FIELD, Victor Henry

Victor Henry Field wass eighteen years and ten months old when he enlisted on 1 July, 1915. He was one of five children of Frederick James Field and his wife, Septima, He was the middle child in his family, with brother Frederick Fern (1893-1959)  asnd sister Myrtle Hazel (1894-1971) ahead of him and the oddly named Federal James  (1895-1951) following after. Another sister, Dorothy Flora, had been born in 1895, but died the same year. Later on, there were to be four half-siblings, from his father's second marriage. Victor Field was single, belonged to the Church of England and described himself as a clerk. He was atll for the time, 5' 10", and had served five years in the Senior Cadets. At the time of enlistment, he was living with his mother at 175 Powlett Street, East Melbourne; during the course of the war, she would move first to 115 Grey Street (1917) and then to 21 Lansdowne Street (1918).

From 7-20th July, he trained with the Depot 9/14 Battalion Reinforcements, but left for Egypt on HMAT Hororata A 20, embarking from Melbourne on 27 September. From Suez, the 9th Reinforcements moved to Moascar, where on 27 January, 1916, Victor Field was attached to the 1st Company, but was then taken on strength on 1 February with the 3rd Signals Company. He must have been an asset ot them, because on 9 March, 1916,  he was transferred to a permanent posting with the 4th Division Signals Company and appointed a Lance Corporal. In a letter he wrote in 1967, applying for an Anzac Medal he wrote ... and I served in Egypt and Arabia until we went to France in June, 1916. The unit did not go to Gallipoli however. His request was refused. On 10 May, he was promoted to 2nd Corporal 'to complete establishment', suggesting that the previous Lance Corporal was either wounded or dead and on June, the 4th Division moved to France and on to the Somme Valley.

In August, 1916, the 4th Division was at Pozieres, in September, at Mouquet Farm in in October at Flers, all major conflicts. In April, they were part of the push to dislodge the Germans from the Hindenburg Line. Victor Field would have been a part of all this action, with his company working to keep the lines of communication open.

In June, 1917, he was sick in hospital, but there are no details of the illness, rejoinein his company on 10 October. On 4 November, he was promoted to temporary Corporal, but again, there is no indication of where he was on his record. though in September, the 4th Division was incombat at Polygon Wood. On 4 November, Victor Field was promoted to temporary Corporal, then on 7 December he was  sent back to England to the Signal Offcers' Cadet Corps; on 14 December, he  joined the Squad Service Training Centre at Bedford. He seems to have stayed i n England for some time, serving at the Signal Cadet School. He returned to France on 18 June, 1918, and was taken back  on strength with the 4th Australian Division Signal Corps  where he saw out the remaining months of the war at Amiens then again, the Hindenburg Line.

On 12 July, 1919, he was returned to Australia on the SS City of Exeter. On 23 October, his appointment in the army was terminated. He first went back to East Melbourne, to stay with his mother at Lansdowne Street.  In 1922, he ahd moved to 13 Orchard St., Brighton, and was working as a clerk. By 1931, he was settled in Linacre St., Hampden and had become a manager and by 1936, was married to Agnes May. They had moved to 863 Toorak Rd. by 1919, where they remained until the 1960s. Agnes was no longer with him in 1972, but he remained at the same address at least until 1977. He died at Cambrian Hill, Victoria, in 1981.