Pte. Victor John Gray

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 Life in Ferntree 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 Portrait of Victor, his mother Louisa written. and her parents, Sarah and Charles Gadd 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. Working Life 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. Victor’s Motor Vehicle Licence Huon Road near Fern Tree Circa 1914 Victor the Adventurer 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 Station, 1882 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 War Begins; Conscription in New Zealand 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 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 nd enlisted as part of the 22 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 1 old, 5ft 7 /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. Enlistment Record for PrivateVictor John Gray Service No. 6737, 12th Battalion, 22 Victor’s dog tag was returned to his Reinforcements family when he died in 1917 Drill at Claremont Camp. Bayonet Drill at Claremont Camp 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. 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) 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 rd Charles marched into the 3 Studio Portrait taken in Melbourne of (right to left) training Battalion on Charles William Gray, Victor John Gray, Charles 22 November, 1916. Woolford and another two mates prior to their departure overseas. 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 Photo taken from the port, showing view of Cape Town, Africa c 1914 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 Excerpts from Victor’s letters to Champion Service number 10971, 22nd home Australian Army Service Corps Company. ‘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 Lark Hill Camp & Leaving England 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.

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