Vivian Hulbert lies in a cemetery in France

The following article is from the book, Centenary of Anzac 1914-1918 by Richard Barry OAM.

Vivian Hulbert was born in December 1898, the only son of Alfred Joseph and Priscilla Hulbert who lived in Barwan Street, Narrabri. He had one sister named Clare.

Vivian excelled in sports at school. He represented Newington GPS in the First Fifteen and the First Eleven in 1915.

‘Bourkey’ was more at ease on the playing field than in the classroom.

Following school he worked in his father’s business for a short time.

7048 Vivian enlisted on May 25, 1917 and trained at the Showground Camp in Sydney.

Mr W Wilson (Recruiting Officer Narrabri) wrote to the Officer-in-charge of Recruits at the showground on June 11, 1917 at the request of Alfred Hulbert.

“I promised the bearer’s father that I would recommend Private VV Hulbert, to be trained as a Sapper in the Engineer’s Field Company Reinforcements, he at first expressed a preference for the Machine Gun Reinforcements, which I marked on his papers.

He is a carpenter by trade and was educated at Newington College Sydney. Trusting his father’s wishes will be considered.”

I suspect that like most other recruits Vivian would have been assigned to Infantry.

He left Sydney on October 31, 1917 on the ‘Euripides’ and reached Devonport (Plymouth Sound) England on December 26, 1917.

When he left Australia Vivian was promoted to Corporal however somewhere at sea he lost his stripes.

I suspect the 18-year-old superior sportsman may have been a bit of a larrikin and may have desired to be ‘one of the boys’. Who knows?

Vivian was assigned to the No 1 Overflow Camp at Beaumaris North Wales.

He then left Fovant (Dover near Salisbury) for France on May 1, 1918 with the 5th Training Battalion then finally assigned on the 17th Battalion near Pozieres on April 16, 1918. He would be dead within 27 days.

This is where records are sketchy.

There are conflicting reports as to exactly what happened on May 13, 1918.

The 17th Battalion history reveals that soon after nightfall on May 12, 1918, Alpha Company filed out through the left of Delta Company’s trench and commenced digging.

All night they toiled, the diggers being silhouetted against a background of star-shells, which the enemy kept dropping well to the rear.

A German machine gun on a nearby ridge kept up a harassing fire, causing some casualties.

In addition, the Germans fixed about 100 rounds of 5.9 inch high-explosive shells on Bravo Company’s position, killing three and wounding three other ranks.

Was Vivian Hulbert one of these casualties?

There is no known grave for Vivian Hulbert. In 1918 the Australian Section 3rd Echelon GHQ (British Expeditionary Forces) stated that Vivian Hulbert was buried somewhere in the vicinity of the British cemetery.

After the war a returned soldier came to the family home and said he was with Vivian when he was killed.

He said the Germans overran their trench and Vivian shot a German, another German shot Vivian and he said he shot that German.

It was reported in the Newington magazine that a bullet entered Vivian’s upper lip and entered his brain; death was instantaneous.

Alfred and Priscilla donated an oval shaped brass plaque to the Narrabri District School (now called Narrabri Public School) in memory of their young son lost in the Great War.

This plaque is still visible today.

(Conversations with Andrew Willetts).