ANZAC Heroes | Great War 1914 – 1918

Bunbury – Wellington District Western Australia

STEWART, Victor Jonathan Keer

STEWART, Victor Jonathan Keer

Full Name: Victor Jonathan Keer

STEWART

Date of Birth: 12

–

1887

Place of birth: Glasgow

Scotland

Occupation: Farmer

Address: Manjimup WA

Next of Kin: Father- William James STEWART, Mother- Mary Anne STEWART

Next of Kin Address: 17 Albany Road Finsbury Park London

Religion: Baptist

Service Number: 5974

Rank: Private

Unit/Division: 16th Battalion

Enlistment Date: 1916-01-08

Enlistment Location: Blackboy Hill

WA

Embarkation Port:

Embarkation Date: 1916-08-09

Embarkation Ship:

Disembarkation Port:

Disembarkation Date: 1916-09-20

Locations Served:

,

Returned: No

Discharge Date:

Cause of Death: Killed in Action

Date of Death:

Place of Death: Reincourt France

Age at Death: 30

Burial Location: Inscription Villers-Brettoneux Memorial France.

3/01/1916- Completed Medical Examination Bridgetown WA
8/01/1916- To 41 Depot Blackboy Hill WA as Private
8/03/1916- To ” A ” Company No. 7 Depot Battalion Blackboy Hill
13/03/1916- Allotted to 16th Reinforcements 16th Battalion Bunbury WA
1/04/1916- To NCO School Belmont WA
12/04/1916- Appointed Corporal with 19th Reinforcements 16th Battalion
9/08/1916- Embarked Fremantle WA aboard ” Miltiades ” bound for England
20/09/1916- Disembarked Plymouth England ex Australia To Training Battalion
18/10/1916-  Appointed Acting Corporal at 7th Training Battalion Codford England
4/12/1916- Proceeded Overseas 4th Australian Division Base Depot Etaples France ex Folkestone ex Codford
5/12/1916- Reverts to Rank Private
22/12/1916- Taken on Strength 16th Battalion in the field France
11/04/1917- Reported Missing in Action France
11/04/1917- Confirmed Killed in Action Reincourt France.

 

REPORTS OF SOLDIER’S DEATH

Informant – SERMON, Pte. Claude, 6202- 16th Battalion AIF _ ” The last time I saw him was on the morning  of April 11th.  He was lying in the bottom of a trench with a bullet in his stomach, had his right leg smashed and I think broken.  He was quite cheerful but was very weak. Two chaps  afterwards carried him into  a big German dug-out amongst some other wounded.  We shortly had to evacuate the trench and STEWART, if still alive, was taken prisoner.  I knew STEWART personally,  as I came over in the same reinforcements  to this Battalion leaving Western Australia on August 9th , 1916. He is of dark complexion, had a dark moustache, of rather thin build about 5 foot 10 in height and speaks with a Scotch accent. He had a thumb or finger missing on one hand “.

 

Informant – BROWN, Pte. R.P., 4543 – 16th Battalion AIF – ” I saw STEWART lying wounded in the bottom of a German second-line trench on the morning of 11 April, 1917 at Bullecourt.  He spoke to me saying he was shot in both legs and side by machine gun fire but was feeling alright at the time “.

 

SERVICE MEDALS AWARDED

British War Medal – No. 44678

Victory Medal – No. 44174

Memorial Plaque/Scroll – No. 338297.

 

MEMORIAL INSCRIPTIONS

Manjimup War Memorial WA

Australian War Memorial Canberra ACT – Panel No. 81

Villers-Brettoneux Memorial France.