KEPERT Victor Ralph

Broome World War One soldiers Edward Fishwick (seated) & Victor Kepert in uniform. Photo Courtesy Lee- Anne Percival.
Date of Enlistment 26/04/1915
Birthplace  
Occupation Clerk
Age on Enlistment  
Rank  
Unit 12th Battalion, 6th Reinforcement
Fate RTA
Date of Fate Event 14/04/1919
Returned to Broome post WWI Yes
Other Information  
The following extracts are from a letter received, by Mr. A. Haldane, of Broome, from V. Kepert, one of the Broome boys at the front: Patrick’s Hospital,Malta, Sept. 4 — I am here sick, having arrived on Wednesday last; am getting on first rate and don’t expect to be here long. All the 6th reinforcements got to Gallipoli in time for a great attack they made on the Turks. We landed on Friday about 1 a.m. One of the sailors got a bullet through him as we were going to the landing place while one of our men got a couple in the chest when we landed. On Friday evening the attack started and things ,were lively for a few days. It was our first go under heavy fire, you should have heard the bullets and shells whizzing about.Someone yelled out for the battalion to take cover and we hopped into dugouts, and almost immediately a dozen shells burst just where we had been; a few of our men got knocked out getting into the trenches. We were in the trenches they took next day ; it is quite true about men being 5 and 6 deep, you, had to walk over them in some places. It was a day before they got all the wounded out; some of the dead are still lying unburied between the trenches. , There was a terrible smell in the trenches for some time. The flies are a awful nuisance here— there are about a million to a man on the Peninsula. Out of the 6th and 11th bat. F. Ulrich and Scarlett got killed. When I left F. Bible, S. Arundel, F. Fishwick, J. Dann, Leveret,and Hart were all all right— Hart has been made a Lieut.  Don’t know how M. Aarons, H. Mau or D. Donaldson are they are in the 6th, which battalion lost a lot of men the day we made our charge. You ought to see the hills where they first landed: you would think it an impossibility to land there in the face of an enemy.’North West Echo, 6th November 1915