Samuel (Sydney) Albert Victor Vickers

Samuel (Sydney) Albert Victor Vickers

Personal Information
Date of Birth	22 Aug 1898
Place of Birth	London, England
Death	10 Jan 1953, aged 57
Place of Death	Kelmscott, Western Australia
Age at Enlistment	43 years old
Occupation	Truck driver
Religion	Church of England
Address	Bedfordale, Western Australia
Next of Kin	Wife , Mrs. Sylvia Christina Vickers
Military Information
Reg Number	W15382 & 1041
Date of Enlistment	19 Aug 1941
Rank	Private
Unit/Formation	125th Australian General Transport Company
Post War Details
Fate	Served in British Army ww1 POW ww1 Remained in Australia ww2
Medals	1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal

Samuel (Sydney) Albert Victor Vickers

Headstone Information
Date of Birth	10 March 1896
Place of Birth	London, England
Date of Death	10 January 1953
Age at Death	57
Additional Names	Sylvia Christina Vickers

Pre WWI

Sydney Vickers was born in Fulham, England in 1898 as Albert Victor Vickers. By the time of the 1901 census, his parents James and Harriet Vickers had taken to calling him Samuel, and that is the name entered on the 1901 census and the 1911 census.

WWI

In 1914, the young Samuel Albert Victor Vickers enlisted to fight in WW1, claiming he was born on 22 August 1895. He joined the East Surrey Regiment (service number 9081) and later became a Prisoner of War, captured on 8 April 1917 at Oppy.

Post WWI

Following the First World War, S.A. Vickers emigrated to Australia in 1923, arriving in Fremantle aboard the Osterley on 23 August. He was recorded on Passenger Lists as a Greengrocer with a birth year of 1896. He married Sylvia Christina Johnson in 1925, at some point having taken on the name 'Sydney'. The couple came to the Armadale district to live and they had four children: Edward, Bonnie, Heather and James.

Electoral Roll entries: 1931 Bedfordale, farmer; 1936 Forrestdale, farmer

WWII Service

Enlisted in the Army Reserve on 19 Aug 1941 and following training, on 3 Oct 1941 he was posted to the 125th Australian General Transport Company while it was called the 122nd Reserve Motor Transport Company. On 3 Dec 1941 Sydney was charged with Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline - 1) showed considerable delay in reporting to No. 2 Control post contrary to Standing Orders for Drivers; 2) he neglected to show reason or cause of this unnecessary delay. Fine 5/- for each offence, total 10/- ($1). On 20 Jan 1942 he was moved to the Meat Depot, and in May took a period of Leave without Pay before being discharged on 29 May 1942 on the grounds that he was returning to essential services.

Sydney then enlisted in the Navy as a truck driver on 25 Jan 1943 for either 2 years or until hostilities ceased. He was posted to HMAS Leeuwin as a General Service rating. Sydney was discharged from the Navy on 1 May 1943 following 21 days detention from 12 Apr 1943, his services no longer being required. The records do not include details of the offence that led to his detention.

Post WWII

By 1947, Vickers was listed in electoral rolls as being a farm labourer in Maddington, where he lived on Albany Highway. He and his wife Sylvia lived in Maddington from 1945 until their deaths.

Sylvia died 13 Dec 1954 aged 57 and was buried in the St Mary-in-the-Valley cemetery as the wife of Samuel. Samuel Albert is buried there as the husband of Sylvia, died 30 Jan 1953, aged 57.

Date of Birth Notes

Various records have differing dates of birth, however the correct DOB is 1898. Vickers had claimed it to be 1895 when enlisting in WW1, later claiming it to be 1896 when emigrating to Australia and then 1898 when enlisting in both the Army and the Navy in WW2.