Every ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day we pay tribute to all local service men and women who have served our Country by telling the stories of some, that are typical of so many.

This Remembrance Day we tell the story of Trooper Frederick Gilbert Gipps.

Frederick Gipps was born in Burwood NSW and along with his family moved to live in Longwarry where they began farming.

Frederick did not waste time when war was declared on August 5^th 1914, because he enlisted on September 14^th, just a month later, and was assigned as a Trooper with the 8^th. Light Horse Regiment.

In December 1914, his regiment left for Egypt on the Star of Victoria, arriving on the 1^st. of February 1915 and his regiment were assigned to doing patrols in the desert.

However, after the April landings at Gallipoli, the heavy casualties amongst the Australian infantry battalions resulted in the deployment of the 8th Light Horse to Gallipoli. They arrived on May 16^th. just three weeks after the first landings. It was thought the terrain was unsuitable for mounted troops, so they had to leave their horses back in Egypt.

The men of the 8^th. Light Horse were very quickly thrust into battle against Turkish positions, resulting in some of the worst casualties in the whole campaign.

One of these battles later became known as the Battle of the Nek, and on August 7^th. 600 Australian troops were ordered to make a bayonet charge on the Turkish trenches across a very narrow strip of land that was easy for the Turks to defend.

Of the 600 Australians who took part, 372 were killed or wounded, Turkish casualties were negligible.

Trooper Gipps suffered a gunshot wound to the abdomen during the battle and he was evacuated from Gallipoli on the hospital ship Delta to be taken to the hospital at Mudros on the island of Lemnos.

Sadly, on August 8^th, he died of his wounds on board the Delta and Trooper Fredrick Gipps was buried at sea.

Adding to the sadness of his death on board the Delta had he survived to arrive at the hospital he would have the comfort of seeing a familiar face, Nurse Mary Kennedy, a Longwarry born woman, who was nursing at Mudros hospital, they would certainly have known each other.

To commemorate his service his name is on a plaque at the Lone Pine  Memorial and on the Cenotaph at Longwarry.

Nurse Mary Kennedy With Lieutenant Colonel McLure At Mudros Xmas Eve 1916

Mudros Hospital On Lemnos Circa 1916