S8483
MELHUISH, Victor Edwin
| Service Number: | 2876 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 February 1916, at Adelaide |
| Last Rank: | Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 32nd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Norwood, South Australia, November 1890 |
| Home Town: | Norwood (SA), South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Constable |
| Died: | South Australia, Australia, 12 September 1982, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Payneham Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Treasurer and Chief Secretary Roll of Honour, Thebarton S.A. Police Roll of Honor WW1 |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Feb 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2876, 32nd Infantry Battalion, at Adelaide | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 2876, 32nd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '17' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Aeneas embarkation_ship_number: A60 public_note: '' | |
| 11 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 2876, 32nd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Aeneas, Adelaide | |
| 26 May 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Lance Corporal, 2876, 32nd Infantry Battalion, German Spring Offensive 1918, Wounded by gas | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Corporal, 2876, 32nd Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide High School
Victor Melhuish, formally known as Victor Edwin Melhuish was born in Norwood of South Australia in November 1890, into the family of William and Harriet Ann Melhuish. Victor stood at a height of 5’10 inches, which is about 177cm and he weighed 70kg on average. He had brown eyes and dark hair. He was born into a family of seven, with five older siblings as well as one younger sibling, Mabel Winifred Melhuish. Victor Edwin grew up to be a fearless man, serving 2 years of service in the South Australian Artillery, 2 years in the South Australian Infantry Regiment, and an unknown amount of time in the Citizen Military forces (Australian Army reserve) as well as working as a Police Constable, preventing crime on the street of SA. In 1910, he married his wife Florence Edith Raston, now known as Mrs Florence Edith Melhuish and throughout the years they had 5 children; 4 boys and 1 girl. At the time of his enlistment, he had two children, Gilbert and Jeffrie Melhuish. Victor and Florence grew old together, living a good life of 83 years for Mrs Melhuish and 91 years for Mr Melhuish.
Victor Edwin Melhuish enlisted on the 28th of February, in 1916. Victor and his fellow soldier mates embarked on the 6th reinforcement of the 32nd battalion on April the 11th, 1916. The battalion of reinforcement left on board of the boat Aeneas from Adelaide. Throughout his time in war, Victor was promoted to Lance Corporal from his Private rank, and also served for a tie as Acting Corporal. Although it is unclear as to what unit he was posted to, Mr Melhuish’s diaries have shown multiple times where he was taken on strength throughout his services. Unfortunately, Victor got wounded in action by an attack involving a gas shell and while there are no records found, it could’ve possibly been mustard gas (containing chlorine and sulphur) due to the Germans using it as an attack strategy in WWI. This happened on the field on the 26th of May in 1918 and Victor was transported to the Convalescent department where his wife, Florence was informed about his situation. Due to his injuries and not being able to go back into the field Victor continued his contribution of hard work as he was promoted to Corporal, still at war but as a non-commission ranked soldier. Later, he returned to Australia on board of the Orontes ship on the 15th of May 1919, with the nursing staff and was discharged from the army months later on the 10th of August 1919.
Victor Edwin Melhuish returned to Adelaide, Australia on the 15th of May 1919. After war, he was awarded with two medals; the British War Medal for serving in the First World war besides Britain and the Victory Medal which was a campaign medal for general military services. After his long recovery of war, while there is no official record of Victor joining back into the police force, it is assumed that Victor worked as a Police Constable. He lived a very happy life in Norwood after reuniting with his wife, Florence who gave birth to 3 other children, 2 boys and 1 girl in the following years.