Victory Medal : Private W Lundfend, 18 Battalion, AIF

Victory Medal. Impressed around edge with recipient's details.

6580 Private Wilhelm Lundfend, a Russian subject, was born at Riga, Latvia, in 1884. Lundfend was working as a fitter in Sydney when he enlisted in the AIF on 9 January 1917. After initial training he was assigned to the 19th reinforcements of 18 Battalion, AIF, and embarked from Sydney on board HMAT Wiltshire on 7 February 1917. Lundfend underwent further training in England and finally joined his battalion in Belgium at the end of September 1917, taking part in the Battle of Poelcappelle the following month. In November he was evacuated to England suffering from fever. Lundfend rejoined his battalion in France in June 1918. He received a gunshot wound to his left hand, resulting in the amputation if his ring finger, during the Battle of Amiens, on 9 August 1918. After treatment in England he was repatriated to Australia on 13 September 1918. Lundfend became a naturalised Australian citizen in 1942.