Finally completed transcribing the war diaries of my half uncle Frederick Trouton Small who was the half brother of my mother Eunice. He was her elder brother from a previous marriage to her father. And resided in the family home in Rockhampton when she was a small child.
Diary Sept - Dec 1914
http://heggefamilyaustralia.blogspot.com.au/p/war-diaries-of-frederick-trouton-small.html
Diary 1915
At the outbreak of war in 1914 Frederick was an Engineering student at University of Queensland, boarding at Kings College, Kangaroo Point in Brisbane. He was amongst one of the first to join up as his enlistment number is 165. He joined the 3rd Field Company Engineers after his initial assessment. And went over in the first convoy of troops to Egypt, travelling from Queensland to Melbourne, then to Tasmania, where he was camped outside Hobart for some time. Stopping at Albany in West Australia where the whole fleet then sailed from. On the voyage he was present when the German ship "Emden" was sunk, which caused much excitement amongst the troops. They stopped at Columbo in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Aden on the way, sailing up the Suez Canal.
After landing at Alexandria and being camped outside Cairo in the Australian encampment near the Pyramids at Ghiza he went with other engineers to assist in the fortification of the Canal at Suez and Ismailia. Where he witnessed the Turkish attack which occurred there.
Along with other Engineers and Aussie troops he was sent to Gallipoli via Lemnos. There he was constantly engaged in sapping for trenches, constructing roads and other defensive works. A number of his friends he set out with were killed, including one who died next to him whilst constructing a trench. After having his knee injured after a mine explosion he was sent back to Egypt to recover. Whilst in Egypt he was persuaded to take a commission and was made a Lieutenant and transferred to the 5th Field Company Engineers.
On his return to Gallipoli, in October he was placed in charge of tunnelling under the Turkish lines at Russells Top. Working closely with Vernon Sturdee.
His diaries from this time have detailed diagrams of the trench and tunnel systems, with much information about the progress and nature of the work. It was dirty and dangerous work, with much of his time spent underground along with the men working with him. After breaking through into an old Turkish tunnel he volunteered along with another officer to crawl up and lay charges to blow it up, which was accomplished. He received a commendation for that action.
In December before the actual evacuation of Gallipoli Frederick was sent back to Egypt with chronic amoebic dysentery. He was unable to shake it and was finally sent back to Australia to recover.
Frederick re-enlisted in 1917 and travelled to England to work as a military engineer with the Department of Munitions. It was there that he first went on to work in the production of the synthetic fibres of Celanese. Eventually migrating to the USA in 1924 after his marriage in Melbourne in 1920. Where he lived and worked for the Celanese Corporation of America, retiring eventually as the Vice-President.
Although he came back to Australia for visits he never made Australia his permanent home again.
