Berrol Samuel FRIEZE
Year of Birth: 1921
Place of Birth: St. Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Date of Enlistment: 15 August 1941, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Australian Defence Force: Royal Australian Air Force
Rank: Warrant Officer
Unit(s): 4 Communication Flight/Unit, Archerfield
Service Number: 409400
Died: 5 March 1945
Age: 23 years
Buried: Cairns War Cemetery – Plot A – Row C – Grave 18
Berrol (Berry) Frieze was born 24 March 1921 to Joseph and Annie (Barkman) Frieze and was the younger brother of Fay and Racia.
He enlisted at the age of 20 years and 4 months. He had brown eyes and dark hair. Before enlisting he was an apprentice tailor at Frieze Bros., Abbotsford, Victoria. Berrol (Berry) was also an expert squash player.
Warrant Officer Berrol Frieze was killed, along with Major-General G.A.Vasey and Major-General R.M.Downs, Lieutenant Colonel G A Bertram O.B.E, Flying Officer D J Bassett, Flying Officer J W Newell, Flying Officer G Thompson, Corporal R L James and Lac J D Moore, when their R.A.A.F. aircraft crashed into the sea at Machans Beach, Cairns. All were buried with full military honors.
RAAF officers and other ranks paying their final respects alongside the graves of 409400 Warrant Officer Berrol Samuel Frieze and 404543 Flight Lieutenant John William Newell. Both servicemen were killed in an accident as passengers in the crash of Lockheed Hudson aircraft A16-118 off of Cairns Queensland on 5 March 1945. The Jewish burial service was read by NX77338 Captain Lynn Harvey Joseph, Medical Officer, Headquarters 1 Corps.
Warrant Officer Berrol Samuel Frieze’s name is on the Roll of Honour at St. Kilda, Victoria and also located at panel 111 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial.
Online Resources
NAA: A9301, (FRIEZE Berrol Samuel) National Archives of Australia
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
National Library of Australia: Trove Digitised Newspapers
Department Veterans’ Affairs Nominal Rolls
Queensland Registrar of Births Deaths & Marriages
Victorian Births Deaths & Marriages Index
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