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Sergeant Fred Fairweather
Description
TitleSergeant Fred FairweatherSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionFred was born on 13 May 1887 at Eyreton, son of Charles and Ellen Fairweather. After his father’s property, "Silverstream," was sold, he and a brother took up land near Kaikoura for many years. After his brother married Fred came back to Christchurch to look for work. He was sent to Hawarden to manage H. Matson and Co.'s farm, Brooksdale and six months later they made him their agent for Lincoln, Springston, Tai Tapu, and surrounding districts.
He had been there for just 12 months when the war broke out and he enlisted. He joined the C.Y.C. Squadron of the Canterbury Mounted Regiment as a trooper, and was subsequently promoted. He had served through the South African war and was a member of the Lincoln Mounted Rifles for 6 years. His employers described him as their best and most popular man. 'He was a decent, clean living, bright, intelligent, smart fellow, keen on his work, and a thorough good grafter.'
Fred enlisted on 20 August 1914 and was assigned to the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. He embarked from Lyttleton on 16 October 1914 with the Main Body for Suez. He was promoted to Sergeant on 4 March 1915. After surviving hospitalisation for diarrhoea and later malaria he suffered a gunshot wound to his back penetrating to his chest on 21 August, during the assault on Hill 60 by the New Zealand forces. He was taken aboard the Hospital Ship Gloucester Castle but died at sea on 24th, en-route to Hospital, aged 29. His name is recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Gallipoli. Fred is remembered on the Lincoln Roll of Honour.
The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. Lone Pine was a strategically important plateau in the southern part of Anzac which was briefly in the hands of Australian forces following the landings on 25 April. It became a Turkish strong point from May to July, when it was known by them as 'Kanli Sirt' (Bloody Ridge). The Australians pushed mines towards the plateau from the end of May to the beginning of August and on the afternoon of 6 August, after mine explosions and bombardment from land and sea, the position was stormed by the 1st Australian Brigade. By 10 August, the Turkish counter-attacks had failed and the position was consolidated. It was held by the 1st Australian Division until 12 September, and then by the 2nd, until the evacuation of the peninsula in December. The Lone Pine Memorial stands on the site of the fiercest fighting at Lone Pine and overlooks the whole front line of May 1915. It commemorates more than 4,900 Australian and New Zealand servicemen who died in the Anzac area - the New Zealanders prior to the fighting in August 1915 - whose graves are not known. Others named on the memorial died at sea and were buried in Gallipoli waters. The memorial stands in Lone Pine Cemetery. The original small battle cemetery was enlarged after the Armistice when scattered graves were brought in from the neighbourhood, and from Brown's Dip North and South Cemeteries, which were behind the Australian trenches of April-August 1915. There are now 1,167 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 504 of the burials are unidentified. Special memorials commemorate 183 soldiers (all but one of them Australian, most of whom died in August), who were known or believed to have been buried in Lone Pine Cemetery, or in the cemeteries at Brown's Dip.First NameFredLast NameFairweatherFamilySingleSon of Charles and Ellen (nee A'Court) Fairweather, Browns Rd., St. Albans, Christchurch.Date of Birth13 May 1887Place of BirthEyretonDate of Death24 August 1915Place of DeathAt sea from Gallipoli, TurkeyCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death29Other Biographical InformationMrs Ellen Fairweather (mother), 23 Stafford Street, Lower Riccarton, Christchurch,
He had been there for just 12 months when the war broke out and he enlisted. He joined the C.Y.C. Squadron of the Canterbury Mounted Regiment as a trooper, and was subsequently promoted. He had served through the South African war and was a member of the Lincoln Mounted Rifles for 6 years. His employers described him as their best and most popular man. 'He was a decent, clean living, bright, intelligent, smart fellow, keen on his work, and a thorough good grafter.'
