| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | PR01059 |
| Collection type | Private Record |
| Record type | Collection |
| Measurement | Extent: 2.5 cm; Wallet/s: 1 |
| Object type | Diary, Letter, Digital file |
| Maker |
Veness, Robert George Veness, Victor George |
| Place made | Australia, Germany, Ottoman Empire: Turkey, Dardanelles, Gallipoli |
| Date made | 1896-1941; 2007 |
| Access | Open |
| Conflict |
First World War, 1914-1918 |
| Copying Provisions | Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction. |
| Transcript | Download PDF document of Veness, Victor George (Sergeant, b.1884 - d.1966) (file) |
Veness, Victor George (Sergeant, b.1884 - d.1966)
Description
Collection relating to the First World War service of 933 Sergeant [later Captain] Victor George Veness, Machine Gun Section, 13th Infantry Battalion. Collection consists of copies of typed transcripts:
(i) a long letter to his mother from the 'Dardanelles' dated September 1915 summarising his experiences before and after his landing on Gallipoli, including the sinking of the transport 'Manitou', and fighting at or near Pope's Hill, Dead Man's Gully, Quinn's Post, Bloody Angle, Walker's Ridge, Australia Valley and Hill 971; it has a description of a 'stretcher bearer with a donkey' (possibly Simpson) and comments on radio communications, the treatment of Turkish prisoners, battle losses and relations with New Zealanders;
(ii) a diary dated April 1917- December 1918 which Veness kept while a prisoner of war (POW) at a camp at Strobenoor, near Hanover, Germany after being captured on the Western Front; it comments on food, escape attempts, and punishments and mistreatment, and includes verses written by Veness while a POW.
Accompanying the collection is a digital file containing a compilation of scanned images of material relating to Veness. The compilation is titled 'A tribute to my father George Veness and his mates in the Machine Gun Section of the Thirteenth Battalion', and was compiled by his son Mr Bob Veness. It includes copies of letters primarily from Victor George Veness to his mother Agnes, a diary kept he kept as a prisoner of war, an autograph book with signatures, his war service records, and an introduction to his father's life by Bob Veness.