The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (4191) Corporal Frederick James Hisgrove, 50th Battalion, 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 Gerard Pratt, the story for this day was on (4191) Corporal Frederick James Hisgrove, 50th Battalion, First World War.

4191 Corporal Frederick James Hisgrove, 50th Battalion
KIA 16 August 1916
Photograph: P09291.043

Story delivered 24 February 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Corporal Frederick James Hisgrove.

Fred Hisgrove was born in Terowie, South Australia, in 1882. He attended Morgan Public School and went on to become a labourer on the mines in Broken Hill. At 19 he enlisted in the Commonwealth Contingent for Service in South Africa, and spent a very short time in the Transvaal before the end of the war.

Hisgrove returned to Broken Hill to resume work as a miner, but a drought saw him move to New Zealand for two years, returning to Broken Hill in 1905. Since South Africa he had become increasingly interested in the trade union movement, and was a member of the Amalgamated Miners' Association at Broken Hill and the Waihi and Inangahua Miners' Unions in New Zealand.

Fred moved to Port Adelaide in 1908 and became an active member of the Builders Labourers Union on its formation, eventually becoming the president of the Port Adelaide sub-branch. On 24 May 1911 he married Alice Cook. They had three children, but their only daughter, Everil May, died in infancy in 1913.

Hisgrove enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in August 1915. He felt strongly that it was his duty to enlist, but it was not an easy decision; on leaving, he said:

I held back for a long time. Of course, had I been a single man I would have been one of the first to enlist. However, after giving the matter full consideration I thought the time had arrived when it was necessary for every man to make bigger sacrifices than in the past.

He was sent to Egypt with reinforcements to the 10th Battalion and transferred to the 50th Battalion as part of the reorganisation of the AIF.

Promoted to corporal, Hisgrove accompanied his new battalion to France and the Western Front. The 50th Battalion first saw action around Mouquet Farm in 1916. The battles here were fought under some of the heaviest shell-fire of the war, and the 50th Battalion sustained a large number of casualties. One of those was Lieutenant Victor Dridan. He was severely wounded in the arm and had been forced to spend the night in the trenches under shell-fire. Corporal Fred Hisgrove and Private Clifford Chapple volunteered to carry his stretcher back to safety. As they neared the dressing station they put the stretcher down to rest a moment, but at that moment a shell landed near the party and killed Hisgrove and Chapple. Dridan died of his wounds later the same day.

The newspaper reported, "Those who knew Corporal Hisgrove could not help admiring his straightforwardness, manliness, and great strength of character." He habitually worked long hours, did not drink, smoke, or gamble, and was "highly esteemed by a large circle of friends".

Lieutenant Caldwell of the 27th Battalion wrote to Alice Hisgrove to tell her how her husband died. Of the manner in which he died, Caldwell wrote: "That is dying like a man."

His name is listed on the Roll of Honour to my right, along with more than 60,000 Australians killed in the First World War, and his photograph is displayed beside 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 Corporal Frederick James Hisgrove, and all of those Australians who have given their lives in service of our nation.