Drew, Victor Charles
No.1053 – Private Victor Charles Drew – 28th Battalion AIF
Victor Charles Drew was born in Brisbane Queensland in 1887 to James and Rosina Drew. Little is known of his early life but it seems both he and his sister were living in Western Australia in the 1900’s.
The 1909 census has Victor was as a fettler in North Dandalup but by 1910 he was in the Goldfields, specifically Boulder where he was working as a miner. Victor soon moved to the metropolitan area and found work as a Lumper on Fremantle Wharf. In 1910 he married Elizabeth Jackson. They resided in Cantonment Street Fremantle and the 1914 census still has them living there.
On the 5th March 1915 Victor enlisted into the AIF. He was passed as fit with the medical examiner finding him to be 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall; weight of 140 lbs; chest measurement of 34-36 inches; dark complexion, grey eyes and brown hair. His religious denomination was Church of England.
Victor was initially allotted to No.11 Depot but on the 15th April 1915 was assigned to “C” Company of the 28th Battalion AIF with the regimental no.1053. He trained with them in WA for the next two months, however they were soon told to prepare for departure. On the 29th June 1915 the 28th Battalion boarded the H.M.A.T. “Ascanius” and set sail for Egypt. After a four week voyage the ship docked in Alexandria and the men disembarked to head for their training grounds. Their stay in Egypt would be quite short as on the 4th September 1915 they again boarded a transport ship and set sail for Gallipoli.
After arriving at Gallipoli the 28th Battalion were sent to the northern portion of the Anzac battlefield to garrison the trenches at the Apex and Rhododendron Spur. Victor served here until the 15th November 1915 when he was sent to hospital ill with diarrhoea; however he was back with the battalion a day later. Victor remained with the 28th Battalion for the rest of the campaign and evacuated with them when they left the peninsula. The battalion firstly went to Mudros but by the 10th January 1916 was back in Egypt.
On the 19th January Victor got into trouble by being absent from a tattoo and also for neglecting to comply with orders. As a punishment he was given 24 hours detention and had to forfeit 3 days pay. However he trained with the battalion for the rest of their time in Egypt. Orders soon came through for the 2nd Division to depart for France and on the 16th March 1916 the 28th Battalion departed on a troopship from Alexandria. Arriving at Marseilles on the 21st March 1916, Victor and the 28th Battalion were disembarked and put onto trains which headed for the north of France.
The 2nd Division were going to have their first experience of the Western Front just to the south of Armentieres. Victor reported sick ten days later as on the 31st March 1916 he reported sick. At No.2 Casualty Clearing Station he was diagnosed with Venereal Disease and was sent back to No.12 General Hospital. On the 3rd April he was transferred to No.9 Stationary Hospital at Le Havre. After spending 43 days at hospital Victor was finally released.
On the 14th May 1916 Victor reported into the 2nd Australian Division Base Depot at Etaples and remained here until the 1st June 1916. On the 2nd June he was taken back on strength of the 28th Battalion at Bois Greiner.
The following day Victor was severely wounded by a bomb, suffering wounds to the chest. He was taken back to No.6 Field Ambulance and from there transferred to No.8 Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul. Unfortunately the wounds proved too severe and Victor died on the 3rd June 1916.
He was buried at Bailleul Communal Cemetery Extension by the Reverend A Vause Hodges and today still lies in plot II.B.134. After Victor’s death, his wife Elizabeth received a pension of 40/- per fortnight.