Pte. Victor John Gray Sophie-Marie Young
Pte. Victor John Gray
Sophie-Marie Young
Pte. Victor John Gray
Sophie-Marie Young
Born 2 January 1893
Service No 6737
Enlistment Date 15 July 1916
22nd Reinforcements
12th Battalion
Served in France 1916-1917
Died from Wounds 10 April 1917
Buried at Bapaume Australian Cemetery
John and Louisa Gray in 1909 with children Victor, Gladys, Charles,
George, Hannah, Henry, Phyllis, Arthur and Ronald (one son Freddie died
in 1903 and the baby in this photo (Ronald) died soon after the picture was
taken. Clyde, Stanley, Harold, Leslie and Athol were born later. Athol was
born the year Victor enlisted with the AIF.
Victor John Gray was born 2 January
1893. He was the eldest child of John
and Louisa Gray’s 15 children. Two of
Victor’s younger brothers (Freddie and
Ronald) died early. The family were
united in their grief and the older
children shared a strong bond. Victor,
Gladys and Charlie were very close.
The youngest child, Athol, was born
just before Victor and Charlie went to
Claremont Camp for training. Victor
grew up in their family home in Fern
Tree and attended Ferntree State
School. It must have given Victor a
good education as the letters he sent
home later are thoughtful and well
written. Portrait of Victor, his mother Louisa
and her parents, Sarah and Charles
Gadd
Life in Ferntree
Victor’s Motor Vehicle
Licence
Huon Road near Fern Tree Circa
1914
After finishing school, Victor worked
on his family’s fruit farm and on the
roads during the off-season. Victor’s
father and Charlie also worked as
labourers on the road to bring in extra
income for the family. The road was
mostly dirt and only cut to follow the
contours. Each year gangs worked on
the road to improve safety and
drainage.
Victor owned a motorcycle which he
loved and used to ride it up and down
the Huon road to work.
Working Life
Ngahauranga Station, 1882
Victor was very close with his
best mate Albert ‘Jack’ John
Williams – it can be guessed that
growing up these two were as
thick as thieves, along with
Victor’s sister Gladys and
younger brother Charles. The two
young men travelled to New
Zealand in search of work and
adventure. Victor and Jack got a
job working in a freezer works in
Ngahauranga (now Ngauranga)
near Wellington. Victor and Jack
stayed with Mrs Peterson who
writes to Louisa with news of the
Boys. Victor and Jack spent a lot
of their spare time visiting New
Zealand’s scenic and tourist
places. Victor writes home to his
family every week. Jack seems to
spend a lot of his time writing to
Victor’s sister Gladys.
Ngahauranga Gorge Road January
22nd
, 1912
Bluff, South Island New Zealand
circa 1915
Victor the Adventurer
At the outbreak of War, New Zealand
introduced Conscription. Victor was
unluckily chosen in the ballot and
conscripted into the New Zealand
Expeditionary Forces. Victor turned up
to do his duty and asked if he could
return home and enlist with his mates
in the the Australian Forces: Victor had
to wait awhile to hear if his request was
granted, and if he would be given a
passport to return back to Tasmania.
The New Zealand Army released him on
the proviso that he show up at
Claremont and enlist with the AIF.
“The above-named reservist who was
drawn from the 9th ballot for service
with the New Zealand Expeditionary
Forces is reported to this office to have
left the Dominion for Australia on the
6 June 1916, his reason for leaving
being – to enlist in the Australian
Forces. Before leaving the Dominion he
made a Statutory Declaration in that he
would report himself on arrival at
Tasmania to the military authorities for
the purpose of offering himself for
active service.”
Jack was not conscripted but he chose
to head back to Tasmania and enlist
with Victor.
