STEVENSON, Frederick William
(Service number 6/2285)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 3 April 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 | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
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 | ||
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 |
Death
| Date | 31 May 1969 | Age | 73 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Dunedin | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Dunedin Crematorium | ||
| 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
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Currently Assigned to
TS
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
Tell us more
Do you have information that could be added to this story? Or related images that you are happy to share? Submit them here!