Tasmanian War Casualties

WW1

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McGuinness, Frederick Fabion

Born 1895 Hobart Tasmania the son of William Andrew and Frances McGuiness a mill hand from Carnarvon Tasmania he embarked Hobart 1^st July 1916 on board “HMAT Berrima” with the 40^th Infantry Battalion.

He was killed in action 7^th June 1917 in Belgium and is commemorated on the Menin Gate Memorial, Ypres, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.

Lieut. Donne, writing under date June 16 to Mr. and Mrs. W T. McGuinncss, Carnarvon, says:-It is with deepest sympathy that I write to inform you of the circumstances surrounding the death of your son, Private Fred. F. McGuinness, D Company, Battalion, A.I.F. Ho took part in the great advance on the Western front commenced on the 7th inst being in charge of a party of bombers where he greatly distinguished himself as loader and soldier. He survived the operations of the first day, but was killed on the following day whilst we were consolidating our captured position. It may be some small consolation to you to know that his death was instantaneous, and so he was spared any suffering. As to his qualities as a soldier, I cannot speak too highly. He was known as one of the most intrepid soldiers in the Battalion and his work on all occasions was of the highest order. The several officers under whose orders he has been from time to time have always reposed the greatest confidence in him and with his cheery readiness for any work in hand he had from the first gained the esteem of everyone with whom he had come in contact. His death was a great blow to his comrades, with all of whom he had been a great favourite. Let me say Mrs. McGuinness, that his death affected me personally as I had believed it hard for death to do, at a time when, unhappily, we see so much of it, but your son had been with me continuously since he entered camp, with the exception of two or three months when we first came to France, and I regarded him, in addition to being the most excellent soldier of many fine men in my platoon, as a true friend and thorough gentleman and his loss is indeed a heavy one. Will you please extend to your family my deepest sympathy in their bereavement.

The Mercury 27^th September 1917

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Tasmanian War Casualties, Honouring the past, building understanding.