Private Frederick Cecil Vidler
Service #: 3502
Summary
Frederick Cecil Vidler, known as Fred, was born in 1892, the second son and fourth child of Frederick Ashley and Jane (Haydon) Vidler of the Berry area in southern NSW. In the late 1890s the moved north family to Chillingham and it was here that Frederick and his siblings attended Chillingham School.
In World War 1, Frederick followed his older brother, Ashley Haydon Vidler and several first cousins into the AIF.
ATTESTATION
He enlisted in Brisbane on 23 November 1916, soon after the defeat of the 1st Australian referendum on military conscription in October 1916. He was single labourer, eager to do his bit. His application showed his next of kin as his father, Frederick Ashley, of Chillingham.
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CERTIFICATE OF ATTESTING OFFICER
On the second page of the attestation documents the attesting confirms the following; “The foregoing questions were read to the person enlisted in my presence. I have taken care that he understood each question, and his answer to each question has been duly entered as replied to by him”
OATH
He also made the following oath in the presence of the Attesting Officer: “I, Frederick Cecil Vidler, swear that I will well and truly serve our Sovereign Lord the King in the Australian Imperial Force until the end of the War, and a further four months thereafter unless sooner lawfully discharged, dismissed or removed therefrom: and that I will resist His Majesty’s enemies and case His Majesty’s peace to be kept and maintained; and I will in all matters appertaining to my services faithfully discharge my duty according to law
SO, HELP ME, GOD.”
MEDICAL EXAMINATION
His medical showed he was 24 years 7 months old, 5ft 7 ½ inches tall (1.72m), weighed 144 lbs (65kgs), with a medium complexion, blue eyes & brown hair. His eyesight was good. Fred was Methodist and had a scar on his right foot.
CERTIFICATE OF MEDICAL EXAMINER
The medical examiner certifies I have examined the abovenamed person, and find that he does not present any of the following conditions, viz: -
Scrofula; phthisis; syphilis; impaired constitution; defective intelligence; defects of vision, voice, or hearing; hernia’ haemorrhoids; varicose veins, beyond a limited extent; marked varicocele with unusually pendent testicle; inveterate cutaneous disease’ chronic ulcers; traces of corporal punishment or evidence of having been marked with the letters D. or B.C; contracted or deformed chest; abnormal curvature of spine; or any other disease or physical defect calculated to unfit him for the duties of a soldier.
He can see the required distance with either eye; his heart and lungs are healthy; he has the free use of his joints and limbs; and he declares he is not subject to fits of any description. I consider him fit for active service
CERTIFICATE OF COMMANDING OFFICER
This is completed during the recruits training. Fred was in Enoggera training camp when this was completed on 19th January 1917. The commanding officer certifies that this attestation of the abovenamed person is correct, and that the required forms have been complied with. He then states “I accordingly approve, and appoint him as a private into the 25th Infantry Battalion – 8th Reinforcements with service No 3502
25TH INFANTRY BATTALION
The 25th Infantry Battalion, part of the 7th Brigade, 2nd Division of the Australian Imperial Force, was raised in March 1915 at Enoggera, Queensland. Their service is remembered for their resilience and contributions to key victories.
TRAINING AT RIFLE RANGE CAMP, ENOGGERA
As was the case with men from the Northern Rivers district in New South Wales, they trained at Rifle Range Camp, Enoggera near Brisbane. The Barracks Block was built as accommodation for men in two dormitories, each 36 feet by 22 feet (10.97 x 6.7 metres). Beds or bunks were not provided, instead each man slept on a palliasse with ground sheet on the floor. For many it was their first time away from home. Men from every walk of life, from clerks and teachers to factory and shop workers, were crammed together
Now their training began. Firstly, a recruit had to be inducted into military forms of discipline, command, and order. This was partially achieved through a program of basic training carried and, in a sense, was maintained for a long as a man was in the service.
