STOKER FRANCIS JACK FREDERICKS S/5553 RANR
Francis Fredericks was born in the NSW town of Dorrigo in August 1923, the son of Leslie and Margaret Fredericks of Penrith NSW. Francis enlisted in the RAN on the 20th of May 1941 at the age of 17 as a Stoker 3rd Class. After his initial training at HMAS Rushcutter in Sydney he completed his engineering training at HMAS Cerberus. He was advanced to Stoker 2nd Class on his 18th birthday.
Francis would spend a significant portion of the war posted to Northern Australia, much of it on the maintenance ship HMAS Platypus, or on small ships tendered to Platypus. He was present at the bombing of Darwin and between late 1941 and August 1943 he had loan postings to HMAS Karangi, HMAS Arthur Rose, HMAS Koala and HMAS Kangaroo, employed on boom defence duties in Darwin. He was advanced to Stoker on his 19thbirthday.
He returned to Sydney in mid 1943 and after leave posted to HMAS Gunbar which was employed on boom defence duties at Sydney and Port Kembla. Unfortunately Francis’ postings after 1943 are written on his SC in pencil and are almost illegible, however it would appear that the remainder of his war was spent operating out of Sydney. Francis was demobilised in March 1946 returning to the family home in Penrith.
Post war he took employment as a labourer and later as a painter. In 1953 he married Sylvia Rosier and the couple moved to Stafford Street not far from Francis’ family home in Warwick Street Penrith.
Francis Fredericks passed away at Nambucca Heads NSW on the 22nd of July 1998, he was cremated and his ashes are interred in the memorial wall # 12 at Lavertys’ Funeral Home in Macksville NSW.
Sources
Service Record - Australian National Archives
Nominal Roll - Department of Veterans Affairs
DVA Commemoration Details
