Victor Emanuel Durling

Personal Information
Date of Birth	Not known
Place of Birth	Meopham, Gravesend, Kent, England
Death	10 Jan 1937
Place of Death	Gravesend, Kent, England
Age at Enlistment	27 years, 5 months
Description	5"7 ½" (1.71m) tall; weight 137 lbs (62.1 kg); fair complexion, grey blue eyes, fair hair
Occupation	carpenter
Religion	Church of England
Address	c/- Post Office, Kelmscott, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Father Mr Albert Durling
Military Information
Reg Number	3318
Date of Enlistment	26 Jul 1915
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	11th Battalion, 11th Reinforcement transferred to 51st Battalion / 13th Brigade, 4th Division
Date of Embarkation	2 Nov 1915 - 26 Nov 1915 to Port Suez
Ship Embarked On	HMAT A38 Ulysses
Date of Return	5 Feb 1918 - 8 Apr 1918
Ship Returned On	SS Llanstephan Castle
Fate	Wounded in Action 10 Jul 1916 at Poziéres Returned to Australia
Monument	Kelmscott War Memorial (West panel) Jarrahdale Honour Roll ANZAC Memorial Park (Byford)
Medals	British War Medal Victory Medal

Pre War

Victor was still living with his family in England at the time of the 1911 census, being the oldest of 7 children ranging in age from 7 to 24. He was described as a carpenter working for a builder.

Victor is named in a UK Outwards Bound list of passengers on the migrant ship SS Orsova (Orient Line) that departed London for Fremantle, Australia on 2 Aug 1912. Listed as aged 24, a carpenter, intending to reside in Australia. The matching immigration sheet for Fremantle shows that the Orsova arrived in Fremantle on 3 Sep 1912. Stops on the way included Toulon, Naples and Colombo.

War Service

Following the formation of the 51st Battalion in Egypt and its initial training they made the journey from Alexandria to Marseilles in the HMT Ivernia during June 1916.

Entering the front lines for the first time in early July Victor was wounded by shellfire, with injuries to his right hand and arm. He was one of 6 casualties that resulted from intermittent shelling before his company rotated out of the front line in the Petillon Sector.

Victor was wounded in his unit's first time in the line and before the Australian Army's first major battle in France. Treated by 15th Field Ambulance and the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station, he also spent time in the 8th Stationery Hospital prior to embarking on the HS Jan Breydel in Boulogne for transit to England where he entered the General Military Hospital in Colchester for corrective treatment.

While in depot units waiting to find out if he was to be sent back to France he committed 2 AWOL offences totalling 50 days absence, 34 days confinement and the loss of 139 day's pay

Sent back to Australia due to his injuries, and discharged by 5th Military District on 4 Jul 1918.

Sunday Times 6 Aug 1916 p.9S lists Victor as wounded. The next week's issue corrects this to read, wounded, seriously.

Post War

In 1925 he had moved back to England and requested that his medals be forwarded to him there (Gravesend). At the time of his death his address was 37 Stanbrook-road Northfleet, Kent, but his place of death was the Gravesend and North Kent Hospital.

His will was probated on 19 February 1937, and he left £516 2s. 4d. to his wife Alice.

External Links

• AIF Project
• RSL Memorial