It involved marching and drilling with the rifle, cleaning and caring for personal equipment and being supervised and inspected in ways quite different to ordinary civilian life. For example, no boots should be allowed to get in a bad state of wear but must be sent to the bootmaker without delay for repair. Men who were found with hair long and unshaven had to have a haircut and shave
Secondly, after basic training there followed the far more serious exercise of turning a man into a fighting soldier at least partially prepared for the kind of warfare he was about to experience overseas
The topics and exercises in the syllabus of training were a world away from their former lives and included daily physical training, entrenching, wiring, firing rifle grenades, firing the Lewis light machine gun, dealing with gas attack, using hand grenades, using the bayonet, and the routines to be followed in the trenches.
This training was then put into practice during what were called ‘Field Days,’ when men would practice using the skills they had acquired in mock attacks both by day and by night. How well men had learnt to use their weapons, in cooperation with each other in training, would be tested in the harsh reality of the front line. Training could take several months.
INNOCULATIONS
All recruits were given a range of inoculations while in camp. The most important jab was to protect against smallpox and typhoid – indeed, having this was an essential precondition of enlisting.
THE UNIFORM
The recruits were issued with their uniform- service dress jacket was made of Australian wool and its loose fit gave the wearer more allowance for movement. The four large pockets were very useful. A unique feature designed for comfort was the pleated back, which provided a double thickness of cloth down the back that the pack rubbed against. Breeches were corduroy worn with wool wrap puttees. The famous khaki felt slouch hat or early service cap is probably the most distinctive part of the uniform. turned up on the left and featuring a plain khaki band, chinstrap and “rising sun” badge.
SOLDIER’S KIT
Australia's World War I soldiers went to war weighed down by almost 30 kilograms of clothes, weapons, tools and kit.
· Breeches: made from khaki woollen cord fabric, with side pockets and button flies. Soldiers were issued with two pairs of breeches, plus a pair of dungarees. The breeches ended above the ankles and the gap was filled with puttees.
· Braces: worn with breeches.
· Puttees: The men wound these strips of woollen cloth, almost three metres long, upwards from the ankle to just below the knee. Soldiers disliked the puttees, probably with good reason: the tight binding restricted circulation and might even have contributed to the high incidence of trench foot. Mounted troops wore leather leggings.
· Shirt: Soldiers were given two grey, collarless, flannel shirt, plus a military shirt.
· Ankle boots: brown and lace-up.
· Socks: Made from wool or cotton. Soldiers were issued with three pairs.
· Greatcoat: the khaki woollen coat (which weighed about 3kg) often doubled as a soldier's bedding and was his chief protection against the cold and wet. The coat came into its own when snow hit Gallipoli in November 1915 and also on the Western Front.
· Jersey
· Singlets: Soldiers were issued with 2 woollen singlets.
· Cotton "drawers" (underpants): Soldiers were issued with two pairs.
· Abdominal belts: a sort of cummerbund that was issued to keep soldiers warm and supposedly ward off disease.
· Backpacks and webbing: The main backpack was a rectangular sack measuring about 15 inches x 13 inches, closed at the top by a folding cover secured by two straps. The webbing included a web belt, cartridge pouches, small haversack, bayonet frog, an entrenching tool holder (plus another holder for its handle), and a water-bottle holder.
· Identity disc: Soldiers were initially issued with one medal "dog tag" on a cord, but later in the war they were given two tags, made of compressed fibre.
· Soldiers were also issued with a "housewife" - a sewing kit containing such items as needles, thimble, thread, wool and button so they could carry out running repairs.
· Also in their kit were a short-magazine Lee-Enfield (SMLE) rifle, a rifle sling, a bayonet and scabbard, and an "entrenching tool" (they were "diggers" after all). This came in two parts, with the helve (handle) separate from the spade part.
· Soldiers were issued with eating equipment (knife, fork, spoon, an enamel mug, water bottle (with two-point capacity), and a mess tin with carrier.
