Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Victor, born at Naracoorte on September 14th, 1902, was the son of John Henry and Elizabeth Ann Atkins. Victor’s father, John was born in Burton, England. As a nineteen-year-old he joined the British Army in India, serving for twelve years. He then came to Australia landing in Adelaide in 1876. Within two years he had travelled to Naracoorte and employment at the large Morambro Station. He married a local, Elizabeth Flavel with the two then having a family of nine. Besides Victor, his siblings included Isabella (Belle) and Anne, John Henry and Herbert Ellis plus a stillborn baby born in 1915.
Victor’s schooling was at the local Hynam School. This region was also part of the Limestone Coast, but the township was especially important for its Railway Station, essential to the country region for transport of produce. As young students, Vic and his sister, Annie both received awards for their regular attendance. Post school Victor became a Station Hand.
He married Elizabeth Mary Shaw Flavel, whose family also worked on the Morambro Station. The couple had eight children, Christina Mary born in March ‘27, John Victor in February ‘32, Joyce Eleanor in February ‘34, and Patricia Betsy in July ‘38 all being born before WWII. Two children, Thomas Robert, February ‘45 and Rosalie April ‘46, were born when Victor returned.
Victor was 24 when his 82-year-old father, John Henry died in the local Naracoorte Hospital in July ’27, just months after the arrival of Victor and Elizabeth’s first child, Christina. This little girl was just five years old when she died in January ’33. She was buried in the Naracoorte Cemetery Just over a year later, Joyce Elizabeth arrived.
Vic had a small tangle with the law in April ’36 when he was charged with offensive behaviour in the local Woton’s Hotel Lane. It was a costly mistake of a 5/- fine and 15/ costs. In those days the penalty for non-payment was a much harsher 72 hours imprisonment, and seven days in which to pay. In general, however, Victor was a hard-working local Station Hand on the Lawson property at Padthaway West Station.
In November ’38 he was one of several volunteers who had devoted seven weeks of their time to sink a bore to provide water for the local school garden. Unfortunately, the casing stuck in the quicksand, had bent and was unable to be moved. Victor’s suggestion was to push the casing down. This was rejected by the other works who commented that it would come up somewhere in China and, if recognised as a bit of Australian bore casing, would lead to international complications with either the Japanese or the Chinese. His brother, Jack, aware of the jammed, expensive casing (worth £7) and 14 feet underground, tried to lighten the gloomy mood by suggesting that it was ‘at moments like these you need a Minties’. Other poetic quotes followed. Eventually a typical response by the workers was that they were not going to let a bit of a hole in the ground beat them, so they started on the job of sinking a well. They hard workers realised that had the bore been moved just a few feet, all the incredibly tough dolomite boulders would have been missed and the bore not bent or jammed.
During the heat of summer the following year, Vic was particularly fortunate that his house at Padthaway escaped a north-wind driven fire. With support of the community, the school building was saved but all the ornamental trees and shrubs were burnt. The fire had been driven by choppy winds, threatening Vic and Elizabeth’s house. It was fortunately saved, although the walls were blackened up to the roof line. Unfortunately, it burnt the fruit trees, firewood, outbuildings, and fences. This was achieved with local men with beaters and others ploughing fire breaks with tractors.
The outbreak of WWII gave the opportunity for employment, adventure and travel. Enlistees were particularly sought in country areas where it was hoped to target, fit, single young men. So many from Naracoorte heeded the call to arms, including older married men. Vic and his brother-in-law, George Arthur (‘Jim’) Flavel and John Joseph Flavel, plus two nephews Charles and Eric Lawrie were amongst the first to enlist in Mount Gambier.
Victor was 37-year-old and enlisted on the 4th July at the same time as Jim Flavel. They were given the numbers SX7814 and SX7818 respectively. The two nephews, 20-year-old Charles and 22-year-old Eric Lawrie had close-by numbers of SX8497 and Eric, SX8498. Fortuitously, all were allocated to the 2/48th Battalion. For his nephews was the opportunity of gaining regular work as the Depression had hit country regions hard. Sadly, the conflict affected each of the men in very different ways. (John Flavel enlisted in July ’41 as SX13768 and was allocated to the 2/7th Battalion. He was just 20 years old when he was killed in action in New Guinea in December, 42.)
The four men travelled to Adelaide where they were initially housed in the Motor Pavilion of what is now the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds. Their ‘beds’ were straw filled hessian on wooden pallets. The young men were later given kitbags on which their names were stencilled. From there, they travelled to Woodside in the Adelaide Hills for preliminary training. Returning home on pre-embarkation leave the new enlistees were farewelled with a civic afternoon, hosted by the Mayor of Narracoorte who expressed his appreciation to the guests in the task they had undertaken. Besides the four relatives, Gordon Lennard SX6939, was also part of the group that was farewelled. The men were provided with a sumptuous afternoon tea provided by the Cheer-Up Society, before each was presented with a parcel from the members.
The following month, the enlistees then embarked on the Stratheden for the Middle East, in November, arriving on the 17th December. Vic was then allocated to the Guard Battalion, embarking for Greece in February ’41. In May he was diagnosed with a painful inner ear infection, (Otitis Media) which was treated in the ensuing weeks before he was able to return to his unit. Unfortunately, by August that year he contracted malaria and spent almost a month being treated. Having spent time in a staging Camp, Vic was then allocated to the 2/28th Battalion in August ’42. Within two months he was diagnosed with boils (a carbuncle) on his right thigh, which then developed into an infected abscess (Furunculosis) on the right thigh, and he was again evacuated to the 2/3rd field ambulance before returning to the 2/28th Battalion. Fortunately, his time in the Middle East came to a close at the end of January ’43 enabling him to return to Australia via Sydney. Vic’s physical health meant that he was classified medically to undertake a more restricted range of duties whist being transferred to Queensland. Whilst there he worked in the Australian Tank Workshops from September ’43 but by October had contracted an upper respiratory tract infection.
By March ’44 Vic returned to South Australia where he was discharged on the 31st of that month enabling him to return home. He and Elizabeth soon welcomed a son, Thomas Robert in February ’45, followed by a daughter, Rosalie. Sadly, Rosalie lived for just two days and died on the 18 April ’46. She was buried with her first-born sister, Christina, who had died in January ’33. Both now rest in plot 613 of the Naracoorte Cemetery.
Aged 67, Victor died at Furner, Lucindale, a War Service Home on April 6th 1970.
Vic’s medals were not forwarded to him post war, and it was not until after his death that his wife, Elizabeth wrote to claim these, giving as much information as she had. By that time, she had returned to her hometown of Naracoorte where her daughters were then living. The 1939/45 Star, African Star, Defence Medal, War Medal and Australian Service medal were finally sent to her in February ’73, becoming precious reminders to Elizabeth and her children of Vic’s service.
Researched and written by Kaye Lee, daughter of Bryan Holmes SX8133, 2/48th Battalion.