BRADNAM, Victor Percy Bennett
| Service Number: | 5349 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 12th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Not yet discovered |
| Home Town: | Brisbane, Brisbane, Queensland |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Not yet discovered |
| Died: | Died of wounds, Belgium, 4 September 1916, age not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Corinda Sherwood Shire Roll of Honor, Graceville War Memorial |
World War 1 Service
| 20 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 5349, 12th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: SS Hawkes Bay embarkation_ship_number: '' public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 5349, 12th Infantry Battalion, SS Hawkes Bay, Sydney |
Help us honour Victor Percy Bennett Bradnam's service by contributing information, stories, and images so that they can be preserved for future generations.
Add my storyBiography contributed by Faithe Jones
Victor Bradnam was a 30 year old painter who lived with his married sister, Mrs Young at “Rose Cottage” Jerrold Street, Graceville. At enlistment he gave his father; Mt T. Bradnam of Kentish Town Road, London as his next of kin.
Victor enlisted in 31st January 1916 in Brisbane and was drafted as a reinforcement into the 12th Battalion. He departed from Sydney on the “Hawkes Bay” on 20th April and arrived in Weymouth, England on the 7th July.
On the 10th July 1916, just three days after arriving in England, Victor went absent without leave. He was confined to quarters for 7 days but during this time he was absent from four defaulter’s parades. He was given 168 hours of Field Punishment #2 (FP #2 meant that the defaulter would have to spend 2 hours in every 24 shackled. If taken literally, this would have meant that Victor was on FP#2 for 84 days; a totally improbable punishment. The recording of 168 hours is in all likelihood a misprint in his files).
In spite of the punishment meted out, Victor again went absent on 28th July. This time he was sentenced to detention in the stockade for 8 days. It must have been apparent to the military authorities that such a record of going absent was an indicator that something was seriously wrong. Regardless, Victor embarked for overseas on the 9th August and reached his battalion; which was in a rest area behind the lines in Belguim, on the 23rd August.
On the 2nd September 1916, it would appear from testimony later given at a court of inquiry that Victor attempted suicide by gunshot. The regimental medical officer stated that in his opinion Victor had “lost his mentality”, and recommended that he be assessed for discharge. While waiting for the discharge process to take effect, the company commander ordered that Victor be placed on a suicide watch.
Victor was placed in the orderly room where he would sleep among a number of soldiers who would stand watch during the night. Evidence taken at the court of inquiry records that there was a shortage of candles and so sentries were instructed to light a candle only if they suspected any movement from Victor. In spite of the precautions, and in the view of the inquiry, a slack attitude by the sentries, Victor somehow obtained a rifle and cartridge and shot himself in his bunk, sustaining a fatal wound to the head in the early morning of 4th April 1916..
Victor was buried at the Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery with the Rev. Milne in attendance. The official version relayed to his family was that Victor had died of wounds, and the Roll of Honour at the Australian War memorial also states that he died of wounds. When his sister in Sherwood wrote requesting more details she was coolly informed that Victor had committed suicide.
The circumstances surrounding Victor’s death illustrate one of the less praiseworthy aspects of any war. Soldiers are often subjected to incredible stress which results in self inflicted wounds or death. Instances of soldiers taking their own lives during World War 1 are rare but nonetheless certainly did happen. Most often this could be put down to what we would call post traumatic stress. In Victor’s case it is perhaps attributable to a pre-exisiting mental condition which was exacerbated by military life.
Courtesy of Ian Lang
Mango Hill