Skip to content

Search our stories

Captain Virgil Tucker, 16th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force
31/10/2024
First World War Army Australian
By Nick Tucker

United Kingdom

Captain Virgil Tucker
1452598
Background

Virgil Tucker was born on the 19th of December, 1888, at Charters Towers, in Queensland, Australia, the son of the Venerable Archdeacon William Frederic Tucker and Louisa Elizabeth Tucker, who lived at 'Coonooer', on Forest Street, Wendouree, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

He had a sister, Alice Frances Tucker, and a younger brother, Evelyn Charles Chicheley Tucker.

 Virgil Tucker lived with his parents, worked as a mining surveyor and was unmarried.

World War One Service
Australian Imperial Force cap badge (image © unknown)

Virgil Tucker was appointed to the Australian Imperial Force on the 28th of May 1915, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (gazette dated the 12th of June 1915).

He was posted to the 8th Reinforcements for the 16th Infantry Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. He embarked for the Middle East, where he was taken on the strength of the 16th Battalion at Mudros on the 23rd of October 1915, but was attached to the 2nd Field Company, New Zealand Engineers, on the 25th of November, as a mining engineer.

However, he was admitted to hospital at Anzac on the 15th of December 1915, suffering from jaundice, and evacuated on the 20th of December, aboard the HS Caledonia, and then transferred to the HS Lan Franc.

He disembarked at Alexandria on the 23rd of December and was admitted to the 21st General Hospital.

He was subsequently discharged to No. 10 Convalescent Home at Ibramieh, Cairo, on the 30th of December, where he remained until discharged on the 7th of February, 1916.

Captain Virgil Tucker (image © unknown)

Virgil Tucker joined the 16th Battalion on the 10th of February 1916 and was promoted to Lieutenant on the 12th of March, and then to captain on the 27th of April, at Serapeum.

He re-embarked at Alexandria on the 1st of June, 1916, and disembarked at Marseilles, in France, on the 9th of June.

On the 26th of June, 1916, he was detached as a liaison officer with the 12th Infantry Brigade. He returned to the 16th Battalion on the 9th of January 1917, when the battalion was at Mametz, engaged in providing fatigues and working parties.

During February it spent time in the trenches at Flers before returning to Mametz and Albury Camp at Bazentin. By the end of March it had moved to Biefvillers, engaged on fatigues and repairs on the Bapaume-Biefvillers road.

Attack at Bullecourt-Riencourt - 11 April, 1917

On the 1st of April 1917, the battalion moved to Beugnatre, prior to moving to positions east of Noreuil on the 7th of April as part of the operations against the Hindenburg Line.

At 2.15 am on the 11th of April the battalion moved into its positions in the sunken road near Noreuil, with 'D' Company commanded by Captain Virgil Tucker.

The attack was to be made in conjunction with tanks, who were delayed in arriving and had difficulty negotiating the terrain around the sunken road.

The infantry moved forward at 4.45 am and pushed on alone without the tanks and took the first objective. By 6.30 am both the first and second objectives had been taken. From that time the fighting was most severe, with bombing parties having to be beaten off, while machine guns from all directions kept up a continual fire, with heavy gun fire on the railway cutting. Enfilade fire from Queant caused serious casualties, but many German prisoners were sent back. However, by 11.20 am the situation was very serious, requiring artillery support on the flanks, and with supplies of small arms ammunition and bombs almost expