Hero Image: Frederick Lyders at training camp 1917
Le Quesnoy and Western Front visit inspires student to document family’s rich war history
Cameron Brown’s great grandfather, Frederick Lyders, never quite made it to Le Quesnoy to help liberate the town.
But, according to 16-year-old Cameron’s research, it looks like he got close to the town in Northern France, before being wounded by a gunshot to his head in September 1918.
“He would have still been quite a few miles away, but he was on his way,” says Cameron, a Year 12 student at Otago Boys’ High School.
After being wounded, Frederick, a member of the Otago Infantry Regiment D Company, was transported to No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital in Brockenhurst, England, to recover.
He underwent restorative surgery and after several years of rehabilitation back in New Zealand was fortunate to be able to return to farming, settling near Henley on the Taieri Plains south of Dunedin in 1920.
“The most striking thing after studying World War One at school was how many soldiers died or were badly wounded,” says Cameron.
“It was horrific and impacted their lives incredibly when they returned home. Researching more deeply, and seeing what my family went through, makes it so much more relevant and poignant because its more than just numbers,” he says.
A family of “war heroes”
Frederick was born in 1897 in Dunedin. At one stage in the early 1900s the family home was historic Cargill’s Castle at Saint Clair in Dunedin.
Cameron Brown at Te Arawhata 2024
Like Cameron, Frederick also attended Otago Boys’ High School making the Lyders / Brown family one of the oldest families to attend the school.
In March of this year, Cameron travelled with his mother Larissa and his history class to France and Belgium to visit the Western Front Remembrance Sites. It included a visit to the NZ Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata in Le Quesnoy.
The emotional impact of the museum’s visitor experience, and the stories told in the museum, played a key part in Cameron wanting to dig deeper into his family history.
As well as Frederick, Cameron comes from a family rich with, as Ann [Brown] his Gran says, “war heroes who sacrificed so much”.
Frederick had four younger brothers, with Geoff and Lesley also enlisted for World War One, and Peter and Harold serving in World War Two.
Ann, who is the historian of the family, says Peter was a mechanic, motor bike pioneer, and a rider who could give the famous Burt Munro a run for his money.
Then there was Ebenezer Brown, Cameron’s great grandfather on the side of his grandfather Russell (Ann’s husband), who was badly injured at Passchendaele meaning he was unable to return to farming once home.
Ebenezer had four other brothers who also survived World War One. “Imagine five boys enlisted from one family?” says Ann. “Think of our grandmothers and grandfathers farewelling their loved ones. We mustn’t let it happen again.”
Sadly, other members of the wider family also lost their lives in Europe. “My mother had a brother-in-law, John Dow Sn., who was killed in action. His widow, Bella, my mother’s sister died of a broken heart,” remembers Ann.
Cameron’s great great uncle, Laurence Smith, was involved in some of World War One’s worst fighting conditions and also died.
Letters home
Cameron and his mum have poured over many letters Frederick wrote from Europe.
“They are hard to read because of the handwriting,” smiles Cameron. “I have to pick through them carefully, decipher the words, and then read them aloud and piece things together.
“Fred also had lots of nicknames for his parents and sisters back at home. So, sometimes it’s tricky to figure out who he’s writing or talking to.”
As with many letters from soldiers during the war, the delight and relief to have contact with family from home is reflected in Frederick’s letters.
“Nearly all the chaps in the tent received parcels so the tent occupants lived high for a few days,” he wrote to his mother and father.
In a letter from September 24, 1918, while convalescing in Brockenhurst, Fredrick writes: “I have just arrived in England and am now in [hospital] and good it is too to be away from the war again. I have slight hopes of getting back home soon so look out for my name on the next few hospital ships.”
Frederick would eventually arrive home early in 1919.
“I was told by my mum and Gran that Frederick didn’t really talk about the war until he was close to passing away in 1969. That was quite common with soldiers, and it was hugely traumatic for Frederick I assume.”
A shared love of history
Like his Gran, Cameron loves history. He knew the story about the liberation of Le Quesnoy because Ann used to read him a children’s story book about the battle which took place on November 4, 1918.
“I’d also heard stories from my old teacher at primary school who had visited Le Quesnoy and they talked about how the people in the town loved New Zealand.”
He takes history at school purely because he enjoys it. “My career path options are more focussed on engineering. But I take history because I get to do this sort of thing about my great grandfather.
“I also love writing. History is one big-amazing story really. One story after the other. I love finding out things and digging out random cool wee facts that just pop up every now and then. It’s like a reward for looking.”
For Cameron, documenting his great grandfather’s story – and the stories of other family members – is important to ensure the memories and stories are not lost.
“I think it’s something really significant and hugely important.”
Otago Boys’ High School trip to Le Quesnoy 2024