Name
Victor William Saunders
15 July 1899
Conflict
First World War
Date of Death / Age
04/11/1920
21
Rank, Service Number & Service Details
Private
6449978
Royal Fusiliers *1
26th (County of London)(Service) Bn.
Awards: Service Medals/Honour Awards
British War and Victory medals
Cemetery/Memorial: Name/Reference/Country
HITCHIN CEMETERY
South East Extension Grave 848
United Kingdom
Headstone Inscription
Not Researched
UK & Other Memorials
Hitchin Town Memorial, St Mary's Church Roll of Honour (Book), Hitchin
Pre War
Victor was born on 15 July 1899 in Hitchin and christened on 25 November 1899 in Holy Savior Church, Hitchin. His parents were Frank Victor and Elizabeth Saunders.
In 1901 the family were living at 7 Radcliffe Road, Hitchin. Present were both parents: Frank (25) and Elizabeth (24), with Frank and working as a bread maker and confectionary assistant. Their children were: Maggie (2) and twins Frank and Victor, both one
By 1911 the family had moved to 80 Ickleford Road, Hitchin, and Frank had become a plumber. The census recorded they had been married for 18 years with 8 children, all living. All the children listed above were present plus Bernard (10), Stanley (9), Snow (7), Ivy (5) and Cecil (2).
He was an assistant scoutmaster in the 1st Hitchin Troop and superintendent of the Wolf Cubs and had been employed at Kryptok in Letchworth.
Wartime Service
He joined the army at the same time as his twin brother Frank in August 1917. He was given the Service Number 82182, then, at some point 148295 and finally 6449978 and entered service on 2 April 1918. He was posted to the 26th Battalion (Bankers) of the Royal Fusiliers
His Battalion was in the 124th Brigade of the 41st Division of XIX Corps in the 2nd Army. On the 28th October 1918 he sustained a gunshot wound in the right thigh which also fractured his bone.
A comrade wrote back “He is a cheery lad and combined with grit and courage he will, please God, be convalescent in a few days.”
This coincides with the involvement of the Battalion in the Battle of Courtrai and the action at Ooteghem. The Battalion was involved in violent attacks east of the Courtrai - Bossuyt Canal towards the Scheidt, but the German barrage was very heavy and machine gun fire intense so that the line was held up west of Ooteghem. The Battalion was relieved on the day he received his injuries. He was transferred to Edmonton Military Hospital and died much later. His home was at Prospect Villas, Gaping Lane, Hitchin.
He is buried in Hitchin Cemetery, Grave SE 848.
It might be helpful to note that although Armistice Day was the 11th November 1918, the ‘Termination of the Present War (Definition) Act’ specified that the Great War would officially cease when the Order in Council declared that the war had ended. This was made declaring the 31st August 1921 to be that date. It was therefore decided that Commonwealth personnel who died within the period 4th August 1914 and 31st August 1921 would be classified as casualties of the 1914-1918 War.
Additional Information
His pension cards record his mother, as his next of kin, living at 14 Gaping Lane, Hitchin. She/He was awarded a 7s 6d plus 1s 6d war bonus from 10 November 1920 - presumably per week.
His twin brother Frank was also injured in November 1918 and had been in hospital, and brother Bernard was in the Merchant Marine Service and his ship had been torpedoed.
*1 Believed more correctly, (County of London) Bn. London Regiment (Bankers).
Acknowledgments
Adrian Dunne, David C Baines, Jonty Wild
