Victor Leo Gordon Boyle

Victor Leo Gordon Boyle

Courtesy Helen Manson
Personal Information
Date of Birth	c1897
Place of Birth	Fitzroy, Victoria
Death	23 Dec 1966, aged 69
Place of Death	Maylands, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	18 years, 4 months
Description	5' 4¼" (1.63m) tall ; 126 lbs 57.153 kg ; fair complexion ; blue eyes ; light brown hair ; 3rd finger right hand missing
Occupation	Brickmaker
Religion	Church of England
Address	Beenup, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Brother , Mr Reginald Boyle
Military Information
Reg Number	4559
Date of Enlistment	8 Nov 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	16th Battalion, 14th Reinforcement, transferred to 48th Battalion
Date of Embarkation	12 Feb 1916 ‒ 11 Mar 1916
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A28 Miltiades Fremantle to Port Suez
Date of Return	3 Mar 1919 ‒ 10 Apr 1919
Ship Returned On	HMAT A14 Euripides
Fate	Missing in Action, later Prisoner of War 5 Apr 1918 Returned to Australia
Monument	Armadale War Memorial (Beenup panel) Armadale and Districts Roll of Honour The Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial Ballarat, Victoria
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

War Service

Entered camp and was assigned to the 35th Depot Company for the first 5 weeks before being earmarked on 15 Dec 1916 for artillery reinforcements. However before he shipped out to Melbourne for artillery training he was transferred to the 14th reinforcement draft for the 16th Battalion on 4 Jan 1916, and sailed with them to Egypt.

Arrived in Egypt in Mar 1916, and entered a Training Battalion before being transferred to help form the new 48th Battalion. On 2 Jun 1916 the battalion boarded HMT Caledonia in Alexandria harbour, and disembarked in Marseilles, southern France on 9 Jun 1916.

Apart from a week in hospital from 6 to 13 Dec 1916, he was with his unit until he was captured on 5 Apr 1918. Seen initially by the 5th Australian Field Ambulance, he was treated for influenza before being sent to the Anzac Rest Station.

At 6:55am on 5 Apr 1918 near Albert, north of the Somme River the battalion was in the front lines. At that time the enemy commenced a very heavy artillery barrage that continued for five hours. At 10:00am the enemy broke through on the battalion's right and it is probable that Victor, already wounded by shell fire, was captured at that time or when the company he was with withdrew as a result of the 46th Battalion not holding its line.

Ironically his personal possessions, while being sent home to his family (while he was still officially posted as missing), were lost at sea when HMAT A43 Barunga was torpedoed and sank.

Repatriated to Ripon, northern England on 12 Jan 1919. Unfortunately his debrief report is not with the rest of his military records. Given a month's leave from 14 Jan until 15 Feb 1919, he returned to No. 2 Depot Weymouth before boarding the Euripides.

On the trip home he spent a couple of days in the ship's hospital with influenza. On his return he was placed in the 8th Australian General Hospital, and while waiting for his discharge he went AWOL on three occasions : 10:30pm 27 May 1919 till 10:30 pm 29 May 1919 (Admonished and lost 2 days pay); 10:30 pm 7 Jun 1919 till 10:30pm 9 Jun 1919; and 10:30 pm 19 Jun 1916 to 10:00am 20 Jun 1919.

Discharged by the 5th Military District on 18 Sep 1919.

"...fought through the Dardanelles campaign and went as regimental driver with his battalion to France."

The West Australian 7 Mar 1919 reports Victor's arrival in England ex POW. On 4 Apr 1919 The West Australian reports him as being part of a large contingent of returning troops. He was released from quarantine on the 18th of April 1919.

Post War

PERTH POLICE COURT. (Wednesday.-Before Mr. T. F. Davies, P.M.) Alleged Stealing. - Victor Boyle was charged with having, on May 26, stolen a motor cycle, valued at £49, the property of Herbert Vesper Hitch. Louis Hitch stated that on the night in question he left a motor cycle the property of his brother outside the premises of Messrs. Hatch Bros., 112 Beaufort street. It was identical with the one (produced in Court) which the accused was alleged to have stolen. Herbert Vesper Hitch corroborated the evidence of his brother. Accused had not been authorised to touch the bicycle. P.C. Maingay stated that he saw accused opposite the Beaufort Arms Hotel on Monday evening, at about 8.49pm, endeavouring, but with little success, to run along with the machine in order to make it start. Seeing accused fall over he arrested him. The accused pleaded that he had been wounded in the head in France last August, and was still being treated in the Base Hospital Fremantle, by Dr. Gray. He had no recollection of having been in possession of the motor cycle. After hearing the evidence of Frank Rogers corroborating accused's statements, the Court remanded the accused until the afternoon, when Mr. J. W. Clydesdale appeared for him and stated that Boyle was in a very serious condition, having received a serious wound while a prisoner of war in Germany last year. He had to undergo an operation on Monday next. When under the influence of liquor the accused was not responsible for his actions. Dr. Gray stated that accused was under his care, and his health was in a precarious condition. Accused was bound over to be of good behaviour in two sureties of £10 each and was ordered to pay the costs of damage done to the machine estimated at one pound.

Electoral Roll entries - 1925 - 1936, Byford, a brickmaker; 1949 - 1963 Maylands, brickmaker.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial
• Ballarat POW Memorial