Fred enlisted on 20 August 1914 and was assigned to the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. He embarked from Lyttleton on 16 October 1914 with the Main Body for Suez. He was promoted to Sergeant on 4 March 1915. After surviving hospitalisation for diarrhoea and later malaria he suffered a gunshot wound to his back penetrating to his chest on 21 August, during the assault on Hill 60 by the New Zealand forces. He was taken aboard the Hospital Ship Gloucester Castle but died at sea on 24th, en-route to Hospital, aged 29. His name is recorded on the Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing, Gallipoli. Fred is remembered on the Lincoln Roll of Honour.
The eight month campaign in Gallipoli was fought by Commonwealth and French forces in an attempt to force Turkey out of the war, to relieve the deadlock of the Western Front in France and Belgium, and to open a supply route to Russia through the Dardanelles and the Black Sea. The Allies landed on the peninsula on 25-26 April 1915; the 29th Division at Cape Helles in the south and the Australian and New Zealand Corps north of Gaba Tepe on the west coast, an area soon known as Anzac. On 6 August, further landings were made at Suvla, just north of Anzac, and the climax of the campaign came in early August when simultaneous assaults were launched on all three fronts. Lone Pine was a strategically important plateau in the southern part of Anzac which was briefly in the hands of Australian forces following the landings on 25 April. It became a Turkish strong point from May to July, when it was known by them as 'Kanli Sirt' (Bloody Ridge). The Australians pushed mines towards the plateau from the end of May to the beginning of August and on the afternoon of 6 August, after mine explosions and bombardment from land and sea, the position was stormed by the 1st Australian Brigade. By 10 August, the Turkish counter-attacks had failed and the position was consolidated. It was held by the 1st Australian Division until 12 September, and then by the 2nd, until the evacuation of the peninsula in December. The Lone Pine Memorial stands on the site of the fiercest fighting at Lone Pine and overlooks the whole front line of May 1915. It commemorates more than 4,900 Australian and New Zealand servicemen who died in the Anzac area - the New Zealanders prior to the fighting in August 1915 - whose graves are not known. Others named on the memorial died at sea and were buried in Gallipoli waters. The memorial stands in Lone Pine Cemetery. The original small battle cemetery was enlarged after the Armistice when scattered graves were brought in from the neighbourhood, and from Brown's Dip North and South Cemeteries, which were behind the Australian trenches of April-August 1915. There are now 1,167 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 504 of the burials are unidentified. Special memorials commemorate 183 soldiers (all but one of them Australian, most of whom died in August), who were known or believed to have been buried in Lone Pine Cemetery, or in the cemeteries at Brown's Dip.First NameFredLast NameFairweatherFamilySingleSon of Charles and Ellen (nee A'Court) Fairweather, Browns Rd., St. Albans, Christchurch.Date of Birth13 May 1887Place of BirthEyretonDate of Death24 August 1915Place of DeathAt sea from Gallipoli, TurkeyCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death29Other Biographical InformationMrs Ellen Fairweather (mother), 23 Stafford Street, Lower Riccarton, Christchurch,
Connections
CollectionSoldiers of Selwyn World War OneImageLincoln War Memorial Roll of HonourMore InformationAuckland War Memorial Cenotaph
Military Service
Memorial or CemeteryLone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli, TurkeyLincoln Roll of HonourOccupation before EnlistingFarm ManagerRegiment or ServiceCanterbury Mounted RiflesEnlistment Details20 August 1914
Lincoln, New ZealandService Number7/329Rank Last HeldSergeantEmbarkation16th October 1914Place of EmbarkationLytteltonTransportTahitiAthenicTheatre of WarGallipoliReinforcementMain BodyNominal Roll221CountryNew Zealand
Lincoln, New ZealandService Number7/329Rank Last HeldSergeantEmbarkation16th October 1914Place of EmbarkationLytteltonTransportTahitiAthenicTheatre of WarGallipoliReinforcementMain BodyNominal Roll221CountryNew Zealand
Sergeant Fred Fairweather. Selwyn Stories, accessed 10/11/2025, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/459
