Simon Fraser was born in 1877 at Byaduk, Victoria, the youngest child of James Fraser (1826–1897) and Mary McDonald (1832–1885). He grew up on the family farm, “Aird,” near Byaduk, alongside his eight siblings:

He attended Byaduk State School and became an accomplished farmer and rifleman, actively involved in the Byaduk Rifle Club for over a decade. His upbringing in a large, hardworking Scottish farming family instilled in him a strong sense of responsibility, loyalty, and duty to community and country.

Known for his leadership, kindness, and community spirit, Simon contributed to nearly every aspect of Byaduk life. He served as a director of the Byaduk Dairy Company from its inception, was a long-serving committee member of the Mechanics' Institute, and sat on the Board of Management of the Byaduk Presbyterian Church. Standing just over 6 feet (183 cm) tall, he was an imposing figure whose height and strength served him well both on the sporting field and later on the battlefield. A keen sportsman, Simon was president and a strong player with both the Byaduk Football Club and the Byaduk Tennis Club. He was also the first president of the Byaduk Horticultural Society, leading it for several years, and was widely recognised as one of the district's finest shots through the Byaduk Rifle Club.

His military experience pre-dated the Great War. Simon served for nine years with the Victorian Mounted Rifles, attaining the ranks of Acting Sergeant and Sergeant. Formed in 1885, the Victorian Mounted Rifles recruited from rural communities, with many members drawn from local rifle clubs. It was a semi-professional force whose members were expected to provide their own horses for service. This experience gave Simon valuable leadership and military skills that saw him appointed an Acting Sergeant immediately upon enlisting in the AIF in July 1915.

With the 'doubling of the AIF' as it expanded from two infantry divisions to five, major reorganisations were underway. The 57th Battalion was formed on 18 February 1916 at Tel el Kebir, Egypt. It was raised from experienced Gallipoli veterans of the 5th Battalion, together with newly arrived reinforcements from Melbourne and north eastern Victoria, including Acting Sergeant Simon Fraser. Commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Stewart, the battalion became part of the 15th Brigade of the 5th Australian Division. The new battalion was established during a period of rapid expansion of the Australian Imperial Force following the Gallipoli campaign. Experienced officers and non-commissioned officers were dispersed throughout the newly raised units to provide leadership and training for thousands of reinforcements arriving from Australia.

With nine years' service in the Victorian Mounted Rifles and the rank of Acting Sergeant, Simon was one of the experienced NCOs helping train and lead the new battalion. Over the following weeks, the men trained intensively in musketry, bayonet fighting, bombing, signalling, entrenching and field manoeuvres, preparing for the fighting that lay ahead on the Western Front. By the end of March, much of the battalion's initial training had been completed, and the men undertook the arduous 60-kilometre march to Ferry Post on the Suez Canal. Carrying full marching order under the Egyptian sun, the journey tested the endurance of the newly formed unit before it returned to camp for further instruction.

During May, the battalion moved to Katoomba Heights, where extensive replica trench systems had been constructed in the desert sands. Here the men rehearsed every aspect of trench warfare, practising attacks behind simulated artillery barrages, consolidating captured trenches, bombing enemy positions and repelling counter-attacks. These realistic exercises were designed to prepare the battalion for the conditions they would soon encounter in France.

On 19 June 1916, the battalion embarked at Alexandria aboard HMT Caledonian. After crossing the Mediterranean, the transport arrived at Marseilles on 29 June, where the men disembarked to a warm welcome from French civilians before boarding crowded troop trains for the long journey north towards the Western Front. The battalion eventually reached the Armentières sector, where it completed further training before being introduced to trench warfare opposite Fromelles. Like many Australian units arriving in France, Simon and his comrades quickly learned that there was no truly quiet sector. Even before the major offensive began, they experienced German shellfire, sniper activity and the constant demands of life in the front line.

Writing home from France on 2 July 1916, Private George Usher described his first impressions of the country and the anticipation of moving into action:

On 15 July, while occupying the front line opposite Fromelles, the battalion experienced its first sustained German bombardment. The battalion war diary recorded:

Simon Fraser was among those sent into No Man's Land to prepare lanes through the German barbed wire ahead of the planned assault. Recalling the day, he wrote:

Heavy rain forced the planned attack to be postponed for forty-eight hours, leaving the Australians crowded into muddy assembly trenches under continual shellfire as they waited for the order to advance.

Less than a month after arriving in France, Simon and the men of the 57th Battalion faced their first major action on the Western Front. Opposite them lay the German defences near the village of Fromelles, dominated by the heavily fortified Sugar Loaf salient. Protected by deep trenches, reinforced parapets, concrete dugouts and interlocking machine-gun fire, it was one of the strongest positions on the battlefield. At 5.45 PM on 19 July 1916, the 59th and 60th Battalions advanced across almost 400 metres of open ground into devastating rifle and machine-gun fire. The attack quickly faltered as the Germans poured fire into the advancing Australians. Messages reaching Brigade Headquarters within minutes painted a desperate picture:

The brigade's after-action report later recorded that the attacking battalions "were enfiladed by machine guns in the Sugar Loaf and melted away."

Source - AWM4 23/15/5, 15th Brigade War Diary, July 1916, p. 56.

Although the 57th Battalion remained in reserve, it was soon called forward to reinforce the shattered front line. Writing home twelve days later, Simon reflected on the ordeal:

Despite the constant danger, Simon retained his characteristic humour "These live shells are great for rooting things up, and would be grand for breaking up a rough paddock for the plough. But it takes a thundering lot of them to get a man."

