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Cenotaph Record
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Full Name
Robert Andrew Frater
Rank Last Held
Second Lieutenant
Forename(s)
Robert Andrew
Surname
Frater
Also Known As
Bob
War
World War I, 1914-1918
Serial No.
12/1026
Gender
Male
Date of Birth
1892
Place of Birth
Auckland, New Zealand
Religion
Presbyterian
First Known Rank
Sergeant
Occupation before Enlistment
Clerk
Next of Kin
Robert Frater (father), City Road, Auckland, New Zealand
Marital Status
Single
Enlistment Address
City Road, Auckland, New Zealand
Enlistment Date
August 1914
Age on Enlistment
22
Military District
Auckland
Body on Embarkation
Main Body
Embarkation Unit
Auckland Infantry Battalion
Embarkation Date
16 October 1914
Place of Embarkation
Auckland, New Zealand
Transport
Vessel
Star of India or Waimana
Destination
Suez, Egypt
Nominal Roll Number
Vol1
Page on Nominal Roll
247
Other Units
Auckland Battalion, Machine Gun Company
Campaigns
Gallipoli
Military Awards
ANZAC Commemorative Medallion
Wounds and Diseases
Severely wounded in action Gallipoli Heights
Last Unit Served
Auckland Infantry Battalion, Machine-gun Section
Place of Death
At sea, HMHS Selam, ex Gallipoli, Turkey
Date of Death
30 April 1915
Age at Death
23
Year of Death
1915
Cause of Death
Died of wounds
Memorial Name
  • Lone Pine Memorial, Lone Pine Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey
  • Auckland Golf Club Roll of Honour
  • Memorial roll, St Paul's Church, 25 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand
Memorial Reference
72
Obituary
  • Death Notice: NZ Herald 3 May 1915
  • Obituary: Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1915.
Biographical Notes
  • Robert Frater was the son of Robert and Martha Frater of Auckland.
  • Educated at Auckland Grammar School, he then joined his father's firm Frater Bros, sharebrokers in Auckland and Thames.
  • He was an all round sportsman, keen yachtsman, member of Auckland Golf Club, and Eden and Epsom Tennis Clubs.
  • A keen territorial, he volunteered at the outbreak of war.
  • The photograph of the group sitting in front of the sphinx also published in the Auckland Weekly News 6 May 1915, p 44 Col. A, with the pyramids and sphinx cropped out. Family (of J MacKenzie) date the photograph to probably February 1915 as Frater has Sergeant stripes and was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant sometime shortly after 26th February 1915.
  • Pugsley (1990) described his bravery in scaling the Gallipoli Heights, leading his machine gun platoon on 25 April ( pp 120, 122, 129, 131, 137, 384) before being fatally wounded and dying 5 days later sea, and buried at sea.
  • His extended family claimed the ANZAC Commemorative Medallion issued in 1967.
Description of Image
  • Group sitting in front of the sphinx, Egypt - 4 men from 3 Company Auckland Infantry Regiment, c February 1915. L-R Pte Hayter (12/129), Jock McKenzie (12/160), Lt Frater (12/1026), Pte AB Fordyce (12/102). Photo by Private R.B. Steele (12/604)
  • R.A. Frater outside tent, 3/4 portrait
  • Portrait, with Sergeant stripes, Auckland Weekly News 1915
  • Memorial roll, St Paul's Church, (photo John Halpin November 2011)
  • St Paul's Church, (photo John Halpin November 2011)
Archives NZ source
Military personnel file
Further References
  • Pugsley, C. (1990) Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story
  • Additional biographical information on R.A. Frater file
  • Stowers, R. (2005). p. 41, 42, 307
  • Walker, R. (1985). To what end did they die? : officers died at Gallipoli. Worcester: R.W. Walker Publications
  • NZDF Medals ANZAC Commemorative Medallion
  • Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1915, Second term. p.10
Sources Used
  • Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume I. Wellington: Govt. Printer, 1914-1919
  • Stowers, R. (2005). Bloody Gallipoli: the New Zealanders' story. Auckland, N.Z., David Bateman.
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission. URL: http://www.cwgc.org
  • Cenotaph data entry form
  • Unpublished papers: correspondence with family
  • Auckland Grammar School chronicle. [1913-]. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland Grammar School.
Previous Military Experience
Auckland Highland Rifles