The Last Post Ceremony commemorating the service of (134) Second Lieutenant Frederick John Sanderson, 6th 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 Charis May, the story for this day was on (134) Second Lieutenant Frederick John Sanderson, 6th Battalion, First World War.

Second Lieutenant Frederick John Sanderson, 6th Battalion
KIA 4 May 1917
Photograph: P06424.010

Story delivered 30 December 2014

Today we remember and pay tribute to Second Lieutenant Frederick John Sanderson.

Frederick Sanderson was born in 1889 to John and Susan Sanderson of Violet Town in north-eastern Victoria. His father worked as an official in the local council.

Frederick grew up to have an interest in the Anglican Church. He first studied to enter the ministry at Moore College in Sydney. For some time he worked at the Christ Church in Gerringong, and later he took a position at St John’s College in St Kilda. He was known as an earnest worker, and was “generally liked and esteemed by all who knew him”.

It was from St Kilda that Sanderson enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force shortly after the outbreak of war in August 1914. He was posted to the 6th Battalion, and after a period of training was sent to Egypt for overseas service. On Gallipoli Sanderson was promoted to corporal, although shortly afterwards he reverted to the rank of private in order to transfer to the Australian Army Medical Corps. He remained attached to the 6th Battalion and worked as a stretcher-bearer, reporting some close shaves at Anzac Cove. On one occasion a bullet went through his hair, narrowly missing his scalp, and another time a shell fell between his mate and himself without bursting. Aside from a period in hospital with dysentery, Sanderson remained unscathed, and was soon promoted to corporal again.

Following the evacuation from Gallipoli, Corporal Sanderson, or “Sandy”, as he was known in his battalion, went to fight on the Western Front. In August 1916 he was again promoted, this time to second lieutenant, and reported another near-miss: a shell exploded near his
trench and brought down a large amount of dirt which hit Sanderson in the head, though he was not seriously injured.

On 4 May 1917 the 6th Battalion was in the front line near the French village of Bullecourt. There Second Lieutenant Sanderson was hit by a high explosive shell at about three o’clock in the morning. His friend, Tom Paul, reported: “he was killed immediately, hence did not suffer any pain. Percussion from the explosion killed him and he looked just as if he was asleep.”

Frederick Sanderson was buried in the village of Morchies. Some of his mates built a little cross to put over his grave, and another planted a primrose at its head. Frederick John Sanderson was 27 years old.

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 beside the Pool of Reflection, where he is seated on the right.

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

Dr Meleah Hampton
Historian, Military History Section