Private Victor George Stokes

Victor was born in 1897, and baptised the same year in St Peter and Paul Church, Mitcham. His father Frederick was a general labourer, and he and his wife Florence Louisa had four children. According to the 1901 census, Frederick junior was the eldest at 7 years, Charles was 5, Victor was 3 and the youngest was Alfred aged 1. The family were living at Ravensbury Cottages, Morden Road.

By 1911 the family had moved to 4 Church Street Mitcham, and had grown to include Florence 9, Elsie 4 and Leonard aged 1. Victor was now 14 and still at school.

Victor enlisted at Kingston upon Thames on 16 June 1915, initially with the East Surrey Regiment, then in November he transferred to the 1st Border Regiment. He was recorded as being 5 ft 6 ins in height, weighing in at 130 lbs.

Victor’s service record states that he embarked with the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force for the Dardanelles, Gallipoli on 24 November 1915. His battalion saw action at Suvla, before being diverted to Suez for training. After a disastrous campaign the MEF were withdrawn and sent to France where they arrived at the Somme in March 1916.

The following month on 9 April, Victor reported sick to hospital with influenza and tonsillitis, where he stayed until he was discharged six days later and returned to his battalion.

The Battle of the Somme (1 July – 18 November 1916) began on the 1 July 1916, and is known as one of the bloodiest battles of the War, which took the lives of nearly 20,00 men on the first day. Victor took part in the battle and died of wounds sustained on that day.

The following is an extract from the Battalion’s War Diary:

“7.30am, the Btn (less 10%) advanced just South of Beaumont Hamel, their objective being Beaucourt Redoubt. The 2nd South Wales Borderers, whose objective was the first two German lines, were wiped out by machine gun fire in our own wire. The 1st Btn The Border Regiment, then went over the top from our support line, and over our first line, the bridges over our front trench having been ranged by the German Machine Gunners the day previously. We met with heavy losses, while crossing these bridges + passing through the lanes out in our wire. The men were absolutely magnificent, and formed up as ordered outside our wire, made a right incline, and advanced into “No Man’s Land” at a slow walk, also as ordered. The advance was continued until only little groups of half a dozen men were left here and there and these, finding that no reinforcements were in sight, took cover in shell holes or wherever they could.”

Victor’s Father Frederick was later sent his belongings, which consisted of 3 letters, 1 belt, 1 wallet, photos and field cards. Field Service Postcards were used by soldiers on active service to send speedy messages home without any need for censoring by their officers. Their purpose was to reassure their loved ones that they were alive and well and to confirm that letters and parcels from home were getting through to the Front.

Victor is buried in Louvencourt Military Cemetery and commemorated locally on the Mitcham War Memorial.