- Letter from the ‘Director of Personal
Services, Dominion of New Zealand:
Department of Defence’ to ‘the Officer in
charge of Base records, AIF’ seeking
conformation of Victor’s compliance with his
Declaration, 20 March 1918
War Begins; Conscription in New Zealand
Enlistment Record for PrivateVictor John
Gray Service No. 6737, 12th
Battalion, 22
Reinforcements Victor’s dog tag was returned to his
family when he died in 1917
Enlistment and Claremont Camp, Tasmania
Victor and Jack enlisted together on 15 July 1916, at Claremont, upon their return to Tasmania just like Victor had promised he would. They enlisted as part of the 22nd reinforcement of the 12th battalion; Victor’s service number was 6737. Victor wrote on his enlistment form that he was 23 years and 5 months old, 5ft 7 1/4 inches (170.8cm) tall, and had a medium complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. Victor was not married so he listed his parents as his next of kin, and his occupation as labourer. Victor’s younger brother, Charles, enlisted at Claremont Camp two days later. Victor’s youngest brother Athol was born in September whilst Victor was at Claremont training; Victor met his baby brother once before heading off to War.
On 1 September, half way through their training, Jack was discharged as medically unfit with varicose veins.
Drill at Claremont Camp.
Bayonet Drill at Claremont
Camp
Group photo of 12th Battalion soldiers, July 1916
(photo courtesy of Danielle Gray)
Standing far right: Private Clarence Andrews (6708) of George Town,
Tasmania (KIA 8 April 1917) Seated far right: Private Albert 'Jack' John
Williams (3264) of Neika, Tasmania (discharged medically unfit), Seated
middle: Private Robert Wilfroy Riggs (6573) of Burnie (KIA May 1917),
Seated far left: Private Victor John Gray (6737) of Fern Tree, Tasmania (Died
of Wounds 10 April 1917)
Proud Portrait before Embarkation
Victor and his friends had this portrait taken early in their training at Claremont as Jack is still
with them. Victor sent his family a portrait of himself and Jack and some other members of the
12th. They were very proud of themselves, they all looked so smart in their newly issued
uniforms. Not all of the Soldiers can be identified, but sadly of the four that can, three did not
make it back home.
Victor and the other members of
the 12th
Battalion wore this colour
patch on the shoulder of their
uniform
Embarkation and arrival in England
On the 30 September, Victor
and Charles embarked with
the 22nd Reinforcements of
the 12th Battalion from
Melbourne on the HMAT A56
Palermo. The ship made
several stops, one in Cape
Town where Victor sent his
second lot of letters home.
The Palermo arrived in
Devonport, England on 21
November. Victor and
Charles marched into the 3rd
training Battalion on
22 November, 1916.
Studio Portrait taken in Melbourne of (right to left)
Charles William Gray, Victor John Gray, Charles
Woolford and another two mates prior to their
departure overseas.
Photo taken from
the port, showing
view of Cape
Town, Africa c
1914
HMAT A56 Palermo. Victor spent eight happy weeks with his brother and friends
travelling to England. The Palermo weighed 7,600 tons with an average cruise
speed of 26 kmph. It was owned by P & O, London, and leased by the
Commonwealth until 10 January 1917
Perham Downs Training Camp
Victor and Charles arrived at Perham Downs Camp, Salisbury Plains on 2 December
1916. The winter of 1916-1917 was horrendous; in a letter home to his Father,
Victor complained that he ‘would sooner be on the top of Mt Wellington in my
shirt on the coldest day in winter’/‘Perham Downs was the last place God made
and forgot to finish, the sun never shines here and the frosts are awful’. Victor
spent his free time inside at the YMCA, talking, writing letters or watching boxing
matches. He was lucky enough to see Hughie Mehegan the Australian Light-Weight
Boxing Champion go a few rounds.
Perham Downs in Winter ‘Hughie’ Mehegan,
Australian Light-Weight Boxing
Champion Service number 10971, 22nd
Australian Army Service Corps
Company.
