L/Cpl
Edmund Freame
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1896 |
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Place of birth: Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: 233 Rouse Street Port Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Profession: Furrier |
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Religion: Roman Catholic |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Lance Corporal |
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Service number: 1226 |
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Enlistment date: 26/10/2014 |
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Enlistment place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 5th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 20/09/1917 |
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Place of death: Black Watch Corner, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 21 |
Cemetery
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Tyne Cot Cemetery Plot: LXI Row: E Grave: 16 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Edmund Freane was born in 1896 in Port Melbourne, the son of Edmund and Mary Freane. Edmund was a member of the Port Branch Irish National Foresters, an originally English/Irish organization whose purpose was to provide assistance in case of illness of its members. They paid a weekly fee for this purpose. Its members were mainly artisans and owners of small businesses. Edmund was also a prominent soccer player on the South Ports team. During World War I, he joined the 5th Australian Infantry Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division. Edmund was killed on Sept. 20, 1917, during the battle known as the Battle of Menin Road. It was part of the larger Battle of Passchendaele. 2nd Brigade succeeded in taking the German positions. Edmund's battalion did lose 67 soldiers; 12 others went missing.
Because Edmund joined the battalion so early, he experienced much of its campaign. In 1915 he fought at Gallipoli, and in a letter to his parents, part of which was included in a local newspaper, he described the situation there. 'It was terrible to see our fellows struggling in the water. When we got ashore we fixed bayonets and charged the Turks. They ran like rats. We pushed them back about a mile the first day. That evening we entrenched for the night. The first day and night weredreadful. Dead and wounded lie everywhere.' Edmund himself was wounded in the leg. After recovering, he found himself on the Western Front in March 1916, where he suffered shell shock in July and ended up in the hospital as a result. He got out, but ended up in the hospital again because of serious pneumonia. He recovered and by June 28 he was back with his unit, which would take part in the Battle of Passchendaele.
The final objective of the 2nd Australian Brigade on Sept. 20, 1917, was the capture of the western part of Polygon Wood. The attack was divided into the capture of a red, blue and green line. The role of the Fifth Battalion was to capture the area up to and including the blue line, which was approximately at the level of Black Watch Corner. The supporting artillery opened fire exactly at the appointed time and the Australians managed to take the German bunkers. A number of soldiers, according to the logs, moved up too quickly, being hit by their own artillery. There were also casualties on the left flank, where the German machine guns had not been deactivated. After eliminating the last pockets of resistance, the battalion was able to consolidate its positions around the blue line. German prisoners of war helped carry off the wounded.
Fifth Battalion logs describe the attack as a great success. An important note here is the number of slachotffers that fell. About a hundred soldiers fell victim to friendly cannon fire, and German machine guns also inflicted casualties. One of the casualties was Emund, he was killed by an artillery shell while digging in near Black Watch Corner. In a local newspaper reporting on Edmund's death, his family left the following note: “Our darling boy. We pictured his safe returning, but God's will alters all. R.I.P.' Emund Freane currently rests at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Because Edmund joined the battalion so early, he experienced much of its campaign. In 1915 he fought at Gallipoli, and in a letter to his parents, part of which was included in a local newspaper, he described the situation there. 'It was terrible to see our fellows struggling in the water. When we got ashore we fixed bayonets and charged the Turks. They ran like rats. We pushed them back about a mile the first day. That evening we entrenched for the night. The first day and night weredreadful. Dead and wounded lie everywhere.' Edmund himself was wounded in the leg. After recovering, he found himself on the Western Front in March 1916, where he suffered shell shock in July and ended up in the hospital as a result. He got out, but ended up in the hospital again because of serious pneumonia. He recovered and by June 28 he was back with his unit, which would take part in the Battle of Passchendaele.
The final objective of the 2nd Australian Brigade on Sept. 20, 1917, was the capture of the western part of Polygon Wood. The attack was divided into the capture of a red, blue and green line. The role of the Fifth Battalion was to capture the area up to and including the blue line, which was approximately at the level of Black Watch Corner. The supporting artillery opened fire exactly at the appointed time and the Australians managed to take the German bunkers. A number of soldiers, according to the logs, moved up too quickly, being hit by their own artillery. There were also casualties on the left flank, where the German machine guns had not been deactivated. After eliminating the last pockets of resistance, the battalion was able to consolidate its positions around the blue line. German prisoners of war helped carry off the wounded.
Fifth Battalion logs describe the attack as a great success. An important note here is the number of slachotffers that fell. About a hundred soldiers fell victim to friendly cannon fire, and German machine guns also inflicted casualties. One of the casualties was Emund, he was killed by an artillery shell while digging in near Black Watch Corner. In a local newspaper reporting on Edmund's death, his family left the following note: “Our darling boy. We pictured his safe returning, but God's will alters all. R.I.P.' Emund Freane currently rests at Tyne Cot Cemetery.
Connection to other soldiers 1
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Frank McDouagh
Cousin |
Sources 6
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5th Battalion Australian Infantry, (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/22/31). https://www.awm.gov.au Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455, Freame E). https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 2018), 81. Sources used |
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Port Melbourne Standard, 'Fighting at Gallipoli'. Zaterdag 3 juli 1915, 91165475. https://trove.nla.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Port Melbourne Standard, 'Killed in Action'. Zaterdag 10 november 1917, 88369796. https://trove.nla.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Port Melbourne Standard, 'Private Freame Wounded'. Zaterdag 29 mei 1915, 91166494. https://trove.nla.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 4
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CWGC https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/462805 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7443955 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=478c5496-6517-4a7b-a3ca-be4acc9adbe5 |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=104063 |