It is appropriate, as we have just commemorated Anzac Day, to reflect on the life and sacrifice of a Johnian who died as a result of injuries sustained during service in World War 1.
John Denis (Jack or Chut) Fryer came to St John’s College in early 1915 on a University Scholarship to study for a Bachelor of Arts. He had previously attended Rockhampton Grammar School. Before the end of his first term at College, he considered enlisting.
He wrote to his sister (the eldest sibling of seven children) on 13 May 1915 to seek his mother’s consent:
“Really Liz, I think ‘tis about time we all went, for this war is by no means over, … they (a reference to University men) are drizzling out even now by twos and threes, and I don’t want to be one of the last … if I go to War now I shall be allowed to continue my scholarship after the War is over just as if nothing had happened. So that will be alright. …. So I want you to try influence Mum to let me go, … You don’t know how much I am affected by thoughts of this War. One can’t work properly, so I would like to get away as early as possible. … Dad would most likely give his consent to my going, but of course it is very hard for Mum to leave us go. But she must remember that she is giving us to a great cause, and one which has in end her own ultimate good. We don’t wish to become a race of slaves subjected to German [totalitarianism] and if someone does not make sacrifices, we will, in all probability become such.”
John Fryer.
His sister persuaded his mother. Jack sought to enlist with one of his brothers, Will, however his first attempt was unsuccessful, due to his poor eyesight. A second consultation with a “good friend” Doctor however, paved the way and the two brothers sailed on 5 October 1915. Jack served in Egypt until July 1916 when he was sent to northern France and engaged in heavy fighting as an infantryman. Jack impressed as a soldier and was selected to become an officer, which involved a posting to Oxford to study for his commission. He spent (about) three months studying for his exams, before the last of which he reported to his sister:
“Our final exam is next Wednesday. However I shall endeavour to enter the Hall with a feeling of confidence and casualness which is one of the Australians (sic) chief qualities. …Of course, the majority of English officers have the opinion that the Australians are a wild, undisciplined crowd. We can do things better than the British if our chaps only like. It is just because we don’t give a damn that they form this false opinion.”
Jack was “glad to shake the dust of England from his feet”. By now three of his brothers had also enlisted, although one, Charlie, was soon killed in action and the other two, Will and Henry, wounded. Jack anticipated “S’pose it’s my turn for a clout now”. He was engaged in further heavy fighting and was gassed in May 2016, returning to England for treatment. He was returned for further duty and served with great distinction. One of his fellow soldiers reported:
“We all loved Jack. When we were in the firing line he was our Officer. When we were behind the lines he was one of us.”
Another described him as a “bonza officer”.
Jack was wounded again, this time severely, by a “stick bomb”, on 6 August 1918, just three months before Armistice day. He convalesced in England until sailing home in May 1919.
He returned to his studies, again at St John’s College, enrolling in 1920. At College, he was in the thick of things and a much-loved member of the College for three years, before succumbing to the effects of his gas poisoning on 7 February 1923. His College friend, P.R. ‘Inky’ Stephenson remembered him as follows:
John Fryer seated front right.
“Of J.D. Fryer’s life much might be chronicled in detail. His academic record, his sporting record, and his war record, all bear striking testimony to his ability, generosity, and unselfishness. As a student he worked in an official capacity for the Union, Commem, Galmahra, the Dramatic Society, the Men’s Club, and the Football Club, with a whole-hearted self-devotion and an unquestioned ability. College and University had always a first claim upon his time and energies; and now we know that the unwanted strain and worry of his work in these offices hastened very considerably his fatal illness.
A catalogue of Chut’s achievements, eloquent though it may be as an example of unselfishness, can mean little to those unacquainted with the force and influence of his personality. Other men will carry on his work for the University in the various Social and Literary Societies; others will uphold as he did, the honour of College and ‘Varsity on the athletic field. The undergraduate body bids farewell on Commem. Day each year to men whose work for the common good makes them difficult to replace as they go. This is not the chief loss of which the Chut’s death means to us. In these respects he can be replaced as all other departing members are replaced.
It is Chut the kindly and genial companion whom we shall not so easily replace; Chut, the cultured and witty friend of our ‘Varsity and college life; the lively raconteur of Common Room and Vestibule; Chut the ardent lover and discriminating critic of verse, and above all, Chut the indefatigable champion of fair play and tolerance – this is the personality which is no more, and here our loss is irreparable.”
During the course of 1922, he was asked to nominate for the Rhodes Scholarship, but declined, citing no desire to spend another five years away from home. He had been offered a position as a teacher at King’s School in Sydney, once he completed his degree.
On 2 August 1922, he wrote to his mother thanking her for a “cheque” and informing her of how busy he was with various committees, including his role as Editor of the College magazine. As for his studies:
“I don’t know how on earth I can read all the books set! However I’m not frightened of the exams, I can ‘pass’ alright, but I would like to get the highest honours possible.”
During this time, his health deteriorated, seemingly as a result of his gas poisoning, and he was ministered by the Warden’s wife, including bringing him meals. He suffered a collapse later in August 1922 and was admitted to the Military hospital at Corinda.
In recognition of his study efforts, notwithstanding his inability to complete his final exams, the University Senate awarded him his Degree of Bachelor of Arts on 22 December 1922.
His health worsened further and he was taken by his mother back to the family property, Springsure, outside Rockhampton. He passed away on 7 February 1923.
His legacy lived on however. In early 1927, the University Dramatic Society was inspired to donate the sum of £10 to establish, in memory of Jack Fryer, the Fryer Memorial Library of Australian Literature. At that time, the University of Queensland was the first university in Australia to offer a course in Australian Literature. A library of resources was required. The Fryer Library was soon augmented by other student gifts, in cash or kind.
Associate Professor of English, F. W. Robinson, M.A., Ph D. wrote in 1952, in a reflection and appeal for further donations, about the library, which had by then grown to be some 2300 books:
“The search for books led one far afield. … Grubby second hand shops were ransacked for volumes in three capitals.”
The library was re-housed in the new St Lucia campus in 1949, in its “own handsome room, 30 feet long”. The library expanded to include some Australian art and continues to attract donations today. It also, relevantly, contains a significant number of historical photographs of St John’s College and its student cohort.
The Fryer Library is now located within the Duhig Building and is managed by the University of Queensland.
It is now one of the nation’s pre-eminent Australian studies libraries, with nearly 100,000 volumes of publications and manuscript collections from leading Australian authors such as Thea Astley, Janette Turner Hospital, David Malouf, Frank Moorhouse, and Thomas Shapcott. It has collected widely in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, architecture, art, theatre, and Queensland political culture and history. As The University of Queensland’s special collections library, it serves the research needs of the University’s students and staff, but it also serves as a resource for the whole community. It runs an active events program for its supporters, the Friends of Fryer. It has an active digitisation program for its holdings, aimed at making them accessible to a global audience. It is recognized as one of Australia’s Top 50 Philanthropic Gifts.
It is fitting that we remember this Anzac Day, this Johnian, the “bonza officer”.
by John Peden
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