Excerpts from Victor’s letters to
home
‘A little piece of poetry of Perham Downs Camps; The Opinions
of an Australian Soldier’
A Bonzer Time at Lockerley Hall
On 7 December 1916, Victor took leave and went to stay in Lockerley Hall, a mansion
grander than anything Victor had seen in Tasmania. Victor had been invited to spend
his 4 days leave at the Hall by a ‘cobber’ he had met during training. Victor had a
splendid time, the Aylwards took him for drives to nearby towns and took him hunting
for game. Victor wrote, ‘the night before last we went to Lady Aylward’s place “The
Elms” for dinner & I can tell you I filt out of place to, with the butlers and servants
waiting on you & about a dozen different sorts of knifes & forks to eat with & we had
wine and ale so you can guess we had a good time…”. Victor wrote home that he was
hoping not to be shipped out before Christmas as The Aylwards had invited him to
come back and stay with them during Christmas.
The Lodges, Lockerley Hall. The front of a Postcard Victor sent home after his visit.
Lockerley Hall c 1914
Victor didn’t get to visit the Aylwards for Christmas. Four days after he returned to
Lark Hill Camp he departed Folkestone. He left England on 17 December on board
the SS Princess Clementine headed for Etaples. Charles stayed on in England
because of his horrendous dental hygiene, the brothers don’t see each other again
until March 1917.
Lark Hill Camp,
Salisbury Plains. The
winter of 1916-17 was
brutally cold. Many
Australians died in the
camps from illnesses
and the harsh, cold
conditions.
Lark Hill Camp Y.M.C.A Hut No.1
Interior
SS Princess
Clementine
Lark Hill Camp & Leaving England
The next day, Victor marched into Etaples, France with the 1st ADBD. Discipline was
very hard during training in the ‘bull-ring’ at Etaples, Victor spent two months in
training before heading off to the front.
Victor’s route from Folkestone to Etaples, France. Inset shows the small area of
France where Victor served on the front line in WW1.
Postcard Vue sur le Port prise du Pont, Etaples France
Etaples, France
Map of Training
Camp, at Etaples
Training at 1 ADBD, Etaples, France
1917
Rifle training at Etaples
The training at Etaples was
hard, it was designed to ready
the soldiers for going into
trench warfare. Training at
Etaples had to be carried out
to the satisfaction of Sir
Henry Sclater (G.O.C.-in-
Chief) , Southern Command
England (1916-19) and his
staff, the principle being that
no troops , British or
dominion should be sent to
France until passed as
sufficiently trained according
to the standards laid down by
the War Office. The
Australian training battalions
were under the command of
an Australian. The principle of
Australian soldiers being
trained by Australian officers
was adhered to, whenever
possible.
Field Map showing the positions of D
Coy and the rest of the 12th
Battalion
just after Victor was taken on strength.
Manoeuvres by D Coy are in Red.
Feb 25th : Orders were received to
relieve the10th Battalion. D Company
relieved 10th Battalion men that were
in Wheat Trench, this took 9 hours as
they came under heavy fire and
sustained some casualties
Feb 26th: At 2130 the 12th Battalion
receives orders to attack Ligny and Le
Barque at dawn on 27th.
Feb 27th: 0600; ‘D’ Company which
includes Victor is to move on the right
(east) of Red Cut Road, clear Ligny. . D
Company moved up on eastern side of
village and systematically cleaned it up
and established a post at Quarry at
N.1.C.6.4. thus surrounding both Le
Barque and Ligny.
The operation was successfully carried
out at dawn. It was found that the
Germans had evacuated Malt Trench
from Battery Copse to Albert-Bapaume
Road. The chief opposition was from an
enemy strong post at Junction of Misty
Way and Warlencourt Road.
Feb 27th: Total casualties of the 12th Btn whilst in line 8 Officers and 66 Other ranks.
In the Trenches, France
Victor only spends a short time in active service at the front. He was taken on
strength by the 12th Battalion on 21 February 1917. At this time the 11th and
12th Battalions advance on the villages of Le Barque and Ligny-Thilloy as the
Germans retreat back towards the Hindenburg line.
