AustLit

'Frederick William Bell VC was born in Western Australia in 1875 and died Bristol, England in 1954. In 1899 Australia was six self-governed colonies when Paul Kruger, the President of Transvaal Republic, declared war on Great Britain and the call went out to the Colonies to join Mother England in South Africa. Frederick Bell was among the first to enlist and was awarded the Victoria Cross at the battle of Brakpan in May 1901. Frederick Bell joined the British Colonial Office in 1905 and served fifteen years in Africa. During WW1 he fought in the British Army in France and was later the Commander of an army recuperation camp in England where he was promoted to Lieut. Colonel. He was given 'voluntary retirement' from the Colonial Office in 1925 after giving unpopular evidence to a Kenyan Commission of Inquiry. (Source: Back cover)