Gerald Freeman was born in 1895, the only son of James Michael and Catherine Hamilton Freeman of Austral House, Huntly, Aberdeenshire. He was educated at The Gordon Schools Huntly, Perth Academy and Edinburgh University. Gerald was a student of medicine from 1913-16. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps, Infantry, from October 1914 to December 1915 as a Cadet in the Gordon Highlanders.

He enlisted in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and joined H.M.S. Lassoo as a Surgeon-Probationer in January 1916. Gerald was killed in action on the 13th August 1916, when H.M.S. Lassoo was torpedoed by the German U-boat SM UB-10 off the Maas lightship in the North Sea. He was 21 years of age.

The Tablet, the International Catholic news weekly, 9th September 1916

“Surgeon Gerald Stewart Freeman, R.N., lost his life on board H.M.S. Lassoo which was torpedoed by a German submarine off the coast of Holland on August 13. He was the only son of Mr. and Mrs. Freeman of Craiglea. While in his third year of medical studies, he volunteered for naval service, receiving his commission as surgeon-probationer last Christmas. From that time he had been continuously on active service, until he got home on a few days’ furlough six weeks ago. He had only rejoined his ship a few days when she was lost. For some time he filled the office of Hon. Sec. of the Edinburgh Catholic Students’ Union.”

Gerald Freeman is also commemorated on the Huntly War Memorial; The Gordon Schools War Memorial; the St. John the Baptist R.C. Church, Perth, War Memorial; and the Edinburgh University War Memorial.