Johnson, Frederick William
24592 Driver Frederick William Johnson - 7th Field Artillery Brigade AIF
Frederick William Johnson was born in Peterhead South Australia in 1886 to Frederick and Mary Johnson.
He had his early years in South Australia but then the family moved to Western Australia and took up residence in Fremantle. Fred later stated that prior to the Great War he had served for four years in the Royal Navy as a Stoker.
However prior to the Great War, Fred was working as a Lumper at Fremantle Harbour.
On the 25th March 1914 he married Grace Matilda Bullock and took up residence at 22 Nairn Street Fremantle. (later renumbered to 14 Nairn). A daughter called Myrtle was born in 1914.
On the 27th January 1916 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 6 & 1/2 inches tall;
Weight - 143lbs;
Chest Measurement - 36-38 inches;
Complexion - Dark;
Eyes - Grey;
Hair - Dark;
Distinctive marks - Tattoos - American coat of arms and heart and hands crossed.
Upon his successful enlistment, Fred was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp where he was initially sent to the Signallers Camp. However after a few weeks he was transferred to the Artillery reinforcements. As the Artillery was training in Victoria, Fred was sent over east to complete his training. The Artillery training camp was at Maribyrnong.
Fred was initially assigned to the Field Artillery reinforcements but was then transferred to the 3rd Australian Division Ammunition Column. On the 27th June 1916 Fred and his unit left Port Melbourne aboard the transport ship HMAT Barambah. The ship then set sail for England, arriving at Plymouth on the 25th August 1916.
After being disembarked Fred was sent to the 3rd Australian Division Training grounds on the Salisbury Plains. However a few weeks after arriving Fred was sent to hospital ill where he was diagnosed with venereal disease. He was transferred to the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital at Bulford.
Fred would be in hospital for a few months but on the 11th November 1916 was sent back to camp. On the 24th November 1916, Fred and the 3rd Division Ammunition Column proceeded to France. After his arrival in France, they were initially sent to the Armentieres region of Northern France.
In April 1917 Fred and his unit transferred to Southern Belgium where they were in the Ploegsteert sector. In the lead up to the Battle of Messines in June 1917, Fred and his unit were kept busy in supplying the divisional artillery with ammunition. From June to August 1917 they were in the Messines sector and in September 1917 then proceeded to the Ypres front. The Third Battle of Ypres was currently taking place.
Casualties in the 3rd Divisional artillery was heavy and Fred was transferred to the 27th Battery of the 7th Field Artillery Brigade in November 1917.
From December 1917 to March 1918 the 3rd Australian Division was serving south east of Ypres, between Hollebeke and Messines. On the 23rd February 1918 Fred was given his first period of leave, having two weeks furlough in England. He returned to his unit on the 13th March 1918.
As a result of the German offensive on March 21st 1918, which broke through the British line further south, the Australian Divisions were sent south to help stop this advance. The 3rd Australian Division were sent to an area just north of the Somme River near Sailly Laurette and Sailly-le-Sec. The 7th Field Artillery Brigade provided artillery support to the infantry in this sector.
On the 24th April 1918 the Germans launched a large bombardment on the artillery positions which included gas shells and Fred was lucky to escape, unaffected by the gas.
The 3rd Australian Division remained near the Somme River for the next few months. Fred's artillery battery participated in the successful capture of Hamel village on July 4th 1918 and the following month on August 8th, Fred helped his unit with the successful breakthrough of the German lines.
The 3rd Divisional Artillery then provided Artillery support to the Australian, British and American units as they continually pushed the Germans back. Fred came through this time period unscathed and was still with the unit when the Armistice was signed on the 11th November 1918.
He remained in France for a few more months and then on the 17th March 1919 returned to England and was sent to the AIF base at Codford where he would now wait to be assigned a berth on a troopship home. On the 1st June 1919 Fred boarded the troopship Somali and set sail for Australia, disembarking at Fremantle on the 8th July 1919. Fred was then discharged from the AIF on the 23rd August 1919.
On his return in 1919 he then returned the short distance home to Nairn Street. Fred also resumed his work as a Lumper on Fremantle wharf.
In 1935 Fred was injured at work on Fremantle wharf. As reported in the West Australian newspaper;
There does not seem to have been any more updates regarding Fred's health but it appears that he returned to work after a lengthy break.
The family resided in Nairn Street till the 1930's, then moved to 3 Grey Street Fremantle. They lived here through to the 1960's.
Fred died on the 23rd August 1969 at Hollywood Hospital aged 83. He was cremated at Fremantle Cemetery.