Profile

STEVENSON, Frederick William
(Service number 6/2285)

Aliases	Fred
First Rank	Private	Last Rank

Birth

Date	03/04/1896	Place of Birth	Timaru

Enlistment Information

Date		Age	18 years 10 months
Address at Enlistment	King Street, Timaru
Occupation	Builder (indentured apprentice)
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	James STEVENSON (father), King Street, Timaru
Religion	Church of England
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 6 inches. Weight 137 lbs. Chest measurement 32-34½ inches. Complexion fair. Eyes grey. Hair brown. Sight and hearing both good. Colour vision correct. Limbs and chest well formed. Full and perfect movement of joints. Heart and lung normal. Teeth - upper partly false, lower fair. Free from hernia, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated. Good bodily and mental health. No slight defects.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	5th Reinforcements
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Canterbury Infantry Battalion
Date	13 June 1915
Transport	Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination	Suez, Egypt

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	British War Medal; Victory Medal
Military Awards	Military Medal (M.M.) and Bar

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date		Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Builder

Death

Date	31 May 1969	Age	73 years
Place of Death	Dunedin
Cause
Notices	Timaru Herald, 2 June 1969
Memorial or Cemetery	Dunedin Crematorium
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Frederick William STEVENSON was the son of James and Rosina (nee ANSLEY) STEVENSON. Fred was educated at Washdyke, Timaru Main, Springbrook and Kingsdown schools. Fred was named among 17 past pupils of Kingsdown School at the Front or preparing to go, at the school's picnic and prize day in December 1915. Mr Craigie, M.P. and past pupil, referred to the Great War as "the most momentous war of all history" and noted that Kingsdown, in proportion to its population, had nobly done its share in sending men. At the December 1917 Kingsdown School picnic, Mr J. Craigie, M. P., complimented those present on their patriotism and made the observation that few districts in New Zealand, if any, were better represented at the front in proportion to thei population. At that date, 33 past pupils had gone to the Front and of the 31 survivors, all were still serving; among the names read out was Fred Stevensonl. Fred returned home on Draft No. 221 on the Hororata which was due in Wellington on the 13 March 1919. As soon as the Hororata reached Wellington, the South Island men travelled to Lyttelton and then on to Timaru by a special express, which was decorated with flags and red, white and blue bunting, while painted on the front was "welcome home". They arrived in Timaru on 16 March 1919 to an rousing reception by the crowd packed into Station Street. They were addressed by Mr J. Craigie, M.P., and the Deputy Mayor, welcomed back and complimented on all they had done for the Empire and freedom. The National Anthem was played before being taken home in decorated cars. "I have no desire to make a Will", stated William on the New Zealand Expeditionary Force Will form.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [16 March 2014]; Timaru Herald, 30 December 1915, 28 December 1917, 5 March 1919, 17 March 1919 (Papers Past) [11 July 2014; 09 & 11 September 2014]; Dunedin Cremation record (Dunedin City Council) [March 2014]; Timaru Herald, 2 June 1969 (Timaru District Library) [31 December 2015]

External Links

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