The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (69) Private Frederick Andrewartha, 23 Battalion (Infantry), First World War

The Last Post Ceremony is presented in the Commemorative area of the Australian War Memorial each day. The ceremony commemorates more than 102,000 Australians who have given their lives in war and other operations and whose names are recorded on the Roll of Honour. At each ceremony the story behind one of the names on the Roll of Honour is told. Hosted by Charis May, the story for this day was on (69) Private Frederick Andrewartha, 23 Battalion (Infantry), First World War.

69 Private Frederick Andrewartha, 23rd Battalion
KIA 16 November 1915
No photograph in collection (image used from Bendigonian, 9 December 1916, p.31)

Story delivered 16 November 2013

Today we remember and pay tribute to Private Frederick Andrewartha.

Frederick Andrewartha was born in Richmond, Victoria, in February 1893. A short, dark-haired man, he spoke with a slight stammer.

Andrewartha had an eventful life from a young age, having lived in Macorna and Cohuna by the time he was 18. He had worked as a timekeeper on the Victorian railways, but then went into mining. In 1914 he was in Eaglehawk working in the Johnson's Reef mine when a blasting accident underground killed one man and blinded another. He had left the scene of the accident just minutes before the explosion.

In February 1915, just after turning 22, Andrewartha enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He was sent to Egypt with the 23rd Battalion, and from there he went to Gallipoli. Although he arrived too late for the heavy fighting of August 1915, the last major offensive by the ANZACs, he nevertheless entered a dangerous battlefield. In November 1915 he was wounded by a bomb thrown into his trench by the Turks. This caused serious damage to his left knee and thigh. Andrewartha was evacuated from Gallipoli and put on board the HS Syria, a hospital ship, to be taken for further treatment. Unfortunately, his wounds proved too severe and he died aboard the ship.

Andrewartha never saw his 23rd birthday. He was buried at sea in mid-November 1915 at the age of 22. He was mourned by a wide circle of friends in the Eaglehawk area, who held him in high esteem, and by his family in Macorna.

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, along with more than 60,000 others from the First World War, and his photograph is displayed by the Pool of Reflection.

This is but one of the many stories of courage and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Private Frederick Andrewartha, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in the service of our nation.