FLEMMING, Valentine
| Service Numbers: | 104, 2262 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 12 August 1914, Enlisted at Liverpool, NSW |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 4th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Lewisham, New South Wales, Australia, 17 February 1895 |
| Home Town: | Waverley, Waverley, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Superior Public School, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Motor Mechanic |
| Died: | Killed in Action, Gallipoli, Gallipoli, Dardanelles, Turkey, 6 August 1915, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" The Lone Pine Memorial (Panel 22), Gallipoli, Turkey, Lone Pine Memorial, Gallipoli Peninsula, Canakkale Province, Turkey |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Lone Pine Memorial to the Missing |
World War 1 Service
| 12 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Bugler, 104, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, Enlisted at Liverpool, NSW | |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 1914: | Involvement Private, 104, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '21' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Berrima embarkation_ship_number: A35 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Aug 1914: | Embarked Private, 104, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, HMAT Berrima, Sydney | |
| 4 Mar 1915: | Discharged AIF WW1, Private, 104, 1st Infantry Battalion, Naval and Military Forces - Special Tropical Corps, Served in Rabaul, New Guinea Discharged due to time served | |
| 13 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2262, 4th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted at Sydney, NSW | |
| 18 Jun 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 2262, 4th Infantry Battalion, Embarked at Sydney, NSW for Alexandria, Egypt on board H.M.A.T. Berrima | |
| 6 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2262, 4th Infantry Battalion, ANZAC / Gallipoli, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 2262 awm_unit: 4th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1915-08-06 |
WW1
The information provided has been published (2019) in the book titled "The Lost Boys" written by Paul Byrnes. Details of Valentine and his 2 brothers Geoffrey and Richard are written at pages 108 - 115. Lest We Forget. Rest in Peace
Submitted 31 August 2022 by Maxwell HILL
Biography contributed by Carol Foster
Son of Edward Gilbert Flemming and Julia Marguerite Flemming of 'Geoval', Hampton Street, Hurstville, NSW.
Brother of Richard Alfred Flemming who returned to Australia on 15 March 1917 having served with the 2nd Battalion and Geoffrey Lionel Flemming who was killed in action on 19 June 1915 whiel serving with the 2nd Battalion and was buried in the Lone Pine Cemetery. Plot 11, Row D, Grave 7
Medals: 1914-15 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Biography contributed by Evan Evans
From AWM History / Summary
Associated with the service of 104/2262 Bugler Valentine Flemming, a nineteen year old motor driver who enlisted in the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force (ANMEF) sent to capture the German colonies in New Guinea after the outbreak of the First World War, on 12 August 1914.
He was assigned to A Company, 1 Tropical Battalion and sailed for New Britain on HMAT Berrima on 19 August. During his service at Rabaul and Herbertshohe, Flemming took posession of this bugle. He returned to Australia and was discharged on 4 March 1915. He left the bugle with his mother Julia while he was at home in Sydney.
Nine days later he re-enlisted for service in the AIF and was allocated the service number 2262. Flemming was assigned, again as a bugler, to the 6th reinforcements for 4 Battalion and embarked for Egypt aboard HMAT A63 Karoola on 16 June.
After arrival there he was almost immediately sent to join his battalion at Gallipoli, arriving there on 4 August. He was killed soon afterwards during the Lone Pine offensive, between 6 and 9 August. Witnesses later said that he had been killed outright by a single shot, probably on 7 August, while in the second line of trenches to be captured from the Turks.
He has no known grave and is commemorated on the Lone Pine Memorial. Two of Flemming's brothers also served at Gallipoli. Sixteen year old Private Geoffrey Lionel Flemming was killed on 16 June 1915 while serving with 2 Battalion, AIF.
The oldest of the brothers, Second Lieutenant Richard Alfred Flemming was wounded in the back at McLaurin's Hill on 13 May while serving with 4 Battalion. He eventually recovered but was repatriated to Australia in October 1915. He saw no further active service but later served as a sea transport officer.
Val Flemming's mother, Julia, donated this bugle and the accompanying drum (see RELAWM08283) to the Australian War Memorial in the name of her son, on 23 December 1925.
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