Samuel John FREE
1894 - 1918 (24 years)
Has 85 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
1891 - 1979 (87 years)
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Name Samuel John FREE [1] Relationship 
with Rodney VOJVODICH Birth Record 1894 Victoria, Australia 
[2] #2867 Birth 15 Jan 1894 Lalbert East, Victoria, Australia Gender Male Military Service Between 24 Jul 1916 and 26 May 1918 [3, 4] World War 1 - #415 - Private, 3rd Machine Gun Battalion Burial 1918 Somme, Picardie, France [5] - Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-Sur-Somme- II.C.24
FREE-SamuelJ1894-DE001
Plot: Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-Sur-Somme- II.C.24Death 26 May 1918 Villers, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France Cause: Died of wounds in First World War, France. Siblings9 siblings Siblings5 brothers and 4 sisters Patriarch & Matriarch 
William FREE, b. UNKNOWN d. DECEASED (5 x Great Grandfather)
Joanna DALY, b. UNKNOWN d. DECEASED (Great Grandmother)Person ID I4266 MyBradyTree | BRADY, AJF, KLF, MAC, SMF Last Modified 26 Oct 2024
Father 
Samuel John FREE, b. 29 May 1861, Mount Hesse, Victoria, Australia d. 15 Jun 1939, Lalbert, Victoria, Australia (Age 78 years) Mother Fanny SHEPHERD, b. 3 Dec 1864, St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia d. 23 Jan 1927, Quambatook, Victoria, Australia (Age 62 years) Marriage 6 Apr 1891 St Arnaud, Victoria, Australia Family ID F559 Group Sheet | Family Chart
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Event Map Click to hide 
Birth Record - #2867 - 1894 - Victoria, Australia 
Birth - 15 Jan 1894 - Lalbert East, Victoria, Australia 
Burial - 1918 - Somme, Picardie, France 
Death - Cause: Died of wounds in First World War, France. - 26 May 1918 - Villers, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France = Link to Google Earth Pin Legend 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
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Photos FREE-SamuelJ1894-PT001 
FREE-SamuelJ1894-PT002 
FREE-SamuelJ1894-GR001
Documents 
FREE-AlbertE1895-GC001.jpg
Headstones FREE-SamuelJ1894-DE001
Plot: Crouy British Cemetery, Crouy-Sur-Somme- II.C.24
Notes - Sam Free enlisted in the First AIF on 24 July 1916 and served in the 3rd Machine Gun battalian in France and Belgium. He died of wounds at Villers Brettenaux in France on 26 May 1918 during the second battle of the Somme. His brother Albert, who served with Sam in the same unit, was killed in action at Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. A letter written in July 1918 to their mother by the brother's former section commander, Sgt G Holmes, recorded the events surrounding their deaths:
'Dear Mrs Free,
A few days ago [words missing] our company [...] came to hand for distribution [...] gave in your name and address for a photo to be sent along to you. I am not in the photo myself being away on leave when it was taken, but, on looking at the faces there on I see your son Sam is there and that is just my reason for sending it along. I know that that is the last and latest photo of him and I thought you would very much like to have it, even if it will bring much sadness to you all. Still I feel that I could not let the opportunity pass of sending a photo and letting you know just what I know about your son's sad death. I say sad because it is sad for twas very hard luck that his untimely death happened. I thought of writing to you last October about poor Bert's death; but as Sam could tell you much better than I, I thought it would be better to leave it to him so I did, at his request but now I feel I should write you a few lines and tell you about both of your boys.
From the time they both joined us they were in my team and I was a proud NCO to have such fine chaps. Sam soon became my No 1 on the gun that means he was the firer of the gun, he was an expert on the machine gun and promotion was not far away. We had as pecially rough time at Messines but gave the Hun a good hammering and felt satisfied, then came Oct 12. 17 over the top we went to take Passchendael. It was in this battle poor Bert became separated from the team somehow and was not seen again as far as I know he certainly was not taken a prisoner for he never got up to us in the front but the German barrage was a particular 'hell' and nothing could
live beneath it. Bert was when last seen to my knowledge on or very near the barrage line. I particularly asked Sam if I could do any good writing to you. He said no and that he would give all particulars he knew and I could not add further to the information he had so I did not write for your sakes as well as Sam's at that time I was lance Corporal.
Soon after I got my stripes and that caused me to leave the old Team No 6 as it was known by. I was transferred to another section in the Coy but always met (whenever possinble) Sam and had a chat with him. I saw him just about a fortnight before his death for the last time. One evening he was on duty going out of the line with one of the Coy's limbers and while he was riding in this limber almost out of the shell area a shell from the enemy burst right underneath the vehicle and Sam received a piece of shrapnel in the abdomen. The dressing station was not more than 100 yards away and all haste was made thereto. The doctor done all possible for the boy and Sam was [..] with his wounds dressed in 1/4 of an hour after he was hit so you see medical aid had done all possible to save his life. He was shortly afterwards conveyed to the 47th Casualty Clearing Station where the sisters had charge of him and also medical attendance of the very best. He never rallied I am told but gradually sank and died at 2.15 pm the next day. I have not heard where he is buried: I am trying to find out and should I be successful i will do my best to have a photo taken of his grave and send it on.
