Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Staff Nurse
AANS

Born 1888 at Traralgon, Vic.
Daughter of John Edward BECK and Jane nee FREDICKSON
Sister of William BECK
Of Victoria Street, Payneham, SA
Occupation prior to enlistment Nursing

Enlisted 05 May 1917 Adelaide, SA
Embarked 12 May 1917 per 'Benalla'
Served in England and France
Returned to Australia per 18 April 1919 per 'Kashmir'
Discharged 28 June 1919
Married Roy Lionel Chichester YOUNG 27 November 1920 at Methodist Church, Port Augusta by Rev. C M Tresise
Died 22 May 1925 at North Adelaide, SA
Resided at St. Peters at time of death
Aged 36 years

Victoria Wilhelmina (Queenie) BECK was the daughter of John Edward BECK & Jane FREDRICKSON and was born in 1888 at her parent’s home, “Recreation Villa”, Traralgon, VIC.

Her father was born in 1845 in Covenham, St Bartholomew, Lincolnshire, England and was the son of Nicholas Edward & Mary BECK.

Her mother was born in 1845 in Hull, Yorkshire, East Riding, England and was the daughter of Henry FREDRICKSON & Catherine SWEETING

John & Jane were married in 1869 in Hull, Yorkshire, East Riding, England.

Victoria was the youngest child born into this family of 8 children, 6 boys & 2 girls.

After her parents had married in England in 1869 the boarded the Sea Chief, from London on the 18th of November 1869 for Australia.

They arrived in Pt Phillip Bay, VIC on the 23rd February 1870 and her father had listed his occupation as a farmer.

Within a few years her father had become a Tailor and they had moved to Prahran, VIC where he had a Tailor & Outfitter Store in 25 Chapel Street, Prahran in 1877.

All of Victoria’s siblings were born in Praharan.

Her mother was a Sunday School teacher in her teens in England and when they moved to Prahran she found the Christ Church Sunday School, Punt Road, South Yarra.

By 1887 Victoria’s parents had moved to “Recreation Villa” in Traralgon.

Victoria was just over 12 months old when her parents moved from Traralgon to Adelaide in November 1889.

The Beck family first lived in Fisher Street, Norwood before moving to Eighth Avenue, St Peters and her father gained employment with Coultas & Co, Tailors in the city.

In August 1893 her father took out a 2 year lease on a shop at the Parade, Norwood and established a first class Tailoring business. (where the Norwood shopping Mall now is)

Her mother was elected as the first secretary of the Women’s Christian Temperance, Kent Town Union in 1892 and then president in 1899. She was also president of the Payneham Union for 9 years.

Victoria attended the Norwood Primary School.

Victoria was 16 years old when her mother died in the Adelaide Hospital from peritonitis, caused by a ruptured ventral hernia, on the 1st of May 1904. They held her funeral in the Spicer Memorial Methodist Church, St Peters and buried her in the Payneham Cemetery.

The following year, on the 19th of November 1905 her brother Henry died in the Adelaide Hospital from Tuberculosis.

After Henry’s death her father moved to Snowtown where Harold was living and helped him in his Tailoring business.

Her sister Haydee then died on the 14th of September 1907 whilst she was visiting their father and brother Harold, in Snowtown.

After her schooling Victoria began her nurse training at the Adelaide Hospital and after 3 years she received her Certificate and became a member of the Royal British Nurses Association.

Victoria joined the District Trained Nurses Society and then by 1913 she was a charge nurse in the Koolgardie Hospital, WA.

Whilst she was here her father died on the 15th of May 1913 in Snowtown. He had a heart attack at the Snowtown Railway Station and was found dead on the seat.

Victoria then moved back to South Australia and was living at Pile’s boarding house, at the corner of Althorpe Place & Emily Street, Glenelg.

On the 21st of January 1914 Victoria suffered from severe burns on her legs and arms when a spirit lamp caught fire and exploded.

She was filling up the spirit can with mentholated spirits when the tin containing the liquid caught fire and exploded. The burning spirit ran all over the sitting room, set fire to the furniture and the flames leaping up scorched the ceiling.

The fire brigade were quickly on the scene and speedily extinguished the fire.

After she recovered she moved to Kadina as the district nurse and then in October 1916 she returned and was nursing in Woodville.

On the 1st of February 1916 Victoria completed her questionnaire for enrolment into the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).

At the age of 28, Victoria enlisted into the Australian Military Force, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) on the 15th of January 1917 in Adelaide and was posted to the 7th Australian General Hospital at Keswick. Victoria was transferred into the AIF, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) on the 5th of May 1917 as Staff Nurse.

In the first week of May the Edith Cavell Army Nurses Club held a farewell for Victoria and 8 other South Australian nurses who were about to leave for the front.

Victoria embarked from Melbourne on the board the HMAT Benalla on the 12th of May 1917, disembarking in Plymouth, England on the 19th of July and detached for duty at Hotel York.

Two weeks later she was posted to the Croydon War Hospital where she remained until the 8th of February 1918 when she was attached to 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall and then the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield.

Whilst she was here Victoria was awarded her 3 year service medal from the District Trained Nurses Society, although not in Australia to receive it.

Victoria proceeded to France on the 3rd of April and posted to 74th General Hospital in Trouville. On the 21st of August she gained 2 weeks leave to England and on her return was posted to the 3rd Australian General Hospital in Abbeville.

On the 4th of October she was transferred back to England and attached to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield.

She remained here until the 11th of February 1919 when she was attached to 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Southall.

Victoria embarked for Australia on board HMAT Kashmir, on the 18th of April 1919, disembarking in Adelaide on the 25th of April – ANZAC Day.

Victoria was discharged from the AIF on the 28th of June 1919.

On her return she joined the District Trained Nurses Society and then with the outbreak of Influenza epidemic in Millicent in September, she was sent there to help.

Victoria then contracted Influenza herself.

After her return from Millicent she was posted to the Pt Augusta district and here she married Roy Lionel Chichester YOUNG on the 27th of November 1920 in the Methodist Church, Port Augusta.

Roy was the son of John George YOUNG & Emma VINCE and was born on the 9th of February 1880 in Crystal Brook, SA. 

Roy had previously enlisted into the AIF (55467) on the 27th of April 1916, but was discharged medically unfit due to suffering from Anisometropia.

They welcomed their first child; John Beck, on the 8th of December 1921, followed by Ross Vince, on the 12th of March 1924.

Roy was a carpenter and they lived at 2 Mildred Street, Pt Augusta.

Victoria died on the 22nd of May 1925 in North Adelaide and was buried in the Payneham Cemetery; Section SE, Path 7, Plot 192.

Her grave is unmarked