Edward Stanley (known as Stanley) Voce was born in Salisbury, England on 5 July 1890. He was the younger of the two sons of Edward Voce and his wife, Charlotte Eliza. The family arrived in Australia in September 1913 aboard the Commonwealth. By the time he enlisted on 30 May 1918 Stanley had married Hilda Hettie, nee Hayward, who he named as his next of kin. He had one child. At the time they were living with Stanley’s brother, Alfred, at 38 Albert Street East Melbourne. He was a teacher at State School No. 37841, Tarwin Meadows in South Gippsland. He was 5ft 9ins tall, had a fresh complexion, brown eyes and dark brown hair. He was appointed to the Recruit Depot Battalion as a private and sent for training to Broadmeadows.
He embarked on 31 August 1918 with 9th General Service Reinforcements aboard HMAT Barambah and arrived in London on 14 November 1918, three days after the armistice. He was allotted to Reinforcements, 5th Battalion and sent for training at No 2 Details Camp, Parkhouse. He proceeded overseas to France on 25 January 1919 and was taken on strength from Reinforcements four days’ later. He would have been involved in mopping up operations. He left for England to await return to Australia on 15 May 1919 and embarked for Australia 1 August 1919. He was discharged 7 October 1919.
After the war Stanley returned to teaching. In 1936 the Argus reported news from Port Fairy that, ‘Mr E S Voce, headmaster of the Higher Elementary School, has been transferred to the training college at Brunswick.’ [Argus, 15 Jan 1936, p.12]. Two and half years later he had been nominated, subject to the approval of the Governor in Council, for promotion to the vacancy at Croydon. By 1944, when their elder son was engaged, he and Hilda were living at Camberwell. He died on 28 April 1967 leaving his widow and four children.
