Private Victor Wallis No 5538

Frederick Victor Wallis (Vic) was born in Brunswick on 4 Oct 1897 and educated at St Thomas Grammar school Moonee Ponds and later at Melbourne Grammar school. After leaving school he was employed as a clerk in the office of Union Steam Ship Co. On 22 Mar 1916, while living with his parents, he enlisted as Private 5538 in the 24^th Infantry Battalion, training in Signals  He embarked on HMAT Shropshire on 25 Sep 1916 and after further training he embarked for France as a signalman.  

Broodseinde Ridge, Belgium. 5 October 1917. The Headquarters of the 24th Battalion, established in a dugout on Broodseinde Ridge, the day following the capture of the Ridge. Troops of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Divisions took a conspicuous part in the operations.  Sig V. Wallis, 24th Battalion, has been identified in this photo as the small and rather disconsolate looking figure closest to the entrance to the dugout. Private Arthur Whitbread of Essendon is standing behind him with the tin hat, face partly obscured by the man in front of him. Australian War Memorial Collection. 

http://cas.awm.gov.au/item/E04513 

On  3 March 1918 Frederick was transferred from the 24th Bn to the Australian Army Pay Corps, and immediately appointed Acting Sergeant and posted for duty with the 2nd Australian Divisional Train. Wallis returned to Australia on 8 Aug 1919.

He returned to the shipping industry with John Sandersons where he remained until retirement in 1965. He married Florence Ann Gwendoline Jenkin (Gwen) on 25 Mar 1925 and built a house at 4 Kerferd Rd, Glen Iris where they had 2 daughters, and lived out the rest of their lives. Gwen died in 1987 and Vic in 1989.  Both are buried in Springvale Cemetery.

(Information courtesy of Neil McDonald)

War Services Old Melburnians 1914-18,

F. V. WALLIS writes from France on April 28: " Receiving a 'Melburnian' from home yesterday made me feel that I must let you have news of me. I was awfully pleased to read about my old school pals, but very sorry to hear of  some of their deaths. Quite a number of my pals I see have given the greatest sacrifice. It is hard to realise that they will never be met again at the old School. Since being over here I have met Old Melburnians too numerous to mention.  For thirteen months I was with the 24th Battalion, and there were four of us who used to look forward to the 'Melburnian' --Capt. C. M. WILLIAMS, LES. KENT, JACK JONES and myself. When we had finished with it it was passed on to somebody from the School, who was unfortunate in that mail. Captain WILLIAMS was O.C. of the company I was in for a time, and I was in the stunt on the - of October last where we hopped over and the captain met his death. He was sniped. There is no doubt he was a game officer, and popular in the line with the boys. I was transferred from the battalion about a month ago, and am now with the A.S.C. I am glad to see that the old School is still keeping up its reputation, and wish the crew the best of luck for next Head of the River. I see that all the members of the crews I was in in 1911-12 have been away on active service for some considerable time, but I have only come across two of them-KEN WATSON and 'GINGER' MORTON, whom I met some time back in the line. We were both smothered in mud, and could hardly recognise one another. The badges were soon produced, and reminded us of some good old days at school. In the 'Melburnian' that is published after you receive this, will you please tell all the chaps that were in the crews with me that I wish them the best of luck, and hope to meet some of them during our sporting tour of France?
Kind regards and best of luck to the old School and my pals on active service."

29 August 1918

Letters p 209

F. V. WALLIS enlisted on 22nd March and embarked as Private in 24th Battalion on 25th September 1916. He was subsequently transferred to 2nd Australian Divisional Train as Sergeant and then to A.A.P.C. as E.R./Sergeant. He returned to Australia on 29th September and was discharged on 6th November 1919.

War Service Particulars, p 379