Frederick Trouton Small was born on 20 May 1888 in Brisbane, Queensland. An engineer before the war, Small enlisted on 4 September 1914 and was assigned to the 9th Battalion. He embarked with the 3rd Field Company Engineers on 22 September 1914 from Melbourne aboard HMAT Geelong. He served on the Gallipoli peninsula transferring to the 5 Field Company Engineers and won a recommendation for a French Croix De Gurre. His part in the evacuation of Gallipoli can be read in Volume II of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914-1918, The Story of ANZAC from 4 May, 1915, to the evacuation of the Gallipoli Peninsula By Charles Bean. He was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force in 1916 due to illness and returned to Australia on board the HT Nestor.

Frederick Small married Mary Call after the war and they moved to the United States in 1924. They first lived in Maryland where he worked as an Engineer before retiring to Florida. An avid stamp collector, Small was the owner of the world's most expensive stamp which he sold in 1970 for US$280,000. He died on 6 August 1971 in Broward, Florida.