AN ANZAC DAY TRIBUTE - PRIVATE ALEX BIDICE Service Number: 1627

Lyn Burke laying the wreath.

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Private Alex (Alexander) Bidice was born near Proserpine, Queensland about 1896. Sadly, it is not known who his parents were although it is believed his mother was part aboriginal. Alex enlisted in Townville 10 December 1915 alongside friend, William Joseph Fry, their enlistment papers revealing almost identical answers. He did not give any next of kin, however later a note stating ‘Reports to Mr J Fry, Victoria St Mackay Qld’ was added.  

Alex Bidice was assigned to the 2^nd reinforcements of the 47^th Battalion leaving Sydney 20 April 1916 on the troopship, Hawkes Bay. By 3 June 1916, the 47^th sailed from Alexandria to Marseilles then marched into Outterstsene and Merris, continuing their training there.  

Early in August 1916, the 47^th Battalion took up positions at Pozieres where they came under heavy bombardment. On 8 September 1916, Alex was transferred to the 12^th Training Battalion in England before returning to France on 25 September 1916.  

Having survived the carnage of Pozieres and Mouquet Farm, Alex went on to endure the bitterly cold winter of 1916 –17. Like many, he developed trench foot and was evacuated to England for treatment. He wrote to the Fry family from hospital to let them know he was “getting on alright”.

Alex went on to serve in Belgium and was wounded at Messines in June 1917. He was taken to a nearby casualty clearing station and treated for shellshock, returning to his unit in time to take part in the attack at Passchendaele Ridge.  

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Private Alex Bidice was killed at Passchendaele on 12 October 1917, aged 21. On that day, the 47^th Battalion lost 13 officers and 292 men from other ranks.

Alex never saw his friend, William Fry, again. Assigned to the 52nd Battalion, Fry had been killed in action at the battle of Messines Ridge. Their bodies were never recovered, and today, their names are listed on the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing in Ypres, along with the names of more than 50,000 others who have no known grave.

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The army advertised in the local paper for any relation of Alex to come forward. Alex had left a will leaving everything to his friend’s sister, May Fry, Banana Pocket, Proserpine but that did not satisfy the army so all of his possessions and medals were returned to store and marked as untraceable.  In July 1955, Sarah Alexandra May Lilly (nee Fry) applied to the AIF through Macrossan & Amiet, Solicitors, Mackay in an attempt to collect his personal effects and medals – but without success.  

On 4 April 1920, John Fry of Mackay (listed as Alex’s next of kin) filled out a Roll of Honour circular for him, attaching a note advising the army of what he knew about Alex. In part he stated, ‘that he (Alex) hardly remembered his mother as she left him when very young as she was a half caste aboriginal but we have no knowledge of the father.’  

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Thanks to the Fry family, Alex’s name was included on the wall at the memorial in Canberra. This year, his name will be projected onto the exterior wall of the Hall of Memory on April 30 10.57pm; June 7 10.07pm; October 1 3.07am and December 22 10.03am.            

More than a century after the deaths of Alex Bidice and William Fry, local historian, Lyn Burke, travelled to the Australian War Memorial in 2022 to lay a wreath in their honour at a Last Post Ceremony commemorating Pte Alex Bidice, one of more than 1200 Indigenous Australians who enlisted during World War One.  

Today, Private Alex Bidice’s name is also now listed on our local cenotaph, alongside that of his friend, William Fry.

This year, Alex Bidice’s name will be projected onto the exterior wall of the Hall of Memory at these times: -  

April 30 10.57pm; June 7 10.07pm; October 1 3.07am and December 22 10.03am.                    

Lest we Forget

Story courtesy Proserpine Historical Museum. Information sourced from Lyn Burke. Photos sourced from Australian War Memorial.