Bugler Frederick Ashton 11th Battalion – 25 April 1915
Frederick Ashton was a highly literate clerk aged 21, when he joined up on 18 August 1914 in the 11th Battalion. Born in Sydney, he enlisted in Geraldton W.A.
He was captured on 25 April while tending the wounded on Baby 700 – Bean wrote that he was the only Australian remaining prisoner on that first Anzac Day aside from McDonald, Lushington and Elston of the previous post. I
He was clearly well educated, with a dry sense of humour judging from a surviving letter, and his report on captivity made in London after his repatriation from Turkey. This report is full of fascinating detail on food, treatment by the Turks and work, as you will find when you read on … someone should make a movie.
At around 4.30 pm on 25 April Bugler Frederick Ashton was bandaging a wounded Kiwi on Baby 700 when the poor soldier was hit again
‘He was in terrible agony and asked me to finish him off. I told him to lie still while I went and sought a stretcher-bearer. But when I looked around me I could see no sign of our former firing-line, nor could I see anyone – they seemed to have vanished completely,’ Ashton wrote in his report after the war.
The Australians and New Zealanders on Baby 700 had been attacked by a strong force of Turks. Men came running back – “Get to buggery! The Turks are coming on – thousands of them!” (Bean Vol 1 ,p 315)
Ashton still looking for a stretcher-bearer became disoriented and instead of descending through Monash Valley, was in Mule valley, heading the wrong way.
Here he fell in with a wounded man from the 1st Brigade. He was shot through the hip, and I asked him if he required assistance. ‘I helped him down the gully till he could go no further, while I went on to see if I could find a stretcher.
[Ashton’s report is contained in his record in the National Archives of Australia at NAA: B2455, ASHTON F]
I ‘heard a shout, and on looking up, saw about 8 or 10 Turks covering me with their rifles. At the same time bullets were coming from the rear on the right. I immediately threw up my hands and the Turks immediately came forward and knocked me on the head with their rifle-butts, dazing me.’
Ashton was interrogated here, and then at ‘a place on the coast’, and then t inland again to what appeared to be a Turkish headquarters.
‘I was taken into a tent and interrogated in Turkish by some officers, who gave the job up as hopeless, and sent for another officer who could speak about four words of English. They produced a big map of Egypt, the Suez Canal, and the Dardanelles, and made me try to understand that they wished me to tell them how long it had taken me to come from Egypt; and also whether I had been to Cairo, Lemnos, Mudros etc.
‘Amongst my papers was a money order from Australia drawn on the Post Office at Cairo, and when they saw that, they knew I had been evading the truth. So they ceased questioning me, giving the job up as hopeless.’
‘One of the officers signed to me to follow him and I went into his tent, where he provided me with a two course meal, after which I was sent into his orderly’s tent, and was given an old Turkish overcoat to sleep under. After I had been asleep some hours, I was waked up and taken out of the tent, and found three more Australians standing outside.’
They were Captain McDonald, Lieutenant Elston and Private Lushington.
‘In the morning we were marched to another Turkish Headquarters, where we were given some boiled eggs and bread for breakfast.
After a ferry boat took them to ‘the seaport of Gallipoli’ where they were placed in a ‘military school and examined by a German officer. ‘After the examination we were taken to an empty house and placed in a small room, where we were given a meal (Lushington and I were there) [and then] taken to another room furnished with two beds. At this place we received exactly the same treatment as the officers, our Battalion colour patches having apparently misled the Turks as to our rank.’
This happy misapprehension was short-lived – a few days later when examined with a couple of French officers (in French) and ‘for failing top show p[roper respect, as they considered to the [French] officer we were sent into another room with French soldiers.
They then went to Haidar Pasha on the Asian side of the Bosphorus (where there is a CWGC cemetery today), and then to the Stamboul (European side).
‘We were marched through the street and exhibited to the public gaze. We were marshalled … and our photographs taken, after which we were placed in an underground room. After several days in this room we joined the crew of the Submarine A.E.2., who had been in another room.’
‘Towards the end of May we were all sent to a prisoner of war camp at Afion Kara Hisar, where we found the survivors of the crew of the [British submarine] B.15.
‘We were not actually ill-treated at this place, but the food was very poor, consisting for the main part of thin lentil soup, and a small handful of boiled wheat. About a month later a Sergeant Delpratt of the Light Horse came in,
And Privates Troy, Allen and Cliffe.
‘In August, 39 of us left Afion and went to Angora, where we joined up with a lot of prisoners who had been captured about the time of the landing at Suvla Bay. We were here for about a week when we were all marched to Changri. This was about 80 miles from Angora, and we marched the distance in four days. We were overjoyed to find beds for us at this place – one bed to two men – and we lost no time in falling into them.
‘On the whole, we had a good time at Changri; we had a football of which we made good use.
‘The food here was a little better, and we had our own cook.
‘In January 1917 we were transferred to a German railway camp at Belemedlk. I spent some time helping to assemble a motor’draisine’ and was then put into a German engineer’s office.
[A draisine is a light rail vehicle – used for transporting a small number of people. Originally pedal powered, it is related to the handcart. Has been put to military use.]
‘On the 4th August 1917, Sergeant McAneny of the Wellington Battalion (N.Z.) and Private Lushington, 16th Battalion and myself escaped from the camp, and, following the river which runs through Belemedik endeavoured to reach the sea in the hope of being picked up by one of our warships. Failing this we would try and find a boat, or build a raft. After being out for
15 days, we were recaptured and taken to Adana, where we were court martialled, and sentenced to 20 days close confinement.
