Frederick Causer arrived in Adelaide in 1910 with his wife and three children, finding work as a boilermaker at the Islington railway workshops. He played soccer for the South Adelaide club in 1912 and the Locos club in 1913. Liverpool born and only 160 cms tall he may have been a winger.
When he enlisted in the AIF, as early as August 9th 1914, he gave his age as 32 and mentioned that he previously served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, which may have indicated that he had served in the British Army during the Boer War. By the time of enlistment he and his wife Mary Anne had five children, with two more born in Adelaide. He served at home in the 27th Battalion depot battalion in 1915, and was not posted to France until March 1916.
Only four weeks later he was accidentally shot and killed at the Etaples training camp. It is believed that whilst the operation of a Lewis gun was being demonstrated, some live rounds of ammunition had accidentally been included amongst the blanks that were being used. When Fred Causer’s death was announced in the Adelaide papers it was mentioned that friends and neighbours were rallying to help the family.