Not Forgotten, 865 Corporal Clement Cook Junction FREARSON, 44 Battalion AIF, World War 1

Corporal Frearson was born in Adelaide, South Australia, the son of Septimus and Emma Martha Frearson later of Allandale Farm, Dowerin. Clement listed his occupation as farmer when he enlisted as a private in Perth on 24 March 1916 into the 44th Battalion 11th Infantry Brigade of the AIF at the age of 26, having then served with the Dowerin Light Horse for 4 months.
The 44th Battalion was raised at Claremont, Western Australia in February 1916. It formed part of the 11th Brigade of the 3rd AustralianDivision, and soon became known as “Old Bill’s Thousand” after its first commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel William Mansbridge. The battalion left Australia on 6 June, with Clement Frearson on A26 Suevic, and proceeded to Britain for further training. Clement Frearson was admitted to Fargo hospital with rhinitis at this stage, but he was with the 44th Battalion when it arrived in France on 27 November and entered the front line trenches of the Western Front for the first time on 29 December 1916.
The 44th spent the bleak winter of 1916-17 alternating between service in the front line, and trainingand labouring in the rear areas. For Clement Frearson this time saw him promoted to lance corporal on27 January 1917. This routine was broken by only one major raid, an ill-fated effort involving almost half the battalion on 13 March 1917. Promotion came again for Clement Frearson at this stage, being made corporal on 11 April 1917. Corporal Frearson was reported missing in action on 4 June 1917, just days before the battalion’s first major battle at Messines in Belgium.
A court of inquiry found that Frearson has been involved in adaylight raid at 2pm on that day in the Messines Sector and was struck by a shell fragment on the right side. He was seen lying in a shell hole and was carried by the officer in charge of the raiding party and a private to a place of comparative safety on the Australian side of the German wire. Because of enemy snipers they were unable to carry him back to the Australian lines at that time. A party set out at dusk to retrieve Corporal Frearson but no trace of him was found. It was considered probable that he was either buried or blown up by enemy shell fire. His entrenching tool was later found on a German salvage dump. The officer in charge of the raiding party reported that Frearson was one of the best
NCOs in the company and a splendid character, reported to have killed at least two men in the raid. On the Roll of Honour circular Clem’s father wrote that he was awarded stripes for good conduct and a medal for becl-bombing.
Corporal Frearson was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. He has no known grave and his name is inscribed on the Australian Memorial at Villers-Bretonneux.