Aldrich, Victor Alexander

9440 Sergeant Victor Alexander Aldrich - 12th Field Ambulance

Victor Alexander Aldrich was born in Gosford New South Wales on the 5th June 1882 to Francis and Elizabeth Aldrich. He was the eldest of several siblings, Millicent (1887), Francis (1890), Ada (1894), Marguerite (1895), Henricus (1897), George (1901), Aubrey (1902) and Beryl (1908).

The family had moved from Gosford to Swansea New South Wales and then to Catherine Hill Bay in the early 1900's. Victor had been educated in New South Wales and after leaving school had taken up work as a clerk.

He travelled to Western Australia in the 1900's and took up work as a Clerk for the Colonial Sugar Refining Company in Fremantle.

On the 27th September 1915 Victor enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force. He was accepted as fit for service with the medical examiner recording his physical attributes as;

Height - 5 feet 4 & 1/4 inches tall;

Weight - 122lbs;

Chest Measurement - 33-35 inches;

Complexion - Fresh;

Eyes - Blue;

Hair - Brown.

After his successful enlistment Victor was sent to Blackboy Hill Camp and was assigned to the Australian Army Medical Corps. As part of this medical service and training  Victor had to be an orderly in the hospitals in the  different training camps in WA.

In February 1916 Victor was assigned to the 15th Reinforcements to the 4th Field Ambulance. On the 6th March 1916 he embarked from Fremantle Harbour with this reinforcement group aboard the transport ship HMAT Ulysses and set sail for Egypt.

On arrival in Egypt at the end of March 1916 Victor was sent to the 4th Australian Division reinforcement camp and remained there through April and May 1916. On the 28th May 1916 Victor board the transport ship HMT Corsican and set sail for France. After arriving at Marseilles Victor and the 4th Division reinforcement group were entrained north for Etaples. Victor was temporarily assigned to the 4th Australian Division Base Depot in Etaples for the next few months. During this time he also went to England for training purposes.

Due to the casualties incurred at Pozieres, medical corps reinforcements were needed and Victor left the 4th Australian Division Base Depot and joined the 12th Field Ambulance on the 10th August 1916. He then served at the operations at Pozieres and Mouquet Farm over the next month helping to evacuate many of the casualties.

After six weeks in Belgium during September and October 1916, the 4th Australian Division returned to the Somme battlefield where they spent the 1916/17 French winter. Victor would have been kept busy evacuating casualties through the horribly wintry conditions.

When the Germans withdrew to the Hindenburg Line in March 1917 this did not stop the action. Victor's 12th Brigade were in action at Bullecourt in April 1917. Despite having no infantry support, the infantry of the 4th & 12th Brigades captured a portion of the German trenches at Bullecourt. Unfortunately due to having no support on the flanks the survivors had to either withdraw to their own lines or face capture or death. Victor and his 12th Field Ambulance were kept very busy evacuating and tending to the many casualties.

There would not be much rest after Bullecourt as in June 1917 the 4th Australian Division were sent into Belgium to take part in the Messines Offensive. From June to August 1917 Victor was kept busy in evacuating casualties from the Messines battlefield.

In September 1917 the 4th Division was then moved to Ypres and from September to November 1917 were based on this battlefield. Victor was given leave prior to this and had two weeks in England, rejoining his unit on the 23rd September 1917. He then took part at the 4th Divisions actions at Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke and Passchendaele in September/October 1917. Casualties for the infantry were heavy and Victor and fellow stretcher bearers were kept busy. Despite the heavy shellfire the stretcher bearers were working under Victor got through without getting wounded.

In December 1917 the 4th Division were sent to the Peronne sector but returned to Belgium in January 1918. From January to March 1918 the 4th Division held the front line south east of Ypres near Hollebeke.

On the 7th January 1918 Victor was granted a weeks leave to Paris and after he returned was appointed to the rank of Lance Corporal.

As a result of the German offensive on 21st March 1918 they broke through the British line further south and were making great progress towards Amiens. The Australian Divisions were sent south from Belgium to help stop this advance. Victor's 12th Brigade were sent to the Dernancourt sector where they came into contact with the Germans and some sharp actions were fought and the Germans were stopped.

The 12th Field Ambulance remained in this sector for a few months before being sent to Villers Bretonneux where they remained through to July/August 1918. On the 8th August 1918 the advance commenced which pushed the Germans back. Victor and his unit were in action from August 8th to September 18th 1918. The 4th Australian Division were then withdrawn from the line for a well deserved rest period.

On the 23rd September 1918 Victor was given two weeks leave to the UK before rejoining his unit on the 9th October 1918. When the Armistice was announced on the 11th November 1918 the 4th Australian Division were on their way back to the front line. Instead, with the end of hostilities, the Australians went into what had been German occupied areas of France and Belgium. Victor's medical training would have come in useful as many of the local population were very ill and underfed.

The Australians would remain here for the next few months. On the 8th January 1919 Victor was promoted to the rank of Corporal and was assigned to the 45th Battalion as a medical corps orderly. He soon rejoined the 12th Field Ambulance and on the 21st March 1918 was appointed temporary Sergeant. On the 1st April 1919 the rank of Sergeant was confirmed.

On the 9th April 1919 Victor returned to England and was sent to Hurdcott Camp and was then assigned AAMC work at Fovant Camp.

On the 12th June 1919 Victor was assigned Australian Army Medical Corps work on the troopship Themistocles. The troopship ailed to Port Melbourne where Victor disembarked on the 8th August 1919.

Victor was discharged from the AIF on the 3rd October 1919. It appears that Victor did not return to Fremantle but instead settled in Victoria

In 1921 he was living at St Kilda Victoria.

On the 3rd May 1923 he married Kathleen Ethel Jones at St Johns Church in Camberwell Victoria. Two sons were born, Victor in 1924 and Barry in 1929.

The family lived in Camberwell and Kooyong through the 1930's and 40's.

Victor went to live in Willoughby NSW in late 1950's, and in 1968 was at Bennelong.

Victor died on the 16th April 1976 in NSW.