Pte
Victor James Lees
Information about birth
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Year of birth: 1886 |
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Place of birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
General information
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Last known residence: Mulwala, New South Wales, Australia |
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Profession: Teamster |
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Religion: Church of England |
Army information
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Country: Australia |
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Force: Australian Imperial Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 6384 |
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Enlistment date: 05/10/1915 |
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Enlistment place: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
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Units: — Australian Infantry, 22nd Bn. (Victoria) (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 10/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Zonnebeke Lake, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 31 |
Memorial
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Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Panel: 23D |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 4
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Victor James Lees, a former teamster, was born in May 1886 in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was the son of Sarah Lees. On October 5, 1915 he enlisted in Melbourne, Victoria and embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata on November 23, 1916, with the 18th reinforcement of the 22nd Battalion, part of the 6th Australian Brigade of the 2nd Australian Division.
On the 4th of October 1917 the 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade, which attacked on the right of the divisional front. The 22nd Battalion would take the first objective, the red line.
Once they had taken this line, the 24th would pass through the 22nd on the right and the 21st would do the same on the left. The Battalion assembled before the attack at the jumping-off positions in front of Tokio, but soon moved closer to the road leading to Tokio on account of German artillery fire on and around Albania. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line.
On October 7, the 22nd Battalion moved forward to relieve the 18th Battalion. Movement to the front line was through a communication trench, in parts waist deep in mud. The Battalion was part of an attack at Broodseinde Ridge on October 9. On the morning of October 10, the 49th Battalion provided a relief and took over the front line, allowing the survivors of the battered 22nd to move back well behind the firing line, at Broodseinde. Later that day the Battalion made a move further, making their way slowly back to wretched dugouts on the Ypres-Comines canal, near Ypres.
Victor James, aged 31, was killed in action on October 10, 1917. Private Lees was buried where he fell, South of Zonnebeke Lake (28.D.28.a.40.20), where his name was mentioned on a cross. His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Victor James Lees has no known grave and is remembered on panel 23D of the Menin Gate Memorial.
On the 4th of October 1917 the 2nd Australian Division participated in the Battle of Broodseinde, a phase in the Third Battle of Ypres. The 22nd Battalion was part of the 6th Brigade, which attacked on the right of the divisional front. The 22nd Battalion would take the first objective, the red line.
Once they had taken this line, the 24th would pass through the 22nd on the right and the 21st would do the same on the left. The Battalion assembled before the attack at the jumping-off positions in front of Tokio, but soon moved closer to the road leading to Tokio on account of German artillery fire on and around Albania. They made use of shell holes and old trench systems to form a line.
On October 7, the 22nd Battalion moved forward to relieve the 18th Battalion. Movement to the front line was through a communication trench, in parts waist deep in mud. The Battalion was part of an attack at Broodseinde Ridge on October 9. On the morning of October 10, the 49th Battalion provided a relief and took over the front line, allowing the survivors of the battered 22nd to move back well behind the firing line, at Broodseinde. Later that day the Battalion made a move further, making their way slowly back to wretched dugouts on the Ypres-Comines canal, near Ypres.
Victor James, aged 31, was killed in action on October 10, 1917. Private Lees was buried where he fell, South of Zonnebeke Lake (28.D.28.a.40.20), where his name was mentioned on a cross. His remains were not recovered or identified after the war. Victor James Lees has no known grave and is remembered on panel 23D of the Menin Gate Memorial.
Sources 4
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22nd Battalion Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/39/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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6th Brigade Australian Infantry (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM4 23/6/26). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
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First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920 (National Archives of Australia, Canberra (NAA), B2455). https://www.naa.gov.au/ Sources used |
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Unit embarkation nominal rolls, 1914-18 War (Australian War Memorial, Campbell (AWM), AWM8). https://www.awm.gov.au/ Sources used |
More information 4
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/1599101 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7604079 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=7e301599-5ce3-4e6d-a0eb-4e28b948888f |
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The AIF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=174109 |