[spidge]

Second Lieutenant Frederick Birks

Unit: 6th Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 1st Division
Action: 20 September 1917, Glencorse Wood, east of Ypres, Belgium
Birks, 23, and Corporal William Johnston, attacked a pillbox which was holding up the advance.
Johnston was wounded when he deliberately threw himself at a bomb that was thrown at Birks, saving Birks' life.

The citation says: ``Birks went on by himself, killed the remainder of the enemy occupying the position, and captured a machine-gun. Shortly afterwards he organised a small party and attacked another strong point, which was occupied by about 25 of the enemy, of whom many were killed and an officer and 15 men captured.

"During the consolidation this officer did magnificent work in reorganising parties of other units which had been disorganised during the operations. By his wonderful coolness and personal bravery 2nd Lieutenant Birks kept his men in splendid spirits throughout. He was killed at his post by a shell whilst endeavouring to extricate some of his men who had been buried by a shell.''

Biography: Birks first encountered enemy fire when he single-handedly carried wounded men from the cliffs of Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 where it was impossible to carry a stretcher.
Born on 16 August 1894 in Buckley, Wales, he worked in a nearby steelworks until migrating to Australia in 1913. He worked in Tasmania, South Australia and Victoria for a year before enlisting in the AIF on 18 August 1914 and being posted to the 2nd Field Ambulance.

He was wounded at Cape Helles on May 1915, and again the following month. He was a stretcher bearer at the first battle of the Somme and was awarded the Military Medal at Pozieres.

He was selected for officer training in February 1917 and joined the 6th Battalion in May. He was buried in China Wall Cemetery, Belgium.