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William Vickers (1893–1969)

by Anthony Staunton

This article was published:

William Vickers (1893-1969), soldier and newsagent, was born on 17 September 1893 at Wellington, Shropshire, England, son of Samuel Vickers, agricultural labourer, and his wife Sarah Ann, née Picken.

Enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force in Perth on 7 January 1915, Vickers stated that he was a winch driver of North Dandalup. He was posted to the 12th Battalion and reached Gallipoli on 7 May; evacuated to England with dysentery on 26 August, he rejoined his unit in March 1916, two weeks before it moved from Egypt to France. He was wounded at Pozières on 24 July and was away from the battalion until 22 September. Promoted lance corporal in January 1917 and corporal in March, he was transferred to the 3rd Training Battalion in England on 10 May. After completing a Lewis-gun course, he returned to the 12th in October.

On 3 November, near Broodseinde Ridge, Vickers helped to force a German patrol back to its post; with Vickers leading, the post was then rushed and he killed three men. He was awarded the Military Medal and on 15 November promoted lance sergeant. Having attended the 3rd Brigade non-commissioned officers' course from 17 February 1918, he was promoted sergeant on 13 March. He commanded a section of his platoon in an attack at Meteren on 23 April with such dash that the enemy fled from the first objective after suffering numerous casualties. Vickers took a bombing team to the second objective, capturing a machine-gun, inflicting further loss and taking several prisoners. Next day he inspired his men to repel repeated counter-attacks. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

On the night of 2 June at Mont de Merris, Vickers led his section against a machine-gun, killed the crew and captured their weapon. During the consolidation he went out alone and brought in fifteen prisoners who were in shell-holes in front of the Australian lines. The battalion historian recorded that Vickers' 'strength and bravery were miraculous and his language fiery'. For this operation he won his third gallantry decoration, a bar to his D.C.M. Again wounded on 24 July at Rouge Croix Switch, he was evacuated to England; he left for Australia still medically unfit on 10 December and was discharged from the A.I.F. on 21 June 1919.

Having returned to England where he worked as a railway servant, on 12 October 1920 at St Agatha's parish church, Sparkbrook, Warwickshire, Bill Vickers married Alice Hilda Rowland whom he had met in 1916 while recuperating in Wales. They remained in Britain and he retired as a newsagent to Paignton, Devon, where he died on 25 December 1969, survived by his wife (d.1981) and their only son.

Select Bibliography

  • L. M. Newton, The Story of the Twelfth (Hob, 1925)
  • C. E. W. Bean, The A.I.F. in France, 1918 (Syd, 1942)
  • London Gazette, 23 Feb 1916, 3 Sept, 30 Oct 1918
  • honours and awards, 1914-18 war, 1st Division, Australian Army (Australian War Memorial).

Citation details

Anthony Staunton, 'Vickers, William (1893–1969)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/vickers-william-8920/text15675, published first in hardcopy 1990, accessed online 29 March 2024.

This article was published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 12, (Melbourne University Press), 1990

View the front pages for Volume 12

© Copyright Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2006-2024

Life Summary [details]

Birth

17 September, 1893
Wellington, Shropshire, England

Death

25 December, 1969 (aged 76)
Paignton, Devon, England

Cultural Heritage

Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.

Occupation