· They also had a clasp knife (with marlin spike, tin-opener and lanyard), razor, shaving kit, soap, comb, two towels, field dressing (carried in the tunic's inside pocket), and a hold-all, in which they could pack their private possessions.
· No item was probably looked after more carefully than their service pay book: privates were paid six shillings a day
VOYAGE OVERSEAS BRISBANE TO ENGLAND DCEMBER 1915
On the 30TH December 1915, the recruits left Brisbane, sailing upon the HMAT Itonus. The epic voyage across the ocean has been described as “the longest journey to war in the history of the world.” They thought it was the start of a new adventure- for many it was their first time so far away from home. However, after some time at sea the biggest problem turned out to be boredom. On-board, Officers organised rigorous training drills and exercise sessions for the men. They were expected to do their own washing, sweep the decks and carry out other chores
Attempts at breaking up the boredom, apart from the regular drill, varied. Shipboard activities included regular church parades and concerts. Troops engaged in lifebelt drill; a cookhouse on deck; soldiers on fatigues peeling potatoes 'spud bashing'; going to the dentist; barber, pay day; soldiers cleaning personal equipment; medical inspection. Sports and recreation included boxing, deck quoits, draughts. Also, the commanding officer's morning inspection; kit inspections; submarine drill; recreation such as the on deck 'open air' library, deck billiards, pillow fighting and card games including Nap. As well, conditions on the ships were cramped and the risk of illness was constant.
Three hearty meals a day were served; breakfast usually consisted of porridge, stew, and tea. Lunch included soup, meat, vegetables, and pudding. Meat, bread with jam and tea was served for dinner. Many of the troops experienced bouts of seasickness on the voyage. The crossing the Equator ceremony, ‘Neptune’s Journey,’ was played-out on each troopship.
CODFORD TRAINING CAMP APRIL 1917
Fred disembarked at Devonport in England on 12th April 1917 and was sent to the Australian camp at Codford on the Wiltshire plains. They had already completed their basic training in Australia but over many more tough months, in the English training camp, the volunteers left their old lives farther behind.
When the recruits arrived in England, they entered a period of intensive preparation that was both physically demanding and strategically vital.
Life in camp was austere and relentless. The recruits lived in wooden huts that offered little protection from the English weather, and the damp cold of the Plain came as a shock to men who had trained in Australia and/or Egypt. Days began early, often before dawn, with physical training designed to build endurance and toughness. Long route marches across the open downs were a regular feature, men carrying full packs, rifles, ammunition, and equipment as they were conditioned for the demands of trench warfare.
Training was systematic and increasingly realistic. The men would have spent many hours on the parade ground mastering drill, weapon handling, and unit manoeuvres, but the focus soon shifted to battlefield skills. The battalion practised trench warfare techniques, including entering and clearing enemy trenches, bombing drills with Mills grenades, bayonet fighting, and the rapid consolidation of captured positions. Specially constructed practice trenches on Salisbury Plain allowed officers and NCOs to rehearse attacks down to the smallest detail, ensuring that every man understood his role once the battalion went into action.
Musketry training was constant. The men would have fired thousands of rounds on the rifle ranges, honing accuracy, and speed, learning to fire from awkward positions and under time pressure. Lewis gun teams trained separately, while all infantrymen were taught how to operate the weapon if needed. Gas warfare instruction was also compulsory; men practised donning respirators under simulated gas attacks, a grim but necessary preparation for conditions at the front.
Between training cycles, the battalion undertook further instruction at nearby camps on Salisbury Plain, including periods at Perham Down, another major training area used to relieve overcrowding and provide additional field space. Here the emphasis was on large-scale exercises involving entire brigades, practising attacks behind creeping artillery barrages, night operations, and movement under cover. These exercises often lasted days, with men sleeping in the open, reinforcing the endurance and discipline required for front-line service.
