MORETON, Frederick Ewart (1892-1978)Born in London on 22 September 1892, Frederick Ewart Moreton was the son of Dr Frederick Moreton and his wife, Mary nee Jarvie. He came to Australia at a young age.
He became a day student at Geelong College in 1908 and is recorded in the departing valete lists in 1909 and 1912 suggesting that he was certainly at College in 1908 and 1911. It is not known whether he was continuously at College between those dates however. At the time of his enrolment, his address was 'Meltham', Fyansford. He was a member of both the 1st Football Team of 1911 and the College Athletics Team that year. He later studied at Melbourne University, and had completed 3rd year Engineering when he enlisted in the AIF on 17 August 1914 during World War I.
He embarked as a Private in 5 Battalion on 21 October on
HMAT A3 Orvieto, and trained in Egypt. He was seriously wounded at the Landing at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, by a gunshot wound to the left hip and groin and subsequently evacuated. After being invalided on 17 May to England from Alexandria, he embarked for Australia on 17 November 1915 on
HMT Runic. He was demobilised from the AIF on 5 May 1916.
He wrote in 1967 to Army Records, Victoria Barracks, claiming his brother Pte A H Moreton’s (No 542) Gallipoli Medallion:
'I understand that in the near future surviving members of the 1st AIF who served on Gallipoli are to receive a medallion and that next of kin are to be recipients for those killed or since deceased. I myself was F E Moreton (556) 5th Battalion, and landed and was wounded on April 25 1915. My brother, Pte A H Moreton (No. 542) 8th Light Horse was killed on August 7th 1915. As my brother was unmarried, and as both my mother and father are dead, I presume that as the eldest of the family I am his next of kin. If this is so would you please forward both medals to the above address. For your information, a third member of our family enlisted, in the original air force, and as this brother had the misfortune to lose his own medals in a fire and was, moreover, closely associated with our deceased brother on the land prior to enlistment, I am applying for the extra medal so that I may pass it on to him.' In December 1921, the
Geelong Advertiser reported:
'The authorities of the Gordon Institute of Technology have received confirmation from the Education Department of the appointment of Mr. F. E. Moreton, BEE, son of Dr F. Moreton, of Geelong, as head of the mechanical and electrical engineering department of the Institute. Mr Moreton is an old Geelong Collegian, and saw active service during the war. He was wounded at Gallipoli, and on his return assumed office at the Gordon institute, relieving Mr Martin. Subsequently he visited America, where he has been engaged during the past three years on high grade electrical work with the General Electric Company at their Schenectady works, where 19,600 persons are employed. Mr Moreton was strongly recommended for the position by Professor Payne, of the Melbourne University, and other leading engineering educationists. The Gordon College authorities consider themselves highly fortunate in being able to secure the services of so highly qualified an electrical engineer. ' In 1967, the Geelong College Council recorded its appreciation for Frederick Moreton's service to the College:
‘The Council hereby places on record its appreciation of the fine service given to the College by Mr F E Moreton, as a member of Council from 1943 to 1967, Mr Moreton, an Old Collegian (1908 -1911) was well equipped to help in the direction of College affairs because, in addition to his experience as a member of the Old Geelong Collegians' Association Committee and as its President in 1940-194-2, he had a wide experience in industry and technical education, including a period as Head of the Engineering Department of the Gordon Institute of Technology, followed by more than thirty years with Australian Portland Cement Ltd. in Geelong. His knowledge of the needs of industry and commerce, his administrative skill and his wisdom in personal relations all contributed to the well-being of the College over a long and significant period of its history’. Frederick Ewart Moreton died on 23 April 1978.
His brothers,
Archibald Herbert Moreton (1894-1915); Cecil Knight Moreton (1895-1973); and Arthur Roberts Moreton (1901-1964) all attended Geelong College.
Sources: Geelong Advertiser 30 December 1921 p2; Council Minutes 27 July 1967; Ad Astra September 1978; 'Geelong Collegians at the Great War' compiled by J. Affleck. p264 (citing The University of Melbourne: Record of Active Service of Teachers, Graduates, Undergraduates, Officers and Servants (1926); The Pegasus; National Archives).