Ancestor Details

Ancestor's Name: Frederick Charles Brack

Ancestor's date of birth: 07/03/1881

Ancestor's date of death: 01/07/1952

Cause of Death: Age related Heart attack and Brain Haemorage

Service and Life Before the Boer War: Detail not provided

Service Number: 18

Colony or State of enlistment: NSW, Place of Enlistment: Sydney

Unit: 'E' Squadron 1^st New South Wales Mounted Rifles

Rank attained in Boer War: TPR, Date Effective: 01/11/1899

Highest Rank attained (if served after war): No evidence of post Boer War service

Murray Page: 39, 217, 220

Contingent: First New South Wales

Ship: SS Aberdeen, Date of Sailing: 04/11/1899

Memorial details: Ashes place in wall at Rookwood Cemetery Sydney

Awards/Decorations/Commendations: Queen's South Africa Medal with Cape Colony, Orange Free State and Transvaal clasps

Personal Characteristics: Very loving toward his children

Reasons to go and fight: Detail not provided

Details of service in war: Service: December 1899 - December 1900 in northern Cape Colony, Free State and Transvaal. On 26 February 1900 'E' Squadron was on a reconaissance patrol following Boers retreating from Arundel south of Colesberg. A heavy reaguard action by the Boers at Maeder's farm resulted in the unit losing one killed and two wounded. Three soldiers were captured by the Boers. Brack was badly wounded and captured by the Boers. It is believed that he was released after the fall of Bloemfontein in April.

Murray notes that he was invalided to Australia on 15 December 1900 which implies yet another health problem. It is likely that at this point he was suffering from enteric fever.

He wrote home to his brother. This was published in newspapers at the time.

Private FC Brack, of the New South Wales Mounted Infantry, writing to his brother in Sydney, under date Enselin, 30 December 1900, says:-"It will take a lot of fighting to shift the Boers from Magersfontein because the position is fortified in up-to-date style. "They have also dug a trench from the Modder River, so that they are sure of plenty of water. The kopjes they are occupying form the best position they have held yet. The British captured a wounded engineer (Sergeant-Major Greener), who had been fighting with the Boers and is supposed to have laid out the trenches. Anyhow he was tried, found guilty, and shot. There are about 2,000 men in this camp, including the Highlanders, who were fighting with the Black Watch and the Seaforths, and who were cut up at Magersfontein. They say, that they have had enough of it, and that it was the worst job they have tackled. So you can guess it is not too nice trying to shift the enemy when they are "Full" They don't expect to tackle the Boers again until January, and when they do it will take something to shift them, because they take no chances. We have taken about 30 Boer prisoners, and some of them look very fierce. Some of the wounded ones that go past are quite dignified and confident that they will win."

Advertiser Adelaide 3 Feb 1900

Note: Enselin is a rail siding on the line south of Kimberley. The British forces were repulsed from the Magersfontein position in Black Week, 1899. The position was outflanked by a force led by General French and including 1 NSWMR 11-15 February 1900.

Service and life after the Boer War: Did not discuss the war. No other details provided.

Descendant Details

Name of Descendant: Beryl Bellamy, Port Macquarie NSW
Relationship to Ancestor: Daughter

Return to Descendant Database