OXENHAM, Virgil Warwick
| Service Number: | 3887 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 17 September 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 2nd Pioneer Battalion |
| Born: | Warwick, Queensland, Australia, 3 January 1892 |
| Home Town: | Warwick, Southern Downs, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Pittsworth State School, Queensland, Australia |
| Occupation: | Bank Clerk |
| Died: | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia, 12 October 1982, aged 90 years, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Yeppoon Cemetery |
| Memorials: | Warwick War Memorial Gates |
World War 1 Service
| 17 Sep 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3887, 25th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Jan 1916: | Involvement Private, 3887, 25th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '15' embarkation_place: Brisbane embarkation_ship: HMAT Wandilla embarkation_ship_number: A62 public_note: '' | |
| 31 Jan 1916: | Embarked Private, 3887, 25th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Wandilla, Brisbane | |
| 12 Mar 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 2nd Pioneer Battalion | |
| 17 Apr 1918: | Wounded AIF WW1, Private, 3887, 2nd Pioneer Battalion, Rejoined Unit 2/9/1918 |
A Brothers Grief
The following information was from the writings of Virgil Warwick Oxenham who served with his younger brother Harold Nelson and is on the back of a large Studio Photograph of Harold dressed in his Army uniform and taken in 1915 before they embarked for Egypt in 1916. Harold was 20 years old when he died.
On the morning of 14th November'16 attacked the German line
overlooking Flers Tank and Aeroplane trenches to the left of the
Butte de Warlincourt with 19th Battalion captured two lines of
trenches but owing to failure of the Northumberland Fusiliers to take
their objective (which was almost an impossibility in any case) our
objective had to be evacuated later. Had a number of casualties.
Platoon Officer Mccloskey had bad ankle wound and Harold and Vic
Gavegan got him back to our old front line trench where he was again
shot in the throat by a sniper but survived to return to Australia minus
a foot. Whilst Harold and Gavy were getting our old pal Harry Stumm
of Pittsworth back into the trench a sniper shot Harold through the
back which must have gone through his kidney and also hit Gavy
through the steel helmet but that did not do his head the slightest
damage although it ripped open his steel helmet. Harold died there
and Harry Stumm was taken as far as the Ribemont where he died in
the field Hospital. Owing to the wet conditions and terrible mud it was
very difficult to move oneself. Conditions were something
indescribable.
Submitted 29 November 2025 by David Oxenham
Submitted 29 November 2025 by David Oxenham
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