Frederick William Bell
Encyclopedia
Frederick William Bell VC
(3 April 1875 – 28 April 1954) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
and Commonwealth
forces.
Bell was born on 3 April 1875 in Perth
, Western Australia
.
He was 26 years old, and a lieutenant
in the West Australian Mounted Infantry, Australian Forces during the Second Boer War
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 16 May 1901 at Brakpan, Transvaal
, South Africa
, when retiring through a heavy fire after holding the right flank, Lieutenant Bell noticed a man dismounted and returned and took him up behind him. The horse not being equal to the weight fell with them, Lieutenant Bell then remained behind and covered the man's retirement till he was out of danger.
He died on 28 April 1954, and was buried in Canford Cemetery, Bristol
, England
. His Victoria Cross is on display at the Western Australian Museum
, Perth.
The Frederick Bell ward at the former Repatriation General Hospital, Hollywood was named in his honour.
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
(3 April 1875 – 28 April 1954) was an Australian recipient of the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces.
Bell was born on 3 April 1875 in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
He was 26 years old, and a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in the West Australian Mounted Infantry, Australian Forces during the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
when the following deed took place for which he was awarded the VC.
On 16 May 1901 at Brakpan, Transvaal
South African Republic
The South African Republic , often informally known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer-ruled country in Southern Africa during the second half of the 19th century. Not to be confused with the present-day Republic of South Africa, it occupied the area later known as the South African...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, when retiring through a heavy fire after holding the right flank, Lieutenant Bell noticed a man dismounted and returned and took him up behind him. The horse not being equal to the weight fell with them, Lieutenant Bell then remained behind and covered the man's retirement till he was out of danger.
He died on 28 April 1954, and was buried in Canford Cemetery, Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. His Victoria Cross is on display at the Western Australian Museum
Western Australian Museum
The Western Australian Museum is the state museum for Western Australia.The Western Australian Museum has seven main sites: two in Perth within the Perth Cultural Centre, two in Fremantle , and one each in Albany, Geraldton, and Kalgoorlie-Boulder...
, Perth.
The Frederick Bell ward at the former Repatriation General Hospital, Hollywood was named in his honour.
External links
- H. J. Gibbney, 'Bell, Frederick William (1875 - 1954)', Australian Dictionary of BiographyAustralian Dictionary of BiographyThe Australian Dictionary of Biography is a national, co-operative enterprise, founded and maintained by the Australian National University to produce authoritative biographical articles on eminent people in Australia's history....
, Volume 7, Melbourne University Press, 1979, p. 253. - Australian War Memorial Boer War Nominal Roll: Frederick William Bell
- Australian War Memorial: Portrait of Lieutenant Frederick William Bell VC of the 6th West Australian Mounted Infantry
- Australian War Memorial, Honours and awards (gazetted): Frederick William Bell
- Location of grave and VC medal (Avon)
- The Search for Lt Col FW Bell VC (highly detailed biography & photos)
- Frederick W. Bell: The South African native problem, a suggested solution. being a paper read before the Union Club of South Africa, and the Native Affairs Society of the Transvaal, (14 October) 1909 (two principles of Apartheid in South Africa)