Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Born on the 16th of April, 1897 in Hyde Park, South Australia, Victor Clarence Robins served for 3 years as a Senior Cadet, with a 1 year exempt area before enlisting for service. This meant that it was highly likely that he had prior experience in fighting techniques, and survival skills even before training, unlike many of the other soldiers—especially due to his role as Senior Cadet (which called for them to train Junior Cadets). During this time, he was unmarried (single) and worked as a house decorator up until the August of 1915, when he enlisted for service abroad on the 10th. At this time, he was only 18 and 3/12 years of age, and therefore had to apply with parental permission.

He started out in the 10th Battalion (also known as the “Adelaide Rifles”) as any other newly enlisted officer would: a private. He trained for some time; most likely on the Morphettville Racecourse. During their training, they mainly focused on each and every soldier’s physical training; especially fitness. Due to their lack of equipment, the instructors had to compromise and make-do with what they had. According to Bob Kearney’s ‘Silent Voices’—a book of the stories of the 10th Battalion, it was emphasised during their physical training that each soldier in the Battalion was responsible for maintaining their physical state, as well as the constant stressing of the importance of being in prime condition.

After his training, his unit embarked on board the RMS Malwa on 2 December, 1915 from Adelaide, South Australia. In an attempt to drive a wedge behind the German fortifications, the Australians launched nine separate attacks to capture the heavily defended Germans (stationed between Pozières and Thiepval) between the 8th of August and the 3rd of September. This was the Battle for Mouquet Farm.

During that time, Victor Clarence Robins was captured on the 22nd of August, 1916, where he suffered a shrapnel wound to the head. He was first held at Munster Camp, Minden as a Prisoner of War.

Then, he was transferred from Minden to Munster, where he remained from the 10th of September until he was transferred again 5th of November, where he stayed in Block 1. That is, until he was transferred once again to Munden; his last stop before being repatriated and arriving in England on the 13th of December, 1918. He had been a Prisoner of War for over two years.According to the letters he wrote, he had the best time possible in a POW camp— “I am getting along splendidly. I have received all my parcels to date and am very pleased with them” (shown in fig. 5).

At approximately 11am, on the 11th of November, 1918, the guns all fell silent. According to his service records after the war ended, he arrived in England sometime between the 13th to the 16th of December, 1918 on the H.M.A.T Ascanius. On the 23rd of January, 1919 (after the war ended) Private Victor Clarence Robins was reported for “Absenting himself from Parade”. He was fined two days pay.

From there, he was repatriated on the 9th February 1919, just under 7 months before his fellow soldiers aboard the ship H.M.A.T “Ascanius”.

He died of natural causes on the 7th November 1969, aged 72 years.

After his services in World War I, Victor was among the few who enlisted for service again in the Second World War. He fought in it as a Corporal and returned to Australia on the 12th of December, 1945.