Frederick Amos

When Frederick Amos was born on 1 December 1880 in New South Wales, his father, John William (1846 - 1887), was 34 and his mother, Jane Elizabeth nee Eaton (1847 - 1921), was 33. He had seven brothers and three sisters.

Fred married Effie Matilda Bradshaw (1880 to 1963) in 1904 in Paddington, New South Wales. They had three children during their marriage: Bonnie Beryl (1905 to 1987), Gwendoline Hazel (1907 to ?) and Lindsay Capewell Bradshaw (1911 to 1943). Lindsay would join the Second AIF during WW2 but was killed in action at Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 10 September 1943.

Upon enlisting at Lismore, New South Wales, on 4 February 1916, Fred was a 35-year-old farmer from Ulmarra. It is interesting to note that Fred writes he was not married, whereas other records indicate that he was married with three children. Also, he gave his brother, George, as his next of kin. His medical examination details describe a man in his thirties, standing 5 feet 9 inches tall (175 cm) and weighing 168 lbs (76 kg). Fred’s complexion was given as dark, his eyes brown and his hair. He gave his religious denomination as Church of England. He had a small scar on his right forearm.

Fred embarked on HMAT A49 Seang Choon at Brisbane, Queensland, on 4 April 1916. In June, he was taken on strength with the 1st Light Horse Regiment at Tel-el-Kebir, in Egypt. On 26 July, he was transferred to the 2nd Light Horse at Romani. His first promotion, to Lance Corporal, occurred on 11 January 1917, followed by a promotion to Corporal in June.

On 22 August, he was admitted to hospital suffering from lumbago and over the next few days would pass through the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital, the 24th Stationary Hospital and the 65th Casualty Clearing Station before ending up at the 14th Australian General Hospital in Cairo. Fred was finally discharged on 27 September 1917 and taken on strength with the 1st Light Horse Training Regiment at Moascar.

A month and a half later, he rejoined the 2nd Light Horse, which was currently at Sidret el Hariryeh. In December of 1917, the Regiment spent time in the Ludd, Ayun-Kara, and Esdud area, holding the line and serving in the mobile reserve. His promotion to Temporary Sergeant came early in the new year. During the first two months of 1918, the 2nd Light Horse regiment participated in the advance to Jaffa and was committed to operations to clear and occupy the west bank of the Jordan River. Fred’s next experiences of major battles would take place in the raids on Amman (24 to 27 February) and Es Salt (30 April to 4 May).

In late May of 1918, he was admitted to the 26th Casualty Clearing Station suffering from malaria. He was transferred to the 36th Stationary Hospital at Gaza on 3 June. The following day, he was sent to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Port Said. On 7 July, he was posted to the Rest Camp at Port Said and remained here for ten days while he recovered his strength.

On the 26 of July, he rejoined the Regiment at Moascar, but two weeks later suffered a relapse of malaria and was admitted to the 1st Light Horse Field Ambulance before being sent to the 47th Stationary Hospital and eventually the 31st General Hospital at Abbassia. Throughout September and October of 1918, Fred was transferred between a number of hospitals and rest camps in an attempt to keep his malaria under control. He would not rejoin the 2nd Light Horse Regiment until 10 February 1919. One month later, he embarked on HT Ulimaroa at Kantara and sailed for Australia. His discharge from the A.I.F. came through on 26 July 1919.

For his service during the war, he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. Fred passed away on 1 February, 1961 in Queensland at the age of 81.