Victor Francis RULE

RULE, Victor Francis

    Service Number: 3051
    Enlisted: 22 June 1916, Adelaide, South Australia
    Last Rank: Trooper
    Last Unit: 3rd Light Horse Regiment
    Born: Adelaide, South Australia, 6 September 1897
    Home Town: Adelaide, South Australia
    Schooling: Thebarton Public School, South Australia
    Occupation: Bricklayer
    Died: Malignant Malaria, Palestine, 13 October 1918, aged 21 years
    Cemetery: Jerusalem War Cemetery
    Jerusalem War Cemetery, Israel
    Memorials: Adelaide National War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Unley Arch of Remembrance, Unley Town Hall WW1 Honour Board
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    World War 1 Service

    22 Jun 1916: Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3051, Adelaide, South Australia
    16 Jan 1917: Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3051, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '1' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Bulla embarkation_ship_number: A45 public_note: ''
    16 Jan 1917: Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3051, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, HMAT Bulla, Adelaide
    13 Oct 1918: Wounded 3051, Egypt and Palestine - Light Horse and AFC Operations, Australian War Memorial Last Post Ceremony – Victor Francis Rule Today we remember and pay tribute to Trooper Victor Francis Rule. Trooper Rule was born in 1897, the son of George and Sarah Rule of the Adelaide suburb of Fullarton. After attending school in the local area, Trooper Rule worked as a bricklayer and master builder with his father. While at school he took part in senior cadets, in accord with the Universal Military Training Scheme operating at the time. He was later actively involved in the Citizens Military Forces, parading part-time with the No. 11 Field Company Engineers. Those who knew Rule held him in high esteem and he was remembered for his cheery disposition. Trooper Rule was one of four brothers to serve in the First World War. He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force in June 1916, and after a period of training in Adelaide, embarked for Egypt with a reinforcement group for the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in January 1917. On arrival, he went into camp near Moascar and the Suez Canal, where he trained as a signaller —a trade he most likely already knew something about from his time with the Citizens Military Forces. In late June, Trooper Rule joined the 3rd Light Horse Regiment in camp at Telel- Marakeb on the Palestinian coastline. At this time, the war in the Middle East had settled into a protracted stalemate between British and Ottoman forces. At the end of July, after taking part in bitter fighting at Gaza, the Australian Mounted Division surfed, played sports, sun-baked and swam with their horses every day. Less than two weeks after joining the regiment in rest, Trooper Rule sprained his ankle, and had to be evacuated to Abbassia. Rule returned to the 3rd Light Horse regiment in August 1917. With the capture of Gaza, Ottoman positions in southern Palestine collapsed, and the Anzac Mounted Division ultimately moved on to Jaffa, from where it crossed the Jordan River. The division was involved in raids at Amman in February, and at Es Salt in April and May, and repulsed Ottoman attacks in July 1918. Trooper Rule participated in the offensive that was subsequently launched along the Mediterranean coast in September 1918, when the Anzac Mounted Division fought actions at Megiddo and Nablus. After weeks of heavy fighting, the 3rd Light Horse Regiment was in camp at Ziza near Amman on the 5th of October 1918 when Trooper Rule was admitted sick to hospital. His condition worsened over the following days, and he was evacuated to the 34th Clearing Hospital at Jerusalem, where he succumbed to a malignant case of malaria eight days later. Aged 21 at the time of his death, Trooper Rule was buried in the Jerusalem War Cemetery. In the following weeks, his grieving family inserted the following epitaph in the local newspaper: "So dearly loved. His duty nobly done". Victor Rule's name is listed on the Roll of Honour on my right, among almost 62,000 Australians who died while serving in the First World War. His photograph is displayed today beside the Pool of Reflection. This is but one of the many stories of service and sacrifice told here at the Australian War Memorial. We now remember Trooper Victor Francis Rule, who gave his life for us, for our freedoms, and in the hope of a better world. Narrated by Brigadier Cameron Perdy
    13 Oct 1918: Involvement AIF WW1, Trooper, 3051, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3051 awm_unit: 3rd Australian Light Horse Regiment awm_rank: Trooper awm_died_date: 1918-10-13

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    Biography contributed by Stephen Currey

    "...3051 Private Victor Francis Rule, 3rd Light Horse Regiment, of Plympton, SA. A bricklayer prior to enlistment, he embarked with the 23rd Reinforcements on board HMAT Bulla (A45) on 16 January 1917. Pte Rule died of malaria on 13 October 1918; he was 21 years of age." - SOURCE (www.awm.gov.au)

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