Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born on the 29th of June, 1898 in Temora, Wilfred grew up in a little house in Bondi as he attended Bondi Primary School (2) . He would go on to attend Sydney Technical High School which was situated on the Ultimo House on Mary Ann Street (1911-1924). While there are no official documents of Wilfred John Bedford enrolling in Sydney Tech,  Bedford was an academically versed and skilled student as displayed by his honourary award for academic excellence in Geography (3).

Bedford's enlistment papers show that after graduating from Sydney Tech he was able to find an apprenticeship supporting himself through his occupation of a “Bank Clerk”(4).

Even when on a boat to a dangerous war, Wilfred John Bedford was able to make light of a dangerous situation by referring to himself as a “six bob a day tourist,” as well as sarcastically quipping “Originally reinforcements were given 6 months to train in England, now it is only 10 weeks. Haven’t I struck it nicely?”(5) . 

Wilfred John Bedford enlisted in the AIF on the 10th December 1917. He embarked to England from Melbourne on the HMAT A71 Nestor as a private in the 4th Battalion on the 28th February 1918. After further training in England he proceeded overseas to France on 15th July 1918.

During this time, Wilfred John Bedford encountered the harsh difficulties of war, as the 4th Battalion records show he participated in the “Last Hundred Days” campaign in the Somme (8) .  The “Somme Offensive” was one of the largest battles in the North of France between July-November 1916 and is characterised by mass casualties on both sides (9). Furthermore, records of his 4th Battalion in 1919 suggest that his squadron was vital in securing strategic positions as it began taking actions in Chippily and Chuignes so British troops could advance on Bapume, furthermore, this also allowed for the third division to cross the Somme. The final phase of combat occurred with the advance to the Epehy as the attack on the Beaurevoir line led to a withdrawal after suffering mass casualties (10) . 

Wilfred Bedford finally eturned to his life in Australia arriving back in August of 1919 (13). He was discharged on 8th December 1919. While World War 2 would cause him to enlist again at the age of 44 and get discharged at age 47 (14) , the peaceful period in between this was marked by the continuation of his career working in a bank (15) .  Furthermore, while working at the bank they were robbed as a man stole money while Bedford was distracted talking to a manager (16) . He would later go on to marry his wife Winifred Anne Boroughs in 1945 (17) .  

References:

1. Anonymous, 1914, THS 14 winners
2. Anonymous, Date unknown, BEDFORD Wilfred John 
3. Anonymous, 1914, THS 14 winners
4. Australian Government, 10th December 1917, Search for Wilfred John Bedford, then click on the one that states circa 1914-1920, and it appears on page 1
5. Kiama Independent, and Shoalhaven Advertiser, bedford writes home,  Saturday 20 July 1918, page 2
6. Britanica, August 5th 2024, World War 1 Britannica  
7. Australian Government, 10th December 1917, Search for Wilfred John Bedford, then click on the one that states circa 1914-1920, and it appears on page 3
8. Robert Kearney, 21 May 2020, 4th Battalion, VWMA
9. Ibid
10. Ibid
11. Anonymous, Date unknown, BEDFORD Wilfred John 
12. History.com, July 18 2024, https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles-1 
13. Anonymous, Date unknown, BEDFORD Wilfred John 
14. Australian Government, March 1941, Page 3, on documents dated 1939-1948
15. Australian Government, March 1941, Page 1, on documents dated 1939-1948
16. Brisbane Courier, 28 February 1929, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dj_f6QIOUgz-LQgJ0Uc9MpthWl6fLOlT/view 
17. Anonymous, Date unknown, BEDFORD Wilfred John

Bibliography:

1. Bedford Wilfred john.docx (no date) Google Docs. Available at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l0L3kLMZJ-5CtFlh28hDji--UsUqj4pc/edit   (Accessed: 08 August 2024). 
2. 4th Infantry Battalion (no date) Virtual War Memorial | 4th Infantry Battalion. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/units/88  (Accessed: 04 August 2024).
3. Battle of the Somme (no date a) National Army Museum. Available at: https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-somme  (Accessed: 04 August 2024).
4. Battle of the Somme (no date b) National Army Museum. Available at: https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/battle-somme  (Accessed: 04 August 2024).
5. Bedford Wilfred john bank teller (no date) Google Drive. Available at: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/1WmAR77hvbLmHRhTlMrlWzOtvOEkypOr3  (Accessed: 04 August 2024).
6. Wilfred John Bedford (no date) Virtual War Memorial |  Wilfred John BEDFORD. Available at: https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/275924  (Accessed: 04 August 2024). 
7. 1918 Bedford writes.pdf (no date) Google Drive. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f-WeFVNAZiICCh09kzh5o_3bJSKbYC-v/view  (Accessed: 04 August 2024). 
8. THS 1914 prizes.pdf (no date) Google Drive. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kTE1gYqqf_nW2-dMGKOHV--n0ZEEUf9W/view  (Accessed: 04 August 2024).  
9. Treaty of versailles: Definition, terms, dates & WWI (no date) History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/treaty-of-versailles-1  (Accessed: 04 August 2024). 
10. World War I (2024) Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/event/World-War-I  (Accessed: 04 August 2024). 
11. 1929 Bedford robbed.pdf (no date) Google Drive. Available at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dj_f6QIOUgz-LQgJ0Uc9MpthWl6fLOlT/view  (Accessed: 08 August 2024). 
12. NAA records cannot be attached as Access is denied after a time, However, to find his records, go to Basic search and enter Wilfred John Bedford. https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/ItemsListing.aspx