Their bodies are buried in peace; but their names liveth for evermore.
Their Duty Done
A tribute to the men and women of the East Gippsland Region who Died
as a result of their participation in World War One : 1914 - 1919
715 Private Frederick Roderick – Walpa
Killed in Action 7 August 1915
….. please relieve my painful anxiety
Fred Roderick, the fourth child of Frederick and Annie Roderick of Walpa,
was born in 1892 at Coongulmerang. His parents had married in South
Australia in 1883 before taking up a selection at Wuk Wuk. Fred and his
nine siblings attended school locally. He was a member of the Calulu Band
formed in 1908 and described as a good footballer and cricketer and great
shot with the Bairnsdale Rifle Club. He enlisted on 25 September 1914
when he was 22 years old and departed on the Armadale on 12 February.
After training in Egypt, he arrived in the Dardenelles on 27 July 1915
and was reported missing just eleven days later. It was over a week before
his death at Walker's Ridge was confirmed as killed in action on 7 August
1915. Ironically, his father wrote to the Minister of Defence on 17 July,
before he had landed, expressing concern about rumours of his wounding
or death and asked him to relieve my painful anxiety should you at once
send me news of him. The Department responded appropriately on 29 July
saying they had no reports, unbeknown that a week later he would be dead.
There is no grave for Fred Roderick but he is remembered on the Lone Pine
memorial and several local honour rolls. He was 23 years old.
Photographs courtesy of Helen Bruse, Pat Hedrick and Pam and Brian in New Zealand.