Despite the hard routine, there were moments of respite. When training schedules allowed, the men may have been granted short leave to nearby towns such as Salisbury or even London, where Australian soldiers briefly escaped the rigours of camp life. These interludes, however, were short-lived, and by autumn the training intensified as the battalion’s departure for France drew closer.
After many months of continuous preparation in England, the Battalion was judged ready for active service. The recruits had been transformed from a newly arrived reinforcement into a fully trained infantryman, accustomed to discipline, hardship, and the mechanics of modern war. When the battalion finally crossed to France, it did so as a cohesive and well-drilled unit, prepared—so far as training could allow—for the brutal realities of the Western Front.
FRENCH TRAINING CAMP JULY 1917
In early July 1917, Fred proceeded with his battalion to the port of Le Harve in France, and marched into the nearby camp of Rouelles. Upon marching into the training camp at Rouelles, near the major port of Le Havre, he entered one of the British Army's largest base areas in France. The camp served as a holding and training centre for soldiers returning from hospital, newly arrived reinforcements, and men awaiting transfer back to their battalions at the front. After the hardships of the trenches, Rouelles offered comparatively comfortable conditions, with organised accommodation, medical facilities, messes, and recreational amenities designed to prepare men for further service.
Life at Rouelles revolved around rebuilding fitness and military efficiency. Soldiers followed a daily routine of route marches, physical training, rifle practice, bayonet drill, and instruction in the latest battlefield tactics. Officers and NCOs emphasised lessons learned from recent operations, including open warfare, platoon manoeuvres, grenade use, and cooperation with machine-gun and artillery units. Men who had recently recovered from wounds or illness were gradually returned to full duties through a carefully supervised training programme
Although far safer than the front line, Rouelles remained very much a military camp. The area bustled with activity as drafts of troops arrived and departed daily. Soldiers encountered comrades from every corner of the Australian Imperial Force, exchanged news from the front, and awaited orders sending them back to their units. During off-duty hours they could attend concerts, sporting competitions, picture shows, or visit the nearby YMCA huts, which provided reading rooms, refreshments, and a welcome break from military routine.
For many Australians, time spent at Rouelles formed a transition between hospitalisation or leave and a return to active service. The camp's purpose was to ensure that men were physically fit, properly equipped, and familiar with the latest developments in warfare before rejoining their battalions in the field. Within days or weeks, most would once again find themselves moving towards the battlefront and the realities of war.
WESTERN FRONT & TRENCH WARFARE SEPTEMBER 1917
The recruits now found themselves fighting the German in trench warfare. On the Western Front in 1914–1918, both sides constructed elaborate trench, underground, and dugout systems opposing each other along a front, protected from assault by barbed wire. The area between opposing trench lines (known as "no man's land") was fully exposed to artillery fire from both sides. Attacks, even if successful, often sustained severe casualties. Trench warfare created a living environment for the men which was harsh, stagnant, and extremely dangerous. Not only were trenches constantly under threat of attack from shells or other weapons, but there were also many health risks that developed into large-scale problems for medical personnel. Apart from the inescapable cold during the winters in France & Belgium, trenches were often completely waterlogged and muddy, and crawling with lice and rats
The time soldiers spent in the trenches varied depending on factors like their army's rotation system and the intensity of the conflict in their sector. On average:
· Front-line trenches: Soldiers typically remained here for about 4–6 days at a time. This was where the fighting was most intense and the conditions were the harshest.
· Support and reserve trenches: After time on the front line, soldiers were rotated to these positions for around 6–12 days. These trenches were set further back and offered slightly better conditions.
· Rest periods: Soldiers were then moved away from the trench system entirely for rest, training, and recovery, often lasting several weeks, depending on operational needs.
The rotation system helped prevent complete physical and mental exhaustion, but the constant dangers of trench life meant there was rarely any true respite.
