Volunteers of Essendon and Flemington, 1914-1918
Fred Gentles, 2nd Field Ambulance Corps, taken in Melbourne in 1915. Courtesy of Ray Brown.
Gentles F H Pte 4104 Frederick Houghton 2 Field Amb 21 Tailor Single Pres
Address: Moonee Ponds, Wordsworth St, 9
Next of Kin: Gentles, A, father, 9 Wordsworth St, Moonee Ponds
"Burston" Milton St, Ascot Vale (by June 1916)
46 Francis St, Ascot Vale ( by 9 Sep 1918)
Enlisted: 14 May 1915
Embarked: A57 Malakuta 22 Sep 1915
Private Frederick Gentles, taken at the Mendolssohn Studio, 80 Swantson Street,
Melbourne, circa September 1915. Courtesy of Ray Brown.
Corporal Frederick Houghton Gentles
By Lenore Frost
Frederick Houghton Gentles, a tailor of Moonee Ponds, enlisted in the AIF on 14 May 1915, the date suggesting his inspiration was the shocking news from the Gallipoli Peninsula. The first casualties from the landing began being reported on 6 May.
There was probably an instruction at the recruitment depot, or perhaps in the local papers, for any volunteers to make sure they had returned all the equipment in their possession to their Area Officer, and Fred’s file contains certification from Staff Sergeant-Major E W Latchford of the Area 58B Cadets that Trainee F H Gentles had returned all government property, dated 13 May 1915. (page 7).
Fred spent his first week in a training Depot, then transferred to a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) for further training, from 22 May 1915 to 20 August 1915. CCS’s were small hospitals, generally located at a railhead or similar transportation hub in forward areas. Their job was to provide emergency treatment and to move casualties back to the stationary and general hospitals.
On 20 August 1915 he was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements of the 2nd Field Ambulance Corps. He embarked as one of six members of the 7th Reinforcements on the A57 Malakuta on 22 September 1915.
Proceeded to sea from MEF Gallipoli 1 December 1915. On 3 December 1915 Disembarked Alexandria from Mudros. On 4 December 1915 Frederick joined the Base Hospital at Mudros from Alexandria.
He was temporarily attached to 3 Field Ambulance on 7 December, but was detached from 3 Field Ambulance and was left at Anzac (ie, Gallipoli) for duty on 14 December 1915. Four days later he was back at Mudros Harbour, and rejoined 3 Field Ambulance at Sarpi Camp. The following day he was returned to duty with the 2nd Field Ambulance. The dates imply that he was sent to Anzac to assist with the evacuation from Gallipoli, the last troops being evacuated on the night of 19/20 December.
The AIF camp at Mena showing the tent lines of the 2nd Field Ambulance and the 3rd Field Ambulance, both in the foreground. December 1914-January 1915. AWM Collection P06424.015
23 March 1916 embarked at Alexandria and joined BEF at Marseilles on 30 March 1916.
In June 1916 Fred’s parents moved from their home in Wordsworth Street Moonee Ponds, to “Burston”, Milton St, Ascot Vale. This caused a flurry of correspondence between his parents and Base Records. His mother advised a change of address, the Army refused to accept this notice because she was not the Next of Kin, his father was, so the father then had to write to the Army to tell them that he had also removed to “Burston” in Milton St.
While Fred had his head down working away with the 2 Field Ambulance, headquarters seemed to lose track of him, and recorded “Reply to query still with unit” on 5 January 1917. Fred led such a blameless life that HQ had to probe from time to time to discover what he was doing, but the reply each time was “Still with unit”.
Bazentin, France, 1917-05-14. In the midground (left) stand the huts and tents occupied by the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance in the rest camp at Bazentin. Australian War Memorial Collection P02321.063
Group portrait of the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance at Bailleul in Northern France. 20
February 1918. AWM Collection E01637.
In March 1918 Fred was given three weeks leave in the UK. On 18 June 1918 he went to hospital “sick”, with pyrexia. Discharged 23 June 1918 and returned to unit.
On 3 October 1918 Fred was promoted to Temporary Corporal in the Pack Store, vice Sellers. He reverted to Private on 15 October 1918, but was on the same day promoted to Lance Corporal.
On 4 Dec he was made up again to Temporary Corporal, and after Christmas 1918, on the 27th, he was appointed as Temporary Corporal to 1st Division Leave Club in Brussels. He was given a week’s leave to Paris in January 1918, and a month later was marched out to the UK for return to Australia. He went to Parkhouse Camp to await his turn on a ship. (Temporary Corporal, by the way, meant that he got the work of a Corporal without the pay of a Corporal.)
Attached for duty with AIF Headquarters, 21 March 1919. On 5 April 1919 he was marched out for Return to Australia. He left with the Hospital Transport Warwickshire, still doing Red Cross duty during the voyage. They reached Melbourne on 28 May 1919, and Fred was discharged on 4 August 1919.
War Service Commemorated
Essendon Town Hall F-L
Ascot Vale Presbyterian Church
Ascot Vale State School
Essendon Gazette Roll of Honour With the Colours
Regimental Register
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