‘When we had completed our sentence we went to Tarsus by rail where we were imprisoned along with a crowd of Turks.
‘Next day we were marched to a village on the road from Buzanti to Tarsue where we picked up some donkey carts which took us into Buzanti. At Buzanti we were put into a filthy stable for two days and were then sent on to Afion Kara Hlssar. We remained here for about a week, when we were picked, with a party of about 100 to go to Ismidt. [Izmit]
‘On our arrival in Ismidt we were put on the top floor of a large warehouse, which was devoid of all sanitary conditions.
‘While we were here 15 men, most of whom were prisoners from Kut-el-Amara, died as a result of continuous neglect.
‘Trooper Kennett, V, 2nd LH Regiment died here in February.
On 11 February, Ashton wrote to the Red Cross.
‘Dear Madam,
I have received an amount in Turkish currency approximately equal to £l stg. Not having been advised of the despatch of a like sum from any other source, I conclude it is the amount sent by you & advised in your P.C. of 22/10/16.
I therefore take this opportunity of expressing my gratitude, for all you have done; altho’ perhaps, this may be premature, as, I am sorry to say, not one of the parcels, of which we Australians here, have received advice has reached its destination.
I find on enquiring that I am the only Aust. who has received this sum, which is a “con” against the “pro” in paragraph one.
I am sorry to have to inform you that Bo.2146 Tpr. V.I. N. Kennett, 2nd L.H. Regt (Aust.) passed away on the 9th February 1917 of consumption. Could you do anything re informing his relations?
Believe me,
Yours faithfully,
Sgd. F. Ashton.’
[Australian Red Cross Society Wounded and Missing Enquiry Files 1DRL/0428]
[Trooper Victor Iredale Norman Kennett a dairyman aged 21, 2146 2nd Light Horse was captured at Romani in Palestine on 3/4 August 1916. A witness at Board of Enquiry into the disappearance of Kennett and Driver 142 Andrew Day Beaudesert said that they fell from their horses after being attacked by Turks while on camel escort duties near Hill 110 , Romani. Their horses returned.
Trooper Ashton was only taken on strength on 5 May. He died of consumption and is buried in Haidar Pasha Cemetery on the Asian side of Istanbul.
Andrew Day also died of TB, on 11 February 1917 and is buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery. He was 23.]
‘The German, who ran this place, showed his hate in every possible way. His methods were typically Teutonic. We were place on a ration of 180 grams of bread per day with water. While we were here we worked six days a week making ‘bunds’ (dykes, carting stones, and making roads.
‘After about 10 months of this place, the 85 of us who had survived were sent to Ada Bazar, an inland agricultural town. From here we went to Karghali, about 17 kilometres out, where we were lodged in a farm house. We worked on the roads, and after about 5 months we were sent to San Stefano, a seaport on the Sea of Marmora (the camp is where the Istanbul airport is now located). We were put to work here at unloading and loading railway trucks and barges, and while there the Armistice with Turkey was signed [30 October 1918].
‘As soon as we heard the news we marched out of the place past the guard into Constantinople, and were put up at Crocker’s Hotel, run for our benefit by the Dutch Legation.
‘On the 16th November, 1918 we left Constantinople by the SS Katoomba and arrived at Taranto [Italy] on the 25th …’
Bugler Fred Ashton made his statement in London on 10 December 1918, returned to Australia on 13 April 1919, and was discharged in 23 July.
Fred Ashton (POW) was my great uncle. Along with Fred, my other relatives at Gallipoli were my maternal grandfather John Lenton (11th battalion), my great uncle Cpl Les Truman (11th Battalion) KIA on 23 May 1915 buried in Beach cemetery Anzac Cove and great uncle Charles Joseph Lenton 16th battalion Gallipoli, then KIA Pozieres France with the 4fh Australian machine gun company on 8th August 1916
Richard, could you please get in contact with us about your 11th Battalion connections via the WAGS 11th Battalion website – http://11btn.wags.org.au Regards, Chris WAGS 11Bn project
Hi Chris, I’m replying to your request re relatives of mine at Gallipoli 1915.The relatives are as follows:
Paternal Grandfather John LENTON 1578 11th BTN Gallipoli Repatriated Australia Enteric fever December 1915
Great Uncle Charles Joseph LENTON (brother of John) 1545 16th BTN Gallipoli. Transferred to France Jan 1916 and to 4th Aust. Machine gun coy. K.I.A. Pozierres AUG 1916
Great Uncle (maternal) Leslie Huon TRUMAN (brother of my maternal grandmother)1649 11th BTN Gallipoli. K.I.A. May 1915. Buried Beach Cemetery Gallipoli
Great Uncle (by marriage to my grandmothers sister) Frederick ASHTON 743 11th BTN Gallipoli . Captured by Turkish forces on ANZAC day 25th April 1915. Remainder of war as POW of Turkey.
Hope this meets your request
Kind regards, and Merry Christmas
Ric KING
Fred Ashton was my Grandfather..he died in 1982 of Emphysema
Fred is identified on the Pyramid of Cheops row B15 no. 91
Hello Gary (Kim Ashton) I believe we are cousins of sort. I’m Richard John King but the maternal line of my family is the Lenton’s. My maternal grandmother is Charlotte Lenton (nee Truman) and her sister (Allie) married Fred Ashton after WW1. Can you please email me at quattrokings@gmail.com. Regards Ric