Fitzpatrick, Frederick Michael

1933 Sergeant Frederick Michael Fitzpatrick DCM MM - 2nd Machine Gun Battalion AIF

Frederick Michael Fitzpatrick was born in Fremantle WA in 1895 to John and Ellen Fitzpatrick. He was one of fifteen siblings born into the family.

In the 1900's the family moved to West Perth and Frederick completed his education there.

After leaving school he became a mechanic and also saw service in the Cadets and the 88th Infantry of the Citizens Military Forces.

On the 22nd June 1915 Frederick enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 5 & 3/4 inches tall;

Weight - 138lbs;

Chest Measurement - 35-37 inches;

Complexion - Dark;

Eyes - Brown;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment Fred was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was assigned to the 3rd Reinforcements to the 28th Battalion. He trained with this group for the next two months in WA.

On the 1st September 1915 Fred and his group went to Fremantle Harbour where they boarded the transport ship HMAT Anchises. The ship then sailed for Egypt and after arriving in Alexandria Fred did not have much time in Egypt as he was sent straight on to Gallipoli where he was taken on strength of the 28th Battalion on the 12th October 1915.

Fred served with the 28th Battalion through the last two months of the Gallipoli campaign. When the peninsula was evacuated, the 28th Battalion returned to Egypt in January 1916.

On the 2nd March 1916 Fred was transferred to the 7th Machine Gun Company. He only had two weeks with this new unit in Egypt as on the 14th March 1916 the unit departed from Alexandria Egypt for France, arriving at Marseilles on the 21st March 1916.

After their arrival in France they were entrained north for the Armentieres sector and the 7th Machine Gun Company would have their first experience of Western Front trench life around Bois Greiner and Fleurbaix.

They remained here till June 1916 and were then transferred to the Somme front. The 1st Australian Division had captured Pozieres village on 23rd July 1916 and the 2nd Division, including the 7th Machine Gun Company, then came in and attempted to further the gains already made.

On the 29th July 1916 the 2nd Division attempted to capture the strongly held German trenched at OG1 and OG2 but the area they were attacking along was the highest point of the battlefield and the Germans poured fire into the advancing men.

Fred's 7th Machine Gun Company provided much needed machine gun support during the advance. Fred came through this first advance unscathed and a week later on August 4th/5th 1916 the German positions including at the vital windmill position were captured. 

Fred was awarded the Military Medal for his bravery in this attack; the official recommendation reading;

For attending wounded during heavy shellfire in captured German trenches during attack on Pozieres 5th/6th August 1916. For carrying Private Warner. S.E. back to Advanced Dressing Station and returning to duty in the forward trench. This man continued through the whole night until early morning until hit himself and badly shaken by high explosive shell.

Despite being badly shaken/concussed by the shell, Fred remained on duty. After their action on the Somme the Australians went to Ypres in Belgium for several weeks before returning to the Somme battlefield in October 1916.

From November 1916 to March 1917 the unit was in action through the cold French winter near Flers and Warlencourt. In February 1917 Fred's brother Percy joined him in the 7th Machine Gun Company.

Fred continued to serve with his unit at Lagnicourt on March 26th 1917 and Bullecourt in May 1917. After the Bullecourt action the 2nd Division were pulled out of the line for three months during which time much training was undertaken.

In September 1917 the 7th Machine Gun Company were in action during the Third Battle of Ypres. Fred took part in the Battle of Menin Road on September 20th 1917. He came through safely and the gunners continued to provide fire support to the infantry at the front.

His brother Percy was wounded on the 29th September 1917 but Fred continued to serve at Zonnebeke and Broodseinde Ridge from October 4th - 10th 1917. For his actions at this battle, Fred was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The recommendation reads;

Whilst acting as a gun commander during the attack on 4th October at Broodseinde he kept touch with his section officer the whole time under very adverse circumstances. Going across in the attack, the man carrying the gun was wounded and the gun was left in the mud. Lance Corporal Fitzpatrick took his gun crew to the objective, placed them in a comparatively safe position, then went back, dragged the gun out of the mud, under extremely heavy shellfire and brought the gun up into position. Whilst in position the enemy dropped in a very heavy concentration of artillery fire on his guns, and acting on his own initiative, he moved his guns and crews out into No Mans Land, mounted his gun in a good commanding position and so escaped the bulk of the shellfire. On being relieved on the 10th October, two men of his gun crew were badly wounded. He remained behind, bandaged them up and carried them to cover under very heavy barrage. His cheery manner and utter disregard for shellfire inspired confidence in the men. He was awarded the Military Medal for his work at Pozieres on 4th August 1916.

After leaving the line when they were relieved Fred was promoted to Sergeant and the news of his Distinguished Conduct Medal soon came through.

On the 7th November 1917 Fred was sent to a Vickers Machine Gun School for a period of instruction, returning to his unit on the 4th December 1917. 

From December 1917 to March 1918 the Australians held the front line in Belgium between Ypres and Messines. On the 2nd March 1918 Fred was granted a period of leave to England, returning to France on the 19th March 1918.

Two days after his return, the Germans launched their large offensive against the British Army further south. They broke through the lines and were making good headway towards Amiens and the Somme sector. The Australians were then sent south to the Somme to help stop this advance.

The 7th Machine Gun Company moved with the 2nd Division and came into contact with the Germans near Morlancourt and Hangard Wood. It was at this time that the four machine gun companies in the 2nd Division joined together (5th, 6th, 7th & 22nd) to form the 2nd Australian Machine Gun Battalion.

On the 15th June 1918 Fred was sent on an instructional staff course in England, which kept him away from the front for two months. Fred was due to return in late August 1918 but came down ill in England. He reported sick and was diagnosed with venereal disease.

Fred was then sent to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford. After his recovery he was returned to the Machine Gun Training Depot at Parkhouse and was still there when the Armistice was signed.

Fred remained in England for the next few months at duty at various camps while waiting for his embarkation orders to arrive. On the 26th March 1919 Fred boarded the transport ship Port Macquarie at Cardiff and set sail for home, reaching Fremantle on the 18th May 1919.

Fred was discharged from the AIF on the 13th July 1919.

In 1920 in Perth he married Edith Marian McIntosh

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