Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Frederick James Tyer was the eldest of four children of William Naylor Tyrer (born in Bairnsdale, Victoria) and Laura Trigg (born in Perth, WA). William grew up in Perth, WA and was a Bank Official witht he National Bank in Perth, Dampier, Bunbury and Toodyay.

Frederick's younger brother Gordon Steven served from 1942 - 1945 with the  11 North West Battalion Volunteer Defence Corps as a Private (Service No: W71510)

Fred had an Electrical Contracting Business and owned a Silent Picture Theatre in Dowerin, WA in the 1920's, where he married Alice Pryor in 1928. By 1930,  as the Depression hit, Fred;s businesses went into Bankruptcy, Fred left Dowerin and his wife and two children to seek work in Queensland. Alice's mother refused to allow Alice and the children to leave Dowerin and by 1938, Fred and Alice were divorced. 

During the 1930's Fred took diverse jobs and walked vast distances around Australian as a Swagman - he is featured in Allan Nixon's book 'The Swagmen: Survivors of the Great Depression' (1987).

Fred served with the RAAF during WWII, and married Beryl Edna Butler in 1945 in Brisbane, QLD. They lived in Bulimba, QLD where Fred worked as a Motor Assmebler until the 1950's. Fred and Beryl divorced in 1962, and Fred moved to New Farm in Brisbane, QLD where he was a Sewerage Construction Contractor. After 1980, Fred returned to Perth, Western Australia where he died in 1995