Sophie-Marie Young€¦ · 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,

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.