Colless, Frederick Joscelyn
No.1194 – Sergeant Frederick Joscelyn Colless – 32nd Battalion AIF
Frederick Joscelyn Colless was born in Bourke NSW in 1880 to Joseph and Mary Colless. He was educated at a NSW State School and after leaving school, worked as a tram employee and also as a Commercial Traveller.
When he was 20 Fred served in the Boer War in South Africa with “A” Battery of the NSW Artillery. He was in South Africa for over a year and served with the Battery for the total of three years and was involved in their activities in NSW at the turn of the century.
Fred was able to leave this military service as he wanted to explore his options in WA and on arriving settled in Kalgoorlie. In 1905 he married Annie Jenetta Onn and they would go on to have three children; Phoebe in 1905; John in 1908 and Oswald in 1910. They would later set up residence in Wood St East Fremantle.
On the 31st July 1915, Fred went and offered his services to the AIF and was passed as fit. The medical examiner found Fred to be 5 feet 6 inches in height; weight of 144 lbs; chest measurement of 34-36 inches; dark complexion, grey eyes and dark hair. His religious denomination was Church of England. Initially allotted to No.24 Depot Company, on the 1st September 1915 he was assigned to “D” Company of the newly forming 32nd Battalion AIF with the regimental No.1194. On the 8th September he was promoted to Corporal and on the 21st September 1915 to Lance Sergeant. As the other half of the battalion were South Australians, the two Western Australian Companies travelled to Adelaide to join them to complete their training. The completed their training here and left in late November 1915.
After arriving in Egypt, the battalion would have been expecting to be sent on to Gallipoli but as the peninsula was now being evacuated the 32nd Battalion, was given a task for the defence of the Suez Canal while the 8th Brigade joined together for the first time. On the 18th January Fred was sent to hospital so his dental deficiencies could be fixed, returning on the 31st January. The 32nd Battalion would train and form part of the defence line on the Suez Canal for the first six months of 1916. In March 1916 the 8th Brigade became part of the new 5th Division AIF.
On the 29th March Fred was sent to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station ill and then to the 1st Australian Stationary Hospital where he was diagnosed with balanitis, but soon returned for duty. On 11th April 1916 Fred visited hospital for a circumcision but his stay in hospital was short as he returned on the 12th April.
On the 26th May 1916 Fred was promoted to Sergeant and on the 17th June 1916 left Alexandria on a transport ship bound for France.
Arriving at Marseilles on the 23rd June, Fred was sent up to the north of France on a train and they arrived near Armentieres at a place called Fleurbaix. The units of the 5th Division relieved the 4th Division though some men had not even been to the front line before the 5th Division were ordered to take part in an attack at Fromelles.
The 32nd Battalion was on the flank and was severely hit by German fire but managed to capture the enemy positions but the Germans were able to work around the Australians and surround the 32nd Battalion. Many men made a break for it back to their own lines but only a few returned. Just over a hundred answered the battalion’s roll call after the attack.
During the attack it was reported that Fred was seriously wounded by a German bomb between the first and second German lines, with varying accounts saying that one or both legs were blown off or severely damaged.
After the Germans recaptured their position, they evacuated the wounded to hospital. Fred was taken back to Lille and managed to cling on to life for a few days despite his horrendous injuries. On the 23rd July 1916 he died in a German Hospital in Lille.
He was buried in the hospital graveyard but after the war was exhumed and made the short journey to Lille Southern Cemetery plot III.A.35
In World War Two, both his sons served, John becoming a Major in the 28th Battalion CMF and Oswald being awarded the Military Medal with the 2/16th Battalion AIF. (article about Oswald below)