Driver Victor Hugo Duckett WAINE 2708. Unit: 3rd Field Company, Engineers, Australian Imperial Force. Death: 14 September 1917 Died of wounds on the Western Front aged 24.
Victor was a son of Joseph Duckett WAINE and Annie Maria QUIGG, of Fir St., Barcaldine, Queensland. A photograph of Victor is located at
https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205390200Victor enlisted 4 Aug 1915 at Brisbane aged 22 years and 4 months. He listed his next of kin as his widowed mother Annie. Victor went to Egypt and afterwards on to Marseilles, France.
On the 14 Sep 1917 whilst in Belgium he was wounded in action with gun shot wounds to the back with injury to the spine, head and chest. On the 16 Sep 1917 he was admitted to the 18th General Hospital at Camiers, France.
Victor succumbed to his wounds on the 19th September aged 24. His remains are interred at Etaples Military Cemetery, Etaples, Nord Pas de Calais, France.
His mother was notified of his death in France as the result of a gunshot wound in the back of the head. It is hard to imagine the anguish his mother and siblings felt especially as a result of reading such a graphic account of his death.
Every year after his passing his mother and siblings posted a rememberance to him in the local newspaper. One of those read as follows.
ROLL OF HONOR.
Waine-In loving memory of my dear son, and our brother, Driver V. H. D. Waine (Victor) who died of wounds received in France 19th September, 1917.
He sleeps not in his native land,
But 'neath the foreign skies.
Far from those who loved him best,
In a hero's grave he lies.
Inserted by his mother, sisters, and brothers.
He is also commerated at the Australian War Memorial at
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/R1670269One of Victor's brothers Bertie Cecil Percy WAINE also enlisted and was in the same company as Victor and also a Driver. Bertie was awarded the Military Medal of Honour for Bravery. He survived the war and returned to his homeland. He died 28 Oct 1984 aged 93 years.
Westy