Feb 28th 1917. A view of
the frontline trenches in the
Le Barque area. Australian
Pioneers making a
duckboard bridge across the
trenches of the 'Maze'. In
the foreground you can see
how deep the water is and
how muddy the ground was
in the region where iVctor
was fighting.
The Village of Ligny-Thilloy as Victor would have seen it in 1917. The
Germans destroyed each town as they withdrew to remove any shelter for
the advancing allied troops.
Feb 27th 2340; the 12th were relieved by the 4th Battalion.
The 12th then moved back to No. 3 Camp at Bazentin-Le-Petit,
well behind the front line.
A Month of Training
Bazentin-le-Petit in September 1917, When Victor was there it was just
coming into spring and the ground would have been very wet and
muddy. All the trees are stripped from the shelling.
The Village of Bazentin-le-Petit as Victor saw it in March 1917
In March, the 12th Battalion got some respite and underwent more intensive training
at Denancourt and Baizieux.
1 March; Battalion moved from Bazentin-Le-Petit to Dernancourt.
2 March; Training Commenced.
23 March; the 12th Battalion moved from Dernancourt to Baizieux.
The War Diary of the 12th Battalion reports, “The whole of the month has been spent
in training; the first half in attacking under barrage fire and the second half in open
warfare and tactical schemes. The results obtained have been very satisfactory and
most encouraging. The health of the battalion has been good and morale excellent.
The reinforcements obtained have been of good physique, intelligent and well
trained. Strength 39 Officers and 958 other ranks”.
31 March; Divisional Sports Afternoon.
1 April; Baizieux. Church Parade at which Divisional Commanders Attended.
Lt Roper and Lt Uren arrived with 25 reinforcements
2 April; Review of 3rd Brigade by Major-General Walker. Lecture on ‘Tanks’ to all
officers by Col. Blaney.
3 April; 12th Receives orders to march back to front line near Bapaume.
Back to the Front
4 April; 12th Battalion left Baizieux at 0900 and marched to Montauban
5 April; Battalion left Montauban at 0918 marched to Fremicourt.
6 April; Fremicourt, France, 1917. Houses damaged by enemy bombardment lining a road in the town which is located northeast of Bapaume. The road has been cleared of debris and rubble. The 12th Battalion relieves the 29th Battalion in the front line. Victor in D Company along with A and C Companies are in the front line. A Company is holding the village and main road. C Company is clearing the wood. D Company moving forward on the left clearing the Village. B Company is in support.
Fremicourt, 1917; The village of Fremicourt in ruins. Victor and the 12th
Battalion cleared the town
and main road of German soldiers.
Over the Easter weekend the 12th Battalion are ordered to advance along the
Bapaume-Cambrai Road past the Chateau at Louverval and towards the small
village of Boursies.
Chateau at Louverval before WW1.
The ruins of a Chateau Louverval near Boursies . In the early spring of 1917 the
Germans withdrew from the line they had held during the winter of 1916-1917
to the Hindenburg Line, leaving strong covering forces. The Australians
captured Boursies, along with several other outpost villages, early in April 1917.
12th Battalion attack on Boursies
Report from the War Diary of the 12th Battalion on operations at Boursies 7th-11th April.
7 April; D Company is relieved by the 10th Battalion and subsequently relieves A Company which was assembled behind the Louverval Rd. A Company is to organise for an attack on windmill. C Company is also relieved by 10th Battalion.
8 April; 0300 Easter Sunday; A platoon of B Company under Lieutenant Newitt moved to right of main road and they opened fire then took cover.
A Company under Captain J.E.Newlands moved in file behind the bank and attacked the windmill in two waves, on a 4 platoon frontage. A bomb team moved up the main road on right and bombed the mill. Good progress was made across the open (a distance of 300 yds) before a heavy machine gun fire was opened. Killing Lieutenant Sherwin, wounding Lieutenant Kelly and inflicting heavy casualties.
The 12th pushed the attack home, the enemy abandoned their position, taking away the machine guns. Two Bosche in bomb posts in advance were bayonetted.
