GROUTSCH, Victor George
| Service Number: | 2383 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 14 May 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 13th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Goornong, Victoria, Australia, 1893 |
| Home Town: | Tocumwal, Berrigan, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Tocumwal, New South Wales, Australia, 5 August 1991, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Tocumwal General Cemetery Plot Monumental section 2 |
| Memorials: | Tocumwal Memorial Hall Honour Rolls |
World War 1 Service
| 14 May 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2383, 13th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Aug 1915: | Involvement Private, 2383, 13th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Shropshire embarkation_ship_number: A9 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Aug 1915: | Embarked Private, 2383, 13th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Shropshire, Sydney |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
Victor George Groutsch was the son of James Groutsch of Tocumwal, New South Wales. His mother had died when he was only five years of age. Victor was working on his father’s farm at Tocumwal when he enlisted in the 13th Battalion during May 1915.
He joined the 13th Battalion at Gallipoli during October 1915 and served there until the evacuation. He served through the whole war with the 13th Battalion and saw much action, and the Australian War Memorial holds over nine hours of interviews he did with David Chalk about his service with the 13 Battalion, during WW1. The interviews were done in 1985 when Groutsch was 92 years of age. He was present at the taking of Stormy Trench on 4 February 1917, a savage fight in which Captain Harry Murray won the Victoria Cross. Groutsch said that “Murray was an inspiration that night.”
Groutsch returned to Australia on 28 March 1919. He married Eileen in 1924 and raised four children, farming in Tocumwal. He was very involved in the local Council and Returned Soldier organisations and served again during WW2 with the regimental number VX133136 and the rank of Captain. He lived until the grand old age of 98 and was a much loved and respected veteran in the Tocumwal area.