THE BATTLE OF MENIN ROAD RIDGE (20-25 SEPTEMBER 1917)
THE BATTLE OF BROODSEINDE OCTOBER 1917
A few days later the 47th was moved to Ypres, Belgium, where the Battle of Passchendaele was raging on the Western Front. On 26 September the 4th and 5th Australian Divisions were brought in. This was a ‘baptism of fire’ for young Vidler. The fighting was bloody as the German concrete pillboxes were in the path of the Australians and many thousands of men fell under the heavy shelling and machine gun fire. The Australians captured Broodseinde Ridge on 4 October. However, heavy rain began to fall making the area, which had been so heavily shelled in the weeks before, a deep quagmire, and both men and beast found it impossible to move forward leading to further heavy casualties.
BATTLE OF POELCAPPELLE OCTOBER 1917
On the 9 October 1917 they were involved in the Battle of Poelcappelle, Ypres, Belgium with support and holding roles rather than leading assault. This was one of the battles at Passchendaele. The 25th was involved in assaulting German positions under extremely difficult terrain and weather conditions. Heavy casualties were suffered due to poor visibility, mud, and concentrated enemy fire. Their advance was limited, though some ground was gained temporarily. Tactical success was minimal, but the cumulative pressure of such attacks contributed to the eventual capture of Passchendaele weeks later. The 25th Battalion endured significant losses during the battle. Poelcappelle is remembered for the sheer hardship faced by soldiers—mud, relentless shelling, and the tenacity of the German defence.
WOUNDED NO DETAILS 12TH OCTOBER 1917
On the night of 12 October, the ANZACs launched another attack at Passchendaele. Frederick moved out with his Company moving towards the front line but they came under heavy German artillery fire. The next day he was reported wounded with no further details.
PARENTS ADVISED DECEMBER 1917
He appeared on the gazetted list for his unit and his father was advised accordingly on 6 December, some seven weeks later. On 10 December his father wrote to the Australian Army Headquarters enquiring how his son was wounded and what hospital he was in. By this time Fred’s older brother, Ashley, who had been badly wounded earlier in the year was recuperating in England. An AAH officer advised that there had been no further information, so it was probable that his son Private F C Vidler was progressing well, but would enquire further to his whereabouts and health.
RED CROSS WOUNDED AND MISSING ENQUIRY
A Red Cross Wounded and Missing enquiry was launched and several soldiers were questioned about their knowledge of Private Frederick Cecil Vidler; however no substantial information could be found until his Battalion burial records were searched
KILLED IN ACTION
It was found that “FC Vidler had been killed in action on 12 October 1917” and had been buried “1000 yards SW Passchendaele, and 1000 yards NE Zonnebeke”. A military inquest conducted by the 47th Commanding Officer on 22 March 1918 found that “FC Vidler had been killed in action on 12 October 1917” and his family were informed accordingly
FOR HIS SERVICE
For his service, John was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his is name is recorded on the Murwillumbah War Memorial and the Roll of Honour at the Australian War Memorial Number 144 among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War.
PERSONAL EFFECTS
His personal effects, listed as ‘four photos’ were packed in ‘crate 112’ aboard the cargo ship ‘Barunga’ on 21 June 1918. However, the ship was torpedoed by a German Submarine; all those on board were rescued but the cargo was lost.
BURIAL
With the War Graves Commission’s work after the war all those lone and group graves of soldiers around Zonnebeke were exhumed and the remains brought in and buried in the Buttes New British Cemetery, in Polygon Wood. The majority of these soldiers’ remains could not be identified and have unnamed headstones.
However, in September 1920, the War Graves Commission notified Private Frederick Cecil Vidler’s parents that his remains had been identified and buried in the Buttes New British Cemetery, and asked if they had any wishes concerning wording and symbols on his headstone. The following year they received from the Commission photographs of his grave.
If you have any additional information about this individual, we invite you to email us at rsl@msmc.org.au.
Memorial Location
We do not know the memorial location of this individual
Buried Location
Buttes New British Cem Polygon Wood Ypres
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