever. After treatment in Alexandria, he sailed to England for further treatment. He was then found still temporarily unfit when examined by M.O. Abbey Wood Camp on the 17th of April 1916.
 
On the 1st of June 1916 he marched into No.1. Command Depot, the A.I.F. convalescent and training camp at Perham down which is located on the edge of Salisbury Plain. The camp was designed to receive men for temporary visit in which were likely to be well within three months. Prisoners of war were also detained here and a huttled hospital had stood on the grounds providing beds for 11 officers and 1,261 soldiers. It had developed the men to gain their fitness levels back, so they were able to move to their training battalion as soon as possible. Although Frederick was appositely fitted into the depot, he overstayed his leave from 29.10.16- 2.11.16. This had led to 4 days of F.P. No.2 (Field Punishment), this consisted of the prisoner placed in fetters and handcuffs, this was not liable in that the offender was fixed to an object. He later fell sick on the 7th of February 1917 (no further records on illness).
 
On the 12th of February 1917 he marched into Rollestone ex hospital. The camp was close to his previous location on Salisbury Plains. The training battalion was not for new recruits but for experienced soldiers returning from convalescence, which in Frederick's case, it was a refocused area ostensible and associated with No.1. Command Depot. The camp was designed to toughen and strengthen the men after the command depot in preparation for their immediate return to their battalions, this involved a mixture of military training and sports.
 
Frederick had then left Rollestone Camp and proceeded overseas to France on the 25th of February 1917. Around this date, the 27th Battalion took part in two attacks to the east of Flers in the Somme Valley. Although the Battalion only participated in minor attacks during the German withdrawal to the Hindenburg Line in early stages of 1917.
 
The 2nd of March 1917, Frederick was appointed A/Cpl (Corporal) in Etaples, France. As a corporal he was in command of a section of soldiers which also included two fire teams. Corporals were also employed in logistics and technical trades across most corps of Army.
 
On the 14th of March 1917, he had joined as a Field General Court Martial (F.G.C.M.) in Etaples, Frederick was committed with a charge as when in command of a picquet, wilfully releasing without proper authority a person was committed to his charge. He was found guilty and sentenced to 56 days F.P. No.1. (Field Punishment Number 1). Soon after he was sent to his unit.
 
On the 5th of April 1917, Frederick rejoined the 27th Battalion. A month later he injured his ankle which required further treatment in England. On the 18th of June 1917, he was discharged from hospital to furlough.
 
He then marched into No.2. Command Depot on the 2nd of July 1917. This depot was located at Weymouth, England. It accommodated those who were not expected to be fit for duty within 6 months. This indicates that Frederick had a serious injury to his ankle that required months of healing. While the general training in the unit had focused on toughening the men up, the individual training a soldier received was administered by medical inspections which was categorised weekly according to the men’s fitness levels.
 
Frederick was then sick to hospital on the 2nd of April 1918 with no further account.
 
On the 9th of May 1918, Frederick was transferred to a machine gun training depot class AWM4 24/35/6. This depot consisted of training in divisional units and obtaining information about the guns used in the common field.
 
On the 6th of June 1918, Frederick stole goods belonging to a regimental mess under an D.C.M. Erantham charge. He was found guilty and sentenced to 6 months detention but, his finding was not confirmed, leaving his conviction quashed.
 
On the 16th of August 1918, Frederick was taken on strength of A.M.T.S. Chelsea. Then on the 9th of November Frederick had marched out for 75 days furlough in England, this was connected to a scheme, providing leave for soldiers from 1914/15.
 
On the 9th of July 1919, Frederick was declared by the court of inquiry to be an illegal absentee. This is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning this contrasts with A.W.L. (Absence Without Leave) or desertion.  He had then surrendered ex A.W.L. on the 7th of August 1919. He had then received a D.C.M. Warwick square charge of A.W.L. 9.11.18. until 7.8.19. He was then sentenced to 9 months detention.
 
On the 29th of August he was admitted to Lewes Detention Barraoks. This was then remitted through an unexpired portion of his sentence in which he had embarked in a return to Australia.
 
On the 8th of February 1920 he was discharged in South Australia. When Frederick returned home, he married Ethel M. Bannerman. They had four children named Fred, Olive, George and Miriam.