Bull, Frederick

No.4300A – Private Frederick Bull – 48^th Battalion AIF

Frederick Bull was born in (Plympton) East Fremantle in 1898 to Frederick & Sarah Bull. He had a brother Francis born in 1900 and a sister called Gertrude in 1909. Fred was educated at Plympton State School and served for a time in the 86A Fremantle Cadets. The family lived at 99 King Street East Fremantle. (later renumbered to 51 King Street)

At an event at the Cue Shooting Club in the Murchison Goldfields when he was just 11 years old Fred scored the highest record in shooting. After leaving school he became a farm hand though as soon as he turned 18 in 1916 he wanted to enlist in the AIF.

In October 1916 he presented himself to the Recruiting Office in Fremantle where he was medically examined and was found to be 5 feet 7 inches in height; weight of 136 lbs; chest measurement of 33-35 inches; fresh complexion; brown eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. 

Fred was initially sent to No.87 Depot and on the 16^th October 1916 was allotted to the 23^rd Reinforcements to the 16^th Battalion. He did not stay in this group long and was sent to No.22 Depot where he stayed till the 11^th of January 1917. On the 12^th January Fred was assigned to the 5^th Depot Guard, a position he stayed at till 17^th April 1917. On the 18^th April 1917 Fred was assigned to the 21^st Reinforcements to the 28^th Battalion and he stayed with this group till the 1^st June 1917, when he was transferred to the 12^th Reinforcements to the 2^nd Pioneer Battalion. This group collected together at Broadmeadows Camp in Victoria and trained there till the 29^th October 1917.

On the 30^th October 1917 this group embarked from Melbourne on the H.M.A.T. “Aeneas” and arrived at Devonport England on the 27^th December 1917.

Fred and his reinforcement group was marched into the Pioneer Train Camp at Sutton Veny on the Salisbury Plains however on the 2^nd January 1918 he was taken on strength of the 32^nd Battalion Training Details at Codford and began training with the 15^th Training Battalion.

On the 1^st April 1918 he left England for France but instead of being sent to the 32^nd Battalion he was sent to the 4^th Australian Division Training Depot and was subsequently allotted to the 48^th Battalion AIF. He was taken on strength of the 48^th Battalion on the 16^th April 1918.

The 48^th Battalion had just been in action at Dernancourt and they had many casualties so reinforcements would have been urgently wanted. Little is known of Fred’s time in the 48^th Battalion but they continued to hold the line against the Germans. In early May they were involved in the attempted capture of Monument Wood though Fred appears to have escaped his first battle unscathed. Service through June & July with the veterans of the 48^th would have given Fred much experience in front line duty.

On the 4^th July 1918 while the 4^th & 11^th Brigades assaulted and captured the village of Hamel, the 48^th Battalion was nearby at Sailly-le-Sec and came in for much German shellfire. Fred was wounded in the buttocks and thigh by shrapnel and was evacuated by the 4^th Field Ambulance back to the 5^th Casualty Clearing Station. Fred hung on to life for 7 days but the wound proved too severe and he died on the 11^th July 1918. He was buried in Crouy-sur-Somme Cemetery in Plot III.F.23.