Frederick Charles Marstella

  General Notes:

On the 5th October 1914 Frederick enlisted in the Australian Infantry Force in Brisbane. He listed his father, Eli of Ballandene , Queensland, as his next of kin even though he had died one month earlier. Frederick was not married, 23 years of age. He was described as 5 feet 8 1/4 inches tall, weight 137 lbs, chest 33 1/2 - 35 1/2 inches, Fair complexion, Brown eyes and hair. His religion was recorded as C of E.

He was appointed to the Australian Divisional Ammunition Park in Melbourne on the 17th December 1914, as a Cleaner. His Service Number was 1676.

On the 4th October 1915 he embarked from Southampton on the SS Lydia disembarking at Rouen the next day. He was posted to the 17th Am. Sub. Park. His record shows that he was "absent without leave" on the 6th and 7th November, 1915 for which he was punished with "2 Days C.B." C.B. was most likely "Confined to Barracks". Frederick was Promoted from Private to Driver on 1st March 1916. According to his record he was "to be Driver by Brig. Gen. Sir Newton Moore." At the time Moore was in charge of all AIF camps and Depots in Europe. He was attached to the Base Much Transport Depot on the 5th June 1916 and joined the First Driver Supply Column "in the Field". By the 4 December 1916 he was transferred from the Ist D.S.C. to the Australian General Base Depot, where he was taken on strength on the 14 December 1916 in the Repair Shop.

On the 21st February 1917 he was sent to hospital in France, with Mumps. He rejoined his Unit on the 12th March. Frederick took a week's leave in the UK from the 23rd May to the 1st June 1917, rejoining his Unit on the 6th June. On the 3rd November, 1917 Frederick was Admonished by the Officer in Charge for the Offence of "Conduct to the Prejudice of Good order & Military Discipline:- Contravention of GRO 2044 viz:- Breach of Censorship Regulations." By the 21st December of that year he was transferred back to the No.4 Australian Driver Supply Column in France, where he was officially taken on strength on the 12th March 1918. By the 7th June he was again in Hospital,the 5th General Hospital, suffering from "neurasthenia", commonly known as "shell shock" or known today as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Over the next couple of months he was in and out of Hospital a several times until he was "Invalided to UK, sick" on the 30th August 1918.

On the 24th September 1918 Frederick was returned to Australia suffering from Neurasthenia and was discharged from the AIF on the 8th March 1919.

Frederick was the recipient of the 1914/15 Star, No. 3895; the British War Medal, No. 2606; and the Victory Medal, No. 2531.



In January of 1921 he was living at Rockburn Terrace, Upper Paddington, Brisbane.