Now Mrs Free. I have taken on a very unpleasant duty in trying to let you know what I can about the sad ending but if I could have managed to get this information before I would have written earlier. I ask you to bear up through this terrible trial and try to console yourself as much as possible by the fact that both of your boys were regarded as brave soldiers and were the friends of all in the camp. Their loss is mourned by all. I am especially sorry that one son could not return to you again; but we all came here of our own free wills, the only army of volunteers the whole world knows today and are regarded as the best fighters on the Western Front. I will do all in my power to send you any information which you might think fit to ask and ask you in return to Look upon them proudly with a calm and steadfast eye for they were soldiers [underlined] not afraid to die. I have a brother who has given his life for the land we call home, the best land in the univers 'AUSTRALIA'.
Accept my deepest sympathy please Mrs Free for I feel keenly with you in your great loss.
May God in his mercy keep you and help you bear this terrible strain.
Yours sincerely, 'An Australian Soldier', Sgt G. Holmes.
Your son was killed at Villers Brettenaux in the 2nd Battle of the Somme 4 miles from the City of Amiens. Amiens is a city about 80 miles noth of paris. Bert was killed at Passchendaele in Belgium and Sam was killed on the big Somme Battle on the River Somme France. H. Peart.
I am writing this from Scotland. I promised Sgt Holmes I would do this as he couldn't on account of the Censor. Cpl H. Peart.
http://www.anzac.org/
Name : FREE
Forenames : SAMUEL JOHN
Initials : S J
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Date of death : Sun May 26 00:00:00 UTC+0200 1918
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Nationality of the Regiment : Australian
Unit : 3rd Bn.
Regiment : 3rd Bn. Aust. Machine Gun Corps.
Regiment description : Australian Machine Gun Corps
Regiment description 2 : Australian Machine Gun Corps
Force : Army
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Cemetery name : CROUY BRITISH CEMETERY, CROUY-SUR-SOMME
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Grave reference : II. C. 24.
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Country : France
Locality/Area : Somme
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Location :
Crouy is a village about 16 kilometres north-west of Amiens on the west side of the River Somme, on the Amiens-Abbeville main road. The British Cemetery is a little south of the village on the west side of the road to Cavillon and there is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission signpost on the main road.
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Archive information :
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Visiting information :
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Historical information :
The British Cemetery was opened in April 1918, when the German advance brought about the establishment of the 5th and 47th Casualty Clearing Stations in the village; and until August 1918, when the final Allied advance had begun, the deaths from these hospitals filled the great majority of the graves. In October 1919 the graves from the small British Cemetery at Riviere, a few miles nearer Abbeville, were brought to Crouy British Cemetery. They numbered 42, dating from May to August 1918; and the burials had taken place from the 12th, 53rd and 55th Casualty Clearing Stations at Longpre-les-Corps Saints. They now occupy rows E and F of Plot IV and part of Row D, Plot VI. Riviere British Cemetery, Riviere, Bettencourt, had stood on the rising ground above the Somme, a mile East of Riviere village and a mile South of Longpre. There are now buried in Crouy British Cemetery 280 soldiers from the United Kingdom, 276 from Australia, 179 from Canada, and one of the British West Indies Regiment; two labourers of the Indian Labour Corps; six French soldiers; and (in three separate rows) 39 German prisoners of War.
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http://yard.ccta.gov.uk/cwgc/register.nsf
In Memory of
SAMUEL JOHN FREE
Private
4158
3rd Bn., Australian Machine Gun Corps
who died on
Sunday, 26th May 1918. Age 25.
Additional Information: Son of Samuel and Fanny Free. of Lalbert, Victoria, Australia.
Commemorative Information
Cemetery: CROUY BRITISH CEMETERY, CROUY-SUR-SOMME, Somme, France
Grave Reference/
Panel Number: II. C. 24.
Location: Crouy is a village about 16 kilometres north-west of Amiens on the west side of the River Somme, on the Amiens-Abbeville main road. The British Cemetery is a little south of the village on the west side of the road to Cavillon and there is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission signpost on the main road.
Historical Information: The cemetery was used between April and August 1918 for burials from the 5th and 47th Casualty Clearing Stations, which had come to the village because of the German advance. In October 1919, 42 graves were brought to Crouy from the small military cemetery at Riviere, a few kilometres away to the north-west. These burials had been made from the 12th, 53rd and 55th Casualty Clearing Stations at Longpre-les-Corps Saints between May and August 1918. They now occupy rows E and F of plot IV and part of row D, plot VI. The cemetery now contains 739 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, and a number of French and German war graves. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield.
Reference Darryl Brady. "Samuel John FREE". Brady Family Tree in Western Australia. https://www.bradyfamilytree.org/genealogy/getperson.php?personID=I4266&tree=BRADY2008 (accessed October 27, 2024).
Sources - [S299] g.cheeseman-at-mac.com, Graeme Laurence Cheeseman, Some Information Submitted by Graeme Laurence Cheeseman.
- [S849] VIC - BDM, Information Listed on VIC - BDM.
- [S613] National Archives of Australia, http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/DetailsReports/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4024747.
- [S914] Roll of Honour, Australian War Memorial, http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/P10577.001.
- [S930] Matt Smith, Australian War Graves Photographic Archive, Australian War Graves Photographic Archive.
