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Australia

Victor Mayfield (1892–1952)

Early Life

Victor Mayfield was born on 6 September 1892 in Bury, Lancashire, England. His birth year is recorded variously as 1892 and 1893 in later documents, but all agree on the same birth date and Lancashire origins.

Family records suggest that Victor’s father was James Clarence Blakey, and that he may have taken his surname from his mother, Mayfield. This has led to some confusion in genealogical notes where a “Clarence Victor Blakey” appears; however, this name actually reflects Victor’s parentage rather than a separate sibling.

Victor grew up in Lancashire/Yorkshire and by the time of the First World War had trained as an engineer, a trade that would define both his military and civilian careers.

Marriage and Family in England

Victor married Edith Caroline Reid (1897–1995) in England during the 1910s. Their first children were born there before the family emigrated to Australia:

Vera Elsie Mayfield – born 1918
Edna Iris Mayfield – born 1920 (later married Leonard Charles Allen; died 2003, Cheltenham, South Australia)
Ronald Royston Mayfield – born 1921

Migration to Australia and Later Children

Around 1922, Victor and Edith emigrated to South Australia. By 1923 they were living in Adelaide, as shown by the birthplaces of their younger children:

Gladys Irene Mayfield – born 10 May 1923, Adelaide
Reginald Gordon Mayfield – born 1924, Adelaide

The family settled in Lamont Street, Croydon, a western suburb of Adelaide. Edith Caroline was consistently listed as Victor’s next of kin in military and hospital records, confirming the family’s residence there.

World War I Service – Royal Engineers (British Army)

During the First World War, Victor enlisted in the Royal Engineers of the British Army, with regimental number 18251. His rank was Sapper, later promoted to Warrant Officer Class I (WO I).

He was entitled to the Victory Medal and the British War Medal, appearing on the official medal rolls of 1919. These confirm his service overseas during the war.

His training and practical experience as an engineer in WWI provided the foundation for his later occupation as an Inspector of High Voltage Mains and informed his WWII service in Australia.

World War II Service – Australian Army (SX24209)

Despite being in his late 40s, Victor enlisted again during the Second World War, this time with the Australian Military Forces.

Enlistment: 1 July 1940 (Keswick, South Australia)
Service Number: Initially S14729, later SX24209
Occupation: Inspector of High Voltage Mains
Religion: Church of England
Next of Kin: Edith Caroline Mayfield, Lamont Street, Croydon

Promotions and Postings

Began as Private / Temporary Sergeant in 1940
Commissioned Lieutenant (23 June 1942), posted to the Army Service Corps and later the Motor Vehicle Training Centre
Served in the Provost Corps (military police and administration), undertaking training and organisational duties
Attended No. 5 Cadre Course, Fort Gellibrand, Victoria (1943)
Recorded as “A good soldier, having qualities of leadership. General attitude would command respect” in a Confidential Report (1943)

Medals and Entitlements

Victor was entitled to:

1939/45 Star
Defence Medal
War Medal 1939–45
Australian Service Medal 1939–45

Although some paperwork notes “awards withheld” due to administrative checks, his entitlements were clear.

Retirement

Victor was placed on the Retired List on 30 September 1943, aged 51, after three years of active home service.

Civilian Life and Career

Outside of his military contributions, Victor worked as an Inspector of High Voltage Mains in South Australia, a critical role during a time of industrial and wartime demands.

He was described as technically skilled, with a reputation for leadership and reliability.

Death and Burial

Victor Mayfield died on 10 April 1952 at Adelaide Hospital, aged 62. His residence was recorded as Croydon, and his death notice in the Advertiser listed him as:

“Dearly beloved husband of Edith Caroline, loving father of Vera, Ethel [sic; Edna], Ronald, Gladys and Reginald.”

He was buried in Cheltenham Cemetery, Section M, Drive C, Path 25, Site 101N.

His headstone reads:

“Victor Mayfield, beloved husband of Edith, died 10th April 1952.”

Edith Caroline’s Later Years

After Victor’s death, Edith remarried in 1955 to James Spencer Butler (1890–1971), a World War I veteran. When she died on 19 December 1995, she was buried alongside Victor at Cheltenham Cemetery.

The shared headstone was updated to read:

“Edith Butler, also beloved wife of Spencer Butler, died 19th Dec 1995.”

Legacy

Victor Mayfield’s life spanned two world wars and two continents.

In England, he served as a Royal Engineer in WWI and began a family.
In Australia, he raised five children with Edith, contributed his engineering expertise, and even returned to uniform in WWII.

His service, both in Britain and Australia, underscores his lifelong commitment to duty, engineering, and family. Through Edith, his story also links to another serviceman — James Spencer Butler — tying together two veteran legacies in one family.

Sources

British Army WWI Medal Rolls – Royal Engineers, Reg. No. 18251 (Victory & British War Medals)
Australian National Archives (NAA: B883, SX24209) – Full WWII service file, including attestation, promotions, casualty forms, confidential reports, and medal entitlements
South Australian BDM Indexes – Births, marriages, and deaths of Victor, Edith, and their children
Cheltenham Cemetery Records – Victor Mayfield (1952), Edith Caroline (1995), Edna Iris Allen (2003)
The Advertiser (Adelaide), Death Notice, April 1952 – confirming family, residence, and burial
FamilySearch & Ancestry Data – Genealogical records for Vera Elsie, Edna Iris, Ronald Royston, Gladys Irene, and Reginald Gordon Mayfield

Biography by Trevor Pyatt 14/09/2025