10668
BARNES, Victor Malcolm
| Service Numbers: | 860, 2656 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 31 August 1914 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
| Born: | Keyneton, South Australia, Australia, 1891 |
| Home Town: | Morgan, Mid Murray, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Station overseer |
| Died: | Fullarton, Unley City, South Australia, Australia, 6 May 1975, cause of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: |
Centennial Park Cemetery, South Australia |
| Memorials: | Adelaide Cambrai WW1 Roll of Honour, Sedan Institute Honour Roll |
World War 1 Service
| 31 Aug 1914: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 860, 10th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 20 Oct 1914: | Involvement Driver, 860, 10th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '10' embarkation_place: Adelaide embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 20 Oct 1914: | Embarked Driver, 860, 10th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Adelaide | |
| 14 Mar 1919: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 2656, 3rd Light Horse Regiment |
Victor Barnes
Name: Victor Malcolm Barnes
Service Number: 860 2656
Place of Birth: Keyneton
Date of Birth: 6 October 1890
Place of Enlistment: Adelaide
Date of Enlistment: 31 August 1914 and 16 July 1915
Age at Enlistment: 24 years 6 months
Next of Kin: Mother – Annie Barnes
Occupation: Clerk / Station Overseer
Religion: Church of England
Rank: Private / Provisional Sergeant
The service record of Victor Barnes contains some discrepancies due
to the fact that he actually enlisted twice, once on 31 August 1914
and again on 16 July 1915. After completing basic training he left
Adelaide on HMAT Ascanius on 20 October 1914. Victor underwent
further training in Egypt prior to serving at Gallipoli. However, early
in 1915 he developed inguinal hernia and was assessed as
“medically unfit”, resulting in being returned to Australia from Suez
per Ulysses on 15 April 1915. Upon his return to Adelaide, Victor
was sent to Mitcham Camp on 17 June. He was appointed Acting
Sergeant in December. He reverted to his former rank of private in
January 1919.
As a private,Victor joined the 3rd Light Horse, 10th Battalion on 10
August 1916 and proceeded to Moascar, Egypt on 15 August. He
sustained a gunshot wound to the right hand in action on 31 March
1918 and received treatment at the 43rd Stationary Hospital, prior to
further treatment at Moascar on 1 July. His mother was advised of
Victor’s wound on 17 April. Upon recovering Victor was assigned to
stores duty until early 1919.He contracted malaria and was returned
to Australia from Suez per Euripides on 15 March and was
discharged on 17 July.
Victor Barnes filed a second attestation paper on 16 July 1915,
giving his age as 24 years and 6 months, as he had upon his initial
attestation paper of 31 August 1914. According to The South
Australian Births Index of Registrations Victor was born on 6
October 1890, thereby showing the discrepancy listed on both
submitted attestation papers. Such discrepancies are common
among war service records.
Source: NAA; B2455; BarnesVM; Barcode 3051438
Submitted 30 September 2023 by christopher collins
Biography contributed by Ashton WHITE-HAWKES
Victor Malcolm Barnes was born in January 1892 in the town of Keyneton, South Australia. His parents names were Francis George Barnes (Father) and Annie Barnes (mother) and his address Teesdale, Markaranka, Morgan. Before enlistment into the war his occupation was a clerk.
He signed up to the military on the 31st of August, 1914, ranked as Driver and departed on board Transport A11 Ascanius on 20th October 1914. He joined the 10th Battalion. Deemed medically unfit with inguinal hernia, he was sent back to Asutralia on the 21st of March, 1915. He returned to Melbourne onboard the ship ULYSSES and then on to Adelaide. Barnes was treated at Keswick Military Hospital. In September 1915 he was sent to camp Mitcham and then went on to N.C.O’s officer school gaining a Sergeant Certificate and acted as an instructor. He was transferred to Cheltenham Camp and put in charge of Wirless Sation guard until he was told that he would be returning to the front.
Later on, the 23rd of June 1916 he embarked with the 3rd Light Horse Regiment at Adelaide on the Katuna and given another service number 2656. Barnes was taken on strength at Moascar 10th August 1916 and within days reverted to the rank of Private. He was soon sent to hospital with a headache on the 22 August 16.
On October 12th, 1916, he marched out to the 3rd Light Horse Regiment and served in the Middle East
March 31st Victor 1918 Barnes was wounded in battle on his right hand. He received hospital treatment and then went to the rest camp. He rejoined his unit 19th June 1918.
On the 10th of January 1919 Victor Malcolm Barnes sent a message to base requesting them to change his numbers to 860 since when rejoining in 1916 he got given a new number and, on his reports, and files up till that point he had the numbers written as 2656/860. During that time messages through command were being sent to work out the problems around the numbers and to work out what would be done about them.
On the 15th of March 1919 he embarked from Suez to Australia on the Euripides afterr being diagnosed with Malaria.
The last piece of communication with Military Authorities was when Barnes sent a letter to the military requesting the Gallipoli Badge on 14th of July 1967.
Barnes died in May 1975 at Fullarton and is buried in Centennial Park Cemetery