ANCHOR, Victor Bernard
| Service Number: | 2557 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Sergeant |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Sydney, Nsw, Australia, date not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Labourer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 17 August 1918, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery Fouquescourt British Cemetery, Fouquescourt, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour |
World War 1 Service
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 2557, 17th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '12' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 2557, 17th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 17 Aug 1918: | Involvement Sergeant, 2557, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2557 awm_unit: 55th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Sergeant awm_died_date: 1918-08-17 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Jamaal Anchor
Name- Anchor, Victor Bernard
Born-1892
Home town/Address-33 Erskine Street, Sydney, NSW
Death - 17th August 1918,
Service outcome-Killed in action
Place of death-France
Service No. 2557
Regiment-17th
Transferred-55th regiment
Starting Rank-Private
Final Rank-Seargent
Cemetery-Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery, France, Plot 1, Row “A”, Grave 20
Victor Bernard Anchor was born in Sydney in 1892 in the county of Cumberland. A letter written by his mother Mary Anchor to the officer in charge in 1920 reveals that his father Peter Bernard had abandoned the family in approximately 1900. Documents show that Victor’s father moved to New York USA. Further documents show that Victor had at least one brother and one sister. His younger brother John James Anchor also tried to enlist but was rejected due to poor eyesight. Victor’s level of education before the war is unknown however his enlistment papers show that he worked as a labourer.
Victor Bernard Anchor enlisted on the 2nd of August 1915 and was appointed to the 6th Reinforcement, 17th Battalion. On the 2nd of November 1915 he took a boat to “Euripides” Egypt to serve. He was admitted to the general hospital in Abbassia on the 14th of March 1916 and then sent to the auxiliary hospital in Heliopolis located near Cairo 23rd of March 1916. He was discharged as fit for duty on the 19th of April.
After being discharged, Victor was transferred to the 55th Battalion on the 20th of April 1916, re-joining the 5th Infantry Brigade at Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt. On the 19th of June 1916 he embarked on the HT Caledonian at the Port of Alexandria to join the BEF (British Expeditionary Force), disembarking on the 22nd of June 1916 in Marseilles France. From the 13th of August to the 19th of August he attended the School Of Instructions. He was later promoted to Lance Corporal on the 7th of November 1916.
On the 18th of March 1917 Victor attended the Division Infantry School. He re-joined his Battalion on the 3rd of May 1917. Victor was processed for duty on the 19th of July to the 14th Training Battalion in England. This was a training course to become the instructor of the 55th Battalion. On the 24th of July 1917 he was appointed to Permanent Cadre of the 14th Training Battalion to complete the establishment of the 55th Battalion. He was doing his training in Hurdcott in the UK.
On the 3rd of January 1918 Victor was shipped to France via Southampton from the Long Bridge Deverall Training camp re-joining the 14th Battalion in the field on the 10th of January in France. However, on the 24th of May 1918, Seargent Walker was wounded and had to be evacuated providing the opportunity for Victor to be promoted to temporary Seargent. Later that year, on the 20th of June 1918, Seargent Clark was wounded and Victor was permanently promoted to Seargent. Victor Bernard Anchor was killed in action in France on the 17th of August 1918.
Both Victor’s parents were notified of his death by the Imperial Force on the 22nd of January 1919. Victor was buried in the Cerisy-Gailly Military Cemetery. His mother Mary was as his sole beneficiary and a parcel of her son’s personal effects was sent to her on the 10th of October 1918. The parcel contained his wallet, 1 fountain pen (broken), Unit colour, 1 silk handkerchief, photos and a certificate. On the 6th of June 1923 his father received his scroll and plaque in New York at the address 844 Eleventh Ave. In August 1923 Victors’ sister went to New York and picked up Victor’s plaque from their father to return to their mother. His mother received the Plaque on the 12th of July 1923 having already received the scroll on the 20th that had been shipped to Australia by his father.
His mother also received her sons war medals. Victor’s medals were the 1914/15 Star, British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1914/15 Star was issued on the 15th of October 1920 while both other medals were issued on the 23rd of September 1921. The 1914/15 Star is awarded for service in specified theatres of war from the 5th of August 1914 to the 31st of December 1915. The British war medal is awarded for entering theatres of war in the army. The last medal, the victory medal, is awarded for entering a theatre of war during the 5th of august 1914 and the 11th of November 1918. His mother gained possession of all the medals after the war.
Bibliography
www.defence.gov.au
https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/search
https://www.awm.gov.au/search?category=people&q
http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead.aspx
http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au
http://trove.nla.gov.au/?q&adv=y
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1338583
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection
http://www.catalog.slsa.sa.gov.au/search/X
https://anzac-22nd-battalion.com/training-camps-england/
Appendix War Documents
VBA Appendix.pdf