Frederick Ernest Camp
Private
41st Battalion
Australia
The endless expanse of the ocean finally gave way as the bustling port of Sydney came into full view of the traveler packed SS Otway. For the many patient immigrants onboard, it had been a long haul at sea but at last it brought them to Australia in July of 1911. Among those passengers’ intent on staying was a blue-eyed Englishman from London, Frederick Camp. At 25 years of age he had left behind his job as an insurance agent as well as his parents and brother to chase the promise of opportunity. The city of Brisbane further north provided him with such as he found a desirable job as a store assistant and met a Scottish emigrant, Robina Jackson, who he married in 1913. A gamble in this far away land brought him a new comfortable life and a family, yet events beyond his influence would return him to England.
Australia’s status as a British colony meant it was called to arms when war broke out in Europe in 1914. For a time, Frederick remained at his job as hundreds of young Australians flocked to the flag from the factories and fields in defense of the Old Country. Yet recruitment fever only ramped up as casualties began to mount among the first waves of eager volunteers. The formation of a local Queensland based Battalion, the 41st, helped drive the majority of the remaining local boys into the service (1). In September of 1916, a 30-year old Frederick penned his name on the enlistment and was removed from his adopted homeland sailing out of the kay with the 4th group of 41st Battalion reinforcements in October. |
Training at Camp Bedford in England molded the motley throng of city lads and brush farmers into a true fighting formation. Discipline and rifle training were entirely new to Frederick whose closest connection to either was only his glimpse into his father’s career as a member of the Metropolitan police. Yet by the time the 5’7” Englishman was moved to France in November of 1917, he was the spitting image of a true ANZAC soldier.
Commonwealth's Finest
Snowy and cold weather greeted the 45 replacements as they trudged into the 41st Battalion's Camp in Northern France. Such horrid weather was hard to get use to especially when compared to the subtropic conditions of Australia but was only a taste of the unpleasantries to come. For a period the men trained and were sent out on work parties, preparing them for an eventual stint in the line at Ypres (1). Yet their training endeavors were cut short as the Germans launched a major offensive which jeopardized the entire front. Immediately, Frederick and the others in the Battalion were put on the march initially taking up positions at Doullens before moving just outside Amiens (1). The Battalion dug-in along the “Bray-Corbie road” from where they blunted the German advance (1). For 35 days straight Frederick and his comrades endured unending rifle fire and artillery as they held the critical junction which prevented the Germans from exploiting their initial success (1). Despite the end of the German offensive, the Battalion's stint at the front went on as they were pulled in and out of the line. At Villers-Bretonneux the Germans hit the 41st with poison gas, destroying A Company entirely, and causing significant casualties among the others (1). Frederick was one of the lucky survivors, yet his Battalion now was understrength and there were few replacements to be found from home.
The ferocious fighting spirit of the Aussies made them a first-class formation among the Commonwealth, and as such they were consistently called upon to spearhead assaults. With so few men after the horrendous gas attack, there was little hope the 41st could go on effectively without significant reinforcement. In order to resolve this, fresh American soldiers of the 131st Regiment were merged into the Australian Battalion. The Illinois national guardsmen were well received by Frederick and his fellow veterans who worked to impart upon them the skills needed to survive the trenches. The multinational unit blended well and was ready for their first combat at Hamel, which was to be a preliminary action prior to a major offensive. But to the American’s dismay, they were pulled from the front prior to the assault, leaving Frederick and his comrades once again in an understrength unit.
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Mors Ante Pudorem (Death Before Dishonor)
Activity along the front ramped up at the start of August with Frederick and others pulled for heavy work details such as cable burying (2). It was to be a major offensive and the 41st was slated to be among the first in on the opening day, August 8th (2). To prepare the men, scale models of the battlefield were built, and training performed so that they knew their objectives by heart (2). An extra Company from the 43rd was also attached to them, bringing the Battalion up to an appropriate fighting strength (2). When the time finally came, the reinforced 41st were as prepared as they could be and took up position in the recently captured Hamel area from where they would jump off.
In the early hours of August 8th, Frederick waited, rifle in hand, ready to move at the first call to do so. To his side and back were fellow Anzacs which gave him confidence, they were fighting together as a corps now. Each man knew their objectives and trusted their fellow Diggers, it was a perfect storm. At 4:20am the guns opened up and they began their advance (2). The soldiers moved rapidly and fought ferociously, brushing aside the German resistance and efficiently securing all objectives on what was dubbed the “green line” (2). Friendly forces passed through their ranks at 9:00am and they dug in to cement their newly acquired gains (2). The day was an incredible success for the 41st who were quite impressed with the progress they had made (2). Much to their satisfaction, from their new positions they were able to watch as their friends from Illinois in the 131st advanced further down the line, the Yanks proving that they had learned much from their Aussie mentors as they successfully secured objectives of their own (2). |
On August 11th the Battalion was tasked with securing an old trench which ran between Careaux and Germain Woods as part of the ongoing offensive (2). Their confidence remained high and they planned to advance with an artillery barrage as was done a few days earlier (2). The request for artillery was rejected and the Battalion ordered to attack the well defended German positions alone (2). Never ones to back down from a fight, the 41st Battalion advanced anyways in the open (2). Casualties were heavy during the initial fighting which spilled into the following day (2). The diggers eventually secured the trench but were subject to intense artillery fire from enemy batteries (2). When finally relived the 41st was a mere shadow of itself, the extensive casualties and removal of the extra company, weakening the already understrength unit. After an incredible victory at Amiens such a pyrrhic one was hard to fathom (2). Yet this is hardly what Frederick was concerned with as he was evacuated to England having taken a bullet to the right eye during the fighting (2). The doctors were able to save him, but he lost the eye entirely, officially ending his war (2). Unfortunately, the conflict went on, claiming his brother Edward’s life well he was serving in the British Machine Gun Corps in September (2). Such devastating news on top of his injury almost certainly made this one of the lowest periods in Frederick’s life.
The ANZAC Spirit
The wounded warrior returned to his beloved home of Brisbane physically scared but proud in December of 1918. Despite all he had been through, he returned to life as it was, taking back up his job as a shop assistant and enjoying the company of his wife, Robina. Yet tragedy struck again a couple decades later when she passed away in 1938, with another war in Europe breaking out a year later. Yet Frederick was not the kind of man to dwell on hardship and promptly remarried a gal named Louisa Perano from New Zealand. He also attested for service once again in 1940 at the age of 54. It was no doubt difficult for the recruiter to determine what to do with him, but they could hardly say no to such a determined war-scared veteran, even if he had lost an eye. Once again Frederick dawned the famed slouch hat as he became a clerk with the Australian Army Service Corps. His post would remain in country, but he did his part during the majority of the war, eventually being discharged on the basis of his age. Though once a Londoner, by the time of his second discharge, there was no doubt that he was as Australian as one could become.
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Sources:
(1)“History.” 41st Infantry Battalion Association Inc, http://www.41bnassoc.com.au/history.php.
(2) “AWM4 Subclass 23/58 - 41st Infantry Battalion.” Australian Imperial War Museum , https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1017642/bundled/RCDIG1017642.pdf.
(1)“History.” 41st Infantry Battalion Association Inc, http://www.41bnassoc.com.au/history.php.
(2) “AWM4 Subclass 23/58 - 41st Infantry Battalion.” Australian Imperial War Museum , https://s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/awm-media/collection/RCDIG1017642/bundled/RCDIG1017642.pdf.