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Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne
Town Hall, 333 Bay Street, Port Melbourne

Rapley, Victor George (388)

Place of Birth: Port Melbourne, VIC

Age: 18 years 5 months

Enlistment Details: Tuesday, 1 February 1916 – Melbourne, VIC

Service Number: 388            view online service record

Address:
480 Sydney Road
Coburg, VIC

Next of Kin:
Charles Rapley (father)
480 Sydney Road
Coburg, VIC

Embarkation Details:
Date: Saturday, 3 June 1916
Ship: HMAT Persic A34
Port: Melbourne, VIC
Unit: 37th Infantry Battalion

Fate:
KIA: Tuesday, 27 February 1917
Place: France


Sergeant, 38 Infantry, killed in action 27 February, 1917, France, aged 19, commemorated Villers-Bretonneux Memorial, Villers-Bretonneux, Picardie, France.

Parents: Charles and Helena RAPLEY, born Port Melbourne, educated St Joseph’s Christian Brothers, North Melbourne. Rapley enlisted as an 18-year-clerk (Public Service) with his father in Coburg and embarked with the rank of Sergeant after serving as a Lieutenant with the Citizen’s Forces. The circular was returned by his mother from 48 York Street, St Kilda with Coburg listed as her late son’s place of association. No known grave.

Additional research by Brian Membrey

3 Comments

  • Cheryl Griffin
    Posted April 16, 2016 10.13 pm 0Likes

    Victor George Rapley was an old boy of Coburg State School. He also attended Coburg High School and his name appears on that school’s Honour Board.

    Victor was killed in action in France on 27 February 1917. In February the following year he was among a number of Coburg dead who were remembered at a Memorial Service for the Fallen.

    In January 1919, almost two years after his death, an avenue of honour was planted at Coburg Lake Reserve and tree number 105 was planted in his memory.

  • Brian Membrey
    Posted October 19, 2016 7.51 am 0Likes

    “I knew him well. It was a big raid at Armentieres, I saw him seriously wounded. He was in a shell hole, but they could not get him up on account of the heavy firing. When they left him, he was almost dead, and then Fritz started shelling very heavily. The same night when the barrage finished, we went out to look for him, but found no trace of him” (Cpl J Hands, 68, 2 Canadian Clearing Station)

  • Brian Membrey
    Posted February 19, 2017 4.30 pm 0Likes

    “I knew him well. It was a big raid at Armentiers, I saw him seriously wounded. He was in a shell hole, but they could not get him up an account of the heavy firing. When they left him, he was almost dead, and then Fritz started shelling very heavily. The same night when the barrage finished, we went out to look for him. but found no trace of hime” (Cpl. J.Hands, 68)

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