Source: Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870–1918), 30 September 1916, p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133708493.

Describing the battle itself, Simon wrote:

The Battle was a disaster.

When the fighting ended, Simon volunteered for one of the battle's most dangerous tasks. For the next three days, parties from the 57th Battalion searched No Man's Land for wounded men, often under continuing sniper and artillery fire:

It was during one of these rescue missions that Simon heard the words that would become forever associated with his name:

Despite everything he had witnessed, Simon retained a remarkable sense of humanity "It is very funny how one watching the effect of our guns on the German trenches remarks 'Good oh!' as their parapets and dugouts fly up in the air. One does not think till afterwards that those poor devils who are just as anxious for the war to end as we are, may be flying with the debris."

Source: Hamilton Spectator (Vic. : 1870–1918), 30 September 1916, p. 8. Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133708493.

Simon continued to serve with distinction in the months following Fromelles. His courage and leadership during the battle and its aftermath were recognised when Brigadier General H.E. "Pompey" Elliott recommended him for a Mention in Despatches, writing:

His leadership did not go unnoticed. Late in 1916 Simon was selected for officer training in England. On 2 December 1916, his service record shows he was attached to the Balliol College Officer Cadet Battalion, Oxford, supernumerary to the 57th Battalion, before later attending instruction at Trinity College, Cambridge. During the First World War, Balliol College became one of Britain's principal officer training centres, its historic buildings housing thousands of British and Dominion officer cadets preparing for service on the Western Front "Balliol's Broad Street site hosted thousands of British and Commonwealth officer cadets on short training courses… the Army was in effect renting the property."

Source: Balliol College Archives, Balliol and the First World War. https://archives.balliol.ox.ac.uk/History/balliolww1.asp

On 1 April 1917, Simon was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and transferred to the 58th Battalion, returning to France to rejoin the 15th Brigade just weeks before the fighting at Bullecourt.

Bullecourt is one of the lesser-known battlefields of the Western Front, yet it was a significant and costly campaign for the Australian Imperial Force. In 1917, the small village in northern France was heavily fortified by the Germans as part of the Hindenburg Line, protected by belts of barbed wire, machine gun posts, and deep trenches. Two major battles were fought here: the First Battle on 11 April and the Second Battle starting on 3 May.

Australian commanders were deeply apprehensive about the British planning for these attacks, fearing their men would be left vulnerable. General John Monash later wrote:

The First Battle began disastrously. Tanks failed to arrive on time, leaving the infantry exposed to devastating machine gun fire. Though they breached parts of the German line, nearly a third were killed or wounded, and over 1,100 taken prisoner. Less than a month later, the Second Battle commenced on 3 May. This time, Australian and British troops attacked together under relentless artillery bombardment and counter-attacks. The Australians succeeded in capturing parts of the Hindenburg Line, but the cost was immense: 7,000 casualties. The losses were so severe that plans for a new 6th Division were abandoned to provide reinforcements for shattered units. It was during these savage days that Simon, serving with the 58th Battalion, was killed in action on 11 May 1917, aged 40. Multiple witness reports describe his death.

Lieutenant L. Davis wrote:

2422 Corporal Charles G. Grandin recorded:

3002 Private Ruston G Stephenson similarly reported:

2916 Private Leo J. Kehoe confirmed:

Finally, 1937 Private Thomas J. Hewitt stated:

These reports confirm that Simon’s death was instantaneous, caused by a direct shell hit that killed him and others in his platoon. His body was never recovered, and he has no known grave.

Following his death at Bullecourt on 11 May 1917, Simon Fraser’s body was never recovered. Multiple witness reports confirmed he was killed instantly by a direct shell hit during exceptionally heavy artillery bombardment. Although he was temporarily identified by his signet ring, the chaos of battle and continuing enemy fire prevented recovery or burial.

Simon has no known grave and is commemorated on the:

Simon Fraser’s death was deeply mourned in his home community of Byaduk and beyond. He was remembered not only as a brave soldier but as a man of great character and public spirit. The Hamilton Spectator described the impact of his loss:

Simon Fraser’s bravery and compassion at Fromelles are immortalised in the Cobbers Memorial sculptures, which depict his famous rescue of a wounded man from No Man’s Land after the battle. The original “Cobbers” statue stands at the Australian Memorial Park near Fromelles, France. Created by sculptor Peter Corlett, it portrays Simon carrying a wounded soldier over his shoulders, inspired by his words “One foggy morning… we could hear someone over towards the German entanglements calling for a stretcher-bearer. It was an appeal no man could stand against… Then another man about 30 yards out sang out ‘Don’t forget me, cobber.’ I went in and got four volunteers with stretchers, and we got both men in safely.”

Source- Hamilton Spectator, 30 Sep 1916, p.8. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133708493Each year on 19 July, a small ceremony is held at the Fromelles site to honour those who fought in the battle.

A second cast of the statue was later installed at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne. During the casting process, family members placed pieces of barbed wire recovered from the Fromelles battlefield into the molten bronze, creating a powerful physical and symbolic connection between the sculpture, the battlefield, and families back home. At the Melbourne Cobbers statue, the Friends of the 15th Brigade hold a commemorative service each year on 19 July to mark the Battle of Fromelles.

His name is forever linked to the words “Don’t forget me, cobber,” immortalised in Peter Corlett’s sculpture depicting Simon rescuing a wounded man from No Man’s Land. The memorial stands as a tribute to his courage, compassion, and the enduring spirit of mateship he embodied – reminding Australians of the true cost of war and the unbreakable bonds between soldiers.