Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

(This rather incomplete cobbled-together picture of Eugene Victor is taken in excerpts from my larger Roy family story.  Eugene Victor was the son of my grandfather's brother Eugene Chapman Roy.  Eugene Victor was born the year before my own father and would have been my father's first cousin but they never met each other as my father, who also fought in WW2, was born in New Zealand).

In 1909, according to the West Australian Post Office Directory for that year, Eugene Chapman Roy was employed as a clerk and living at Widgemooltha, 630kms east of Perth. It is possible he worked in a clerical capacity for a company prospecting for gold.

On 8 November 1909, aged 23, Eugene was the first of Frank and Elizabeth’s children to marry. He married Winnie Isobel Freeman (Ref 465) in Perth.

Winnie gave birth to their first son Albert Robert Roy (Ref 180) on 21 March 1910 in Worsley, a settlement 189kms SSE of Perth. In the late 1800s timber was milled in the area and the town site of Worsley was gazetted in 1909 – shortly before Eugene and Winnie moved there.

In the spring of 1911 Winnie gave birth to a second son Eugene Victor Roy (Ref 517) on 23 October – this birth also registered in Worsley.

Eugene and Winnie’s third child, daughter Winnie Elizabeth Roy (Ref 283) was born in Worsley in 1913 and the following year Eugene moved his family back to Perth – finding employment as an accountant and book keeper in a Perth engineering office.

In 1916 Eugene joined the 10th Field Artillery Brigade 9th Reinforcements as a gunner, regimental number 31673, embarking at Melbourne. He left Australia on RMS Orontes on 23 December 1916 to serve with the 10th Field Artillery Brigade in France.

Winnie took her children to live with her mother, Mrs L P Freeman at 143 Hay Street in Subiaco. In Eugene’s absence it is believed her extended family supported Winnie and the children as it is known Eugene Victor was cared for by her sister Edna from the time he was ‘a babe’.

In June 1918, as a result of continuing ill health, Eugene was invalided from the Army having served in England and France. At this time his children Albert Robert, Eugene Victor and Winnie Elizabeth were aged about 8, 7 and 5 years respectively.

Though apparently happily married prior to his service abroad, on his return from the war he was unable to settle. Winnie later claimed, when filing for divorce, “he began to stay out at nights, and kept her short of money. He refused to make a home for her, and early in 1921 he went to the North-West, and she had never seen him since”.

On his return Eugene did spend time in the far north of Western Australia shooting buffalo – like many returning soldiers it would seem he was unable to reintegrate with his family. He appears to have then left the far north and, looking for a new start, it is believed he settled in Sydney.

In 1922 Winnie Roy’s sister Edna Freeman married Thomas A. Forbes in Perth, and the couple then moved to Melbourne. It is believed they took Eugene and Winnie’s children with them – Eugene Victor aged 11 years, Winnie Elizabeth (known to have left Western Australia for Victoria circa this time) 9.

In 1929 Eugene 44, working as an accountant for the Manly Gas Company Ltd, remarried (ref 9838). He and new wife Dorothy Beatrice Roy nee Vawdrey resided at Cumberland Avenue, Collaroy. His son Albert Robert aged 20 was at this time living with them as it is thought was his mother Elizabeth.

At this time Eugene Victor, 18, was living in West Coburg Melbourne with his adoptive family the Forbes, as was his sister Winnie Elizabeth. In 1931 aged 20 Eugene was a member of the 15th Field Brigade – a citizen’s force which was maintained on a part-time, voluntary basis and involved an annual training camp and parades.

in 1937, Eugene Victor Roy married recently divorced Dorothy Elizabeth May Neal nee Kane (Ref 9005) in Melbourne.

For the Roy family a sad casualty of WW2 was Eugene Victor Roy who died aged 31 in Scotland on 20 August 1942. Eugene Victor, serving with the Royal Australian Air Force as a Flying Officer, was the pilot on a night training flight at the time of his death. The letter informing his wife of the circumstances stated:

‘Your late husband was the pilot of a Beaufort aircraft which crashed at Glenhend Farm near Turnberry, Scotland, at approximately 12.25am on the date above-mentioned. The aircraft appears to have hit the ground at great speed while turning to port shortly after taking off on a non operational night training flight’.

Eugene, a school teacher in civilian life – lived in Croxton, Melbourne with wife Dorothy. According to a 1943 Memoriam notice he was ‘daddy’ of Barry Roy. It isn’t known when his son was born but probably circa 1939/40.

Evidence Eugene Victor was fostered as a child by Winnie’s sister and her husband is revealed in a letter dated 7 September 1942. It is addressed to the Air Board in Melbourne from a Thomas A. Forbes – Eugene Victor’s uncle. Mr Forbes thanked the Air Board for notifying him and his wife of Eugene Victor’s death saying: ‘... Mrs Forbes and myself wish you to accept our very many thanks for letting us know. Pilot Officer Eugene Victor Roy was like our own boy as we reared him from a babe ...’.