Chegwidden, Victor Leopold

Private Victor Leopold Chegwidden – Australia Army Medical Corps – Hospital Transport

Victor Leopold Chegwidden was born in South Melbourne Victoria in 1887 to Francis and Peter Chegwidden. He went to school in the eastern states and studied to become a Chemist. He moved to Fremantle Western Australia and started work as a chemist assistant in the local area. Over the next few years, he lived in the Fremantle, North Perth and Bunbury regions. His brother Francis was also a chemist, living in Highgate Hill.

Victor was unsuccessful during his first attempt at enlistment as the army medical staff claimed that his chest measurement was deficient, however he didn’t give up and offered his services again on the 27^th July 1915. The medical examiner found him to be 5 feet 5 ¼ inches in height; 129 lbs in weight; chest measurement of 31-33 inches; dark complexion, brown eyes and brown hair.  This time he was accepted into the AIF and was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps.

On the 16^th September 1915 he started work at the A.M.C. Clearing hospital and stayed here till early 1916. On the 18^th January 1916, Victor embarked from Fremantle on the H.M.A.T. “Medic”. He arrived in Egypt in February and on the 18^th was admitted to hospital in Heliopolis after injuring his knee and was in and out of hospital till the end of March 1916. On the 29^th March 1916 het left Alexandria and disembarked at Marseilles France on the 3^rd April 1916.

Entraining for the north of France, Victor arrived at Etaples on the 20^th April and was sent to No.1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station and on April 21 1916 taken on strength of the 1^st Australian Division Base Depot. From here he spent the next few months working on the hospital transports though on the 12^th August was admitted to hospital with corns. He had six days rest in hospital but had returned to duty by the 18^th August 1916.

Victor spent the next five months working on the Hospital transports. On the 2^nd February 1917 he was admitted to the 26^th General Hospital and was initially diagnosed with a pyrexia of unknown origin, though this was soon changed to Nephritis and Pneumonia. His illness became worse and at 6.25am on the 6^th February 1917, Victor died. He is buried in Etaples Military Cemetery Plot XXI.D.3A.

Due to his not having a regimental number he did not receive many letters from home due to always being on the move with his work in the hospital transports. His mother would receive a pension of 2 pounds per fortnight after his death. His brother Francis William Chegwidden served in the AAMC returned home at war’s end.