Simultaneously with above C Company attacked down the rally from J4. First wave 2 Platoons. Lieutenant Radford on right. Lieutenant Gould on left. Objective trenches fromJ29C47 to JB central and JC central. The attack was held up by heavy machine gunfire from front and left flank on ridge D28 &29.
1400 hrs A Company at the mill were heavily shelled all day. About 1400 under the cover of a blizzard a party rushed the mill from the main road but were driven off through the prompt action of Sergeant Stott who shot 4 men in succession.
2200 hrs An intense bombardment was made with Pineapple trench mortar bombs
and smoke bombs and a strong counter attack from trenches at J5 central. Bombs were thrown from the road leading from Boursies and the 2 posts nearest the road fell back where they were reorganised by Sergeant Whittle.
Captain Newland called for a platoon of D Company which came up under Lieutenant Harrison and a counter attack drove the Huns back.
Simultaneously on the right of the main road, the platoon of B Company under Lieutenant Newitt was attacked near the hedge. Private Butler opened fire with a Lewis Machine Gun killing 10 Huns and breaking up the attack. Lieutenant Newitt counter attacked and captured a machine gun. He was subsequently reinforced by
a platoon of D Company under Lieutenant Roper.
Trench Map of Boursies showing where Victor fought with D Coy. He
was shot on in the head as D Coy moved towards the Cemetery.
9 April; Victor is taken to the 3rd Casualty Clearing station in Bapaume. He never
regains consciousness and dies on 10 April 1917 - less than two months after
reaching the front.
Victor’s memorial is at Bapaume Cemetery.
Victor did reunite with his Brother Charlie who arrives at the front in March.
Victor’s brother Charlie survived Victor for just another 5 days.
He was killed in action at Lagincourt on the 15 April.
His body was never recovered and his memorial is at Villers Bretonneux.
9 April; 0400 Easter Monday; Portions of B, C and D Companies and 2 platoons of
the 11th Battalion attacked the Cemetery on the left. D Company under the command of Lieutenant Uren are in the first wave. There is heavy machine Gun Fire from the German trenches and Victor receives a shot to the head.
Sad News Reaches Home
Red Cross notification to John Gray of Victors
death.
Bapaume Cemetery
Excerpt of the Graves Registration Report Form showing
Victor’s details
Bapaume Australian Cemetery was begun in March 1917, by the 3rd Australian Casualty
Clearing Station and used until the following June. In 1918, 23 German graves were added to
row C
Victor is buried in Bapaume
Cemetery
Imperial War Graves Commision Entry showing the location of
Victor’s headstone inBapaume Cemetery
Epitaph for Victor’s headstone chosen by his family
With so many Hobart Families devastated by the war a living memorial up
on the domain was proposed. Victor and Charlie were given adjacent trees
at the Hobart Soldiers Memorial Avenue. Louisa would take the family
there each ANZAC Day and picnic between the two trees.
Victor and Charlie are also
commemorated on the Roll of
Honour for the 1Great War in
All Saints Church, South Hobart.
Memorials in Hobart
Family Memorials
Victor’s mother Louisa was particularly saddened by the loss of her two oldest sons. She had
a large portrait of both of the boys that hung in the kitchen of her home. When John built
them a new house in Grays Road the portraits hung there until the house was sold outside of
the family in 2008. The new house was named CharlVic Cottage. Louisa planted two cypress
trees in the back-garden. These trees were within view of the kitchen window, so she would
see them every day when in the kitchen preparing meals for her big family.
Gladys and Jack named their first child a daughter, Victoria Charlotta in memory of Victor
and Charles. Gladys then named her boy Victor. Harry Gray also named his first son Victor.
Recently one of Victor and Charlie’s great nieces, Danielle (George’s granddaughter) has
researched Victor and Charlie’s lives and written a book called ‘Ferntree to the Front’.
Danielle was so proud of her great-uncles she changed her surname back to Gray.
Victor and Charlie were commemorated by their family. The family named their
new house CharlVic Cottage and two cypress trees were planted in the back
garden in their honour.