BUCKLER, Cyril
| Service Number: | 5347 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | Not yet discovered |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 14th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Wangaratta, Victoria, Australia, 25 January 1896 |
| Home Town: | Wangaratta, Wangaratta, Victoria |
| Schooling: | North Wangaratta State School, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation: | Postman |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 7 August 1916, aged 20 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Cyril Buckler commemorated in the Villers Bretonneux Memorial , Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Byawatha North Wangaratta State School Great War Roll of Honor, Eldorado War Memorial, Hawthorn Postmaster General's Department Victoria 1, Postmaster General's Department Victoria 2, Villers-Bretonneux Memorial (Australian National Memorial - France), Wangaratta High School Roll of Honor, Wangaratta High School War Memorial Gates, Wangaratta War Memorial, Wangaratta and District Victory Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 4 Apr 1916: | Involvement Private, 5347, 14th Infantry Battalion, Battle for Pozières , --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '11' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr 1916: | Embarked Private, 5347, 14th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Melbourne |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Adelaide Botanic High School
Cyril Buckler was born on the 25th of January 1896 in Wangaratta, Victoria, the son of William and Elizabeth Buckler. Cyril attended North Wangaratta State School, then later Wangaratta Agricultural High School. During this time, he was a member of the cadets, reaching the rank of sergeant. Instead of working in agriculture, Cyril decided to become a postman with his brother, Sidney Buckler, who worked at the post office in Bright, a town nearby. Cyril was considered "an obliging official", as well as a bright and cheerful postman who was well liked on his rounds.
In early 1916, Buckler left the post office and enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. After a small amount of training in Australia, Buckler was sent to Egypt with the 17th Reinforcement to the 14th Battalion. Shortly after arriving, Buckler’s Battalion was transferred to France, fighting on the Western Front. Buckler arrived in Marseilles on the 8th of June 1916.
At 2:30 pm on the 6th of August 1916, the 14th Battalion moved into a position on the front line near the French village of Pozières. After enduring a long night of heavy shelling, the Battalion sentries noticed enemy forces advancing for a counterattack. Accounts note that "Lewis Gun and rifle fire was brought to bear on them causing heavy casualties". An Australian raid was quickly organised with the goal to rescue prisoners and ensure that the German attack had been stopped. On this day, the 14th Battalion suffered an estimated 150 casualties. One of the men killed was Private Cyril Buckler. Cyril was in a party sent into no-man's land attempting to drive the Germans back to their own trenches. Out of the cover of his trench, Buckler was shot in the forehead and killed instantly, at just 20 years old.
Back in Australia, Buckler’s parents received a small number of his belongings, although his kit bag remained missing. Buckler’s parents named their house on Rowan Street, Wangaratta, "Pozières" in memory of their son Cyril. Cyril was buried at the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial along with 1550 other Australian soldiers.
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