Trafford

Born - 27 July 1883, Waverley, New South Wales, Australia, the son of John
Clement and Elizabeth Ann Rutter, Coton House, Queens Road, Ashton on
Mersey.     John Clement Rutter was the son of John L. & Harriett E.
Rutter.  In 1871 J.L.R. was a Solicitor at Penn, Staffordshire.

1891 Census - 87 Cromwell Road, Patricroft, Barton
on Irwell - mson - aged: 7 - Scholar - born:  New
South Wales Australia.

1901 Census - Glebelands Road, Ashton upon Mersey
- son - aged: 17 - occ: Warehouse Apprentice -
born: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

1911 Census - No Trace.

Educated at Highfield School for Boys, Eccles.  
Joined the firm of Messrs. Sparrow, Hardwich & Co,
Manchester.       Captain of Sale RUFC's 'A' Team
1904/05. 

From the A.I.F. Database.
Religion - Church of England.   Occupation -
Labourer.   Address - Coton House Queens Road,
Ashtons on Mersey Cheshire, England 
Marital status - Single.   Age at embarkation -
32.   Next of kin - Mother, Mrs Elizabeth Ann
Rutter, Coton House, Ashton on Mersey Cheshire, 
Enlistment date: 20th February 1915.   Age at
Enlistment: 31 years 7 months.    Occupation:
Labourer.    Served with the Royal Army Medical
Corps, Manchester for 5 years before resigning.   
Rank on enlistment - Private.   Unit name - 18th
Battalion, B Company.    Enlisted in the AIF in
February 1915.   He was 5 feet 8½ inches tall. 
He weighed 148 lb.  Chest measurements were - 33
inches and 35½ inches.   His complexion was:
Dark.   His eyes: Brown and his hair: Brown.   He
had no distinctive marks.
He attested at Liverpool, New South Wales on the
23rd February 1915.   Drafted into the 18th
Battalion Australian Infantry, 5th Infantry
Brigade he was in the first batch of troops sent
to Galliopoli.    AWM Embarkation Roll number
23/35/1 
Embarkation details - Four Companies of the 18th
Battalion embarked from Sydney, New South Wales,
on board Transport A40 Ceramic on 25 June 1915
bound for Egypt via the Suez Canal.
Rank from Nominal Roll - Private.   Unit from
Nominal Roll - 18th Battalion.  Posted as missing
on the 27th August 1915.  Fate: Killed in Action -
27 August 1915.   Decision of a Court of Enquiry
held at Tel el Kebir, Egypt on the 21st January
1916.
Age at death from cemetery records - 32.  
Australian War Memorial - 87 
Cemetery records Parents: John and Elizabeth
RUTTER, Combe Martin, Devon, England. Native of
Bondi, New South Wales 
Other details War service: Egypt, Gallipoli.  
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory
Medal.

The 18th Battalion arrived on Gallipoli as
fresh-faced troops eager for battle. Two days
later this was completely shattered and the
romantic myth of war was lost forever. Orders were
issued almost immediately for the battalion to
move up to the front line. Many of the men were
not aware that they were to assault Hill 60 until
just before 5.00am on the morning of 22 August
1915. Hill 60 was considered of strategic
importance for two reasons. First of all it
overlooked the much of the Anzac positions and
second of all who ever controlled it also
controlled two wells that supplied water. 
Syd Goodsell (now a major) led his company into
murderous machine gun and rifle fire and several
men were killed. He managed to get his a
considerable number of his men into the first line
of Turkish trenches before halting. Chapman could
see that more men were needed so he ordered the
next two companies into the firing line. Captain
Alexander McKean (a school teacher from Penrith),
part of the second wave, was struck in the
shoulder and took no more active part in the war.
Cyril Lane (also a major and company commander of
‘B’ Company) lost most of his men before
reaching Goodsell attempting to consolidate. 
One young man, Private Joseph Maxwell, was
appointed stretcher-bearer of ‘B’ Company and
believed he would not get much opportunity to
participate; he was wrong. After failing to make
further headway through the day someone gave the
order to withdraw although no one knew issued it.
Those that managed to survive were shattered with
the loss of so many friends and (in some cases)
brothers. 
If those still fit thought that was their first
and last experience of total carnage they were
wrong. Just five days later the Battalion was
ordered back into the line for a second attempt to
remove the Turks from Hill 60. Chapman called for
volunteers this time and every fit and able man
stepped forward. This time they were successful in
securing a foothold on the hill but many more men
were killed, including the heroic Lane, struck
once in the heart by a bullet during a bomb fight
with the enemy.   He fell in the Battle for Sulva
Bay
The 18th Battalion remained on Gallipoli until the
end in December 1915 before evacuating without
casualties. Major George Murphy (later battalion
commander) transferred from the 20th to the 18th
Battalion just after the August debacle.   He was
killed in the second charge.

A few days before his death, Frederick wrote a
letter to a Miss Gersbach stating that he had made
out a will in the back of his pass Book and had
left everything to her.

A.W.M. Memorial
He was born at Bondi Beach, New South Wales and
attended the Highfield School, Sydney   He must
have gone to the UK at some time and then returned
to Australia as he had previously served with the
Medical Corps, Manchester Rgt.  His Mother -
Elizabeth Ann Rutter, gave the Memorial
information and she was by then residing at Combe
Martin, Devon.

The 22/06/1915 edition of the local newspaper,
reporting his brother's (Claude Arthur Gordon
Rutter) death, states that FWG Rutter was on his
way to the front with the Australian Contingent.

During WW1 two of his sisters Ellen Geraldine
Lilian Rutter who in 1911 was employed as a Nurse
at the Austin Street Hospital Bethnal Green,
London and Ethel Theodora Christina Rutter, who in
1912 was a Student Nurse at the Royall Infirmary,
Gloucester, served with the Queen Alexandra's
Imperial Medical Nursing Reserve and four of his
brothers were also in the forces.  An older
brother, Clement Henry Edward Rutter, served with
the London Volunteers Regiment and managed to
survive the war as did another brother George
Leopold Norman Rutter who was serving with the
Manchester Regiment and was invalided home during
the Gallipoli fighting.   Claude Arthur Gordon
Rutter served with the 6th Bn Manchester Regiment
and was killed in action at Gallipoli.   The
youngest brother, Geoffrey Ronald Morton Rutter
served with the Durham Light Infantry and was
killed in action on 27th May 1918 whilst taking
part in the Second Battle of the Marne, France.

Commemorated on the private family gravestone in
St. Catherine's, Barton on Irwell. Ref: 7l4.    
His father, John Clement died 18/03/1899 aged 51
years and his mother Elizabeth Ann died 16/08/1922
aged 67 years.

CWGC lists mother's address as - Combe Martin,
Devon.    Listed in the Guardian Year Book - Roll
of Honour for 1918, which states that he was from
Ashton on Mersey.