A century on from the end of World War I we acknowledge their service …
Lest we forget.
Gunner Frederick Charles Baldry
Born: 30 April 1896 – Notting Hill, London. Died: 14 January 1987 – Sydney
Enlisted: 7 July 1915 aged 19
Served: Egypt and Western Front
Fred migrated to Australia from England in July 1914 when he was just 18 and gave money to the local patriotic fund when arriving in Pakenham.
He was working as a farm labourer in Pakenham South when he enlisted. In September 1915 he left Australia for Egypt and from there was taken on strength, first with the 6th Battalion and then the 58th Battalion.
He later transferred to the Western Front, serving with James Blackwood, who was also from Pakenham South. The 54th Battery saw action at the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916, and later on the Somme.
Fred returned to Australia in April 1919 and was honoured at a special welcome home social for returned soldiers held at Pakenham South, receiving a special medallion from the local community.
In 1924, Fred married Hannah “Annie” Florence Day at Yarraville. They eventually had eight children.
In the late 1920s, he was working as a millhand at Powelltown State Sawmill near Drouin and later became a milkman, living in Oakleigh and then Carnegie.
Two of Fred’s sons went on to serve with the RAAF during WWII. Fred died in Sydney in 1987 while living with one of his sons.
This is an extract from Patrick Ferry’s book A Century After The Guns Fell Silent – Remembering the Pakenham District’s WWI Diggers 1914-18.
For more details on this and other profiles in the book, head to the website www.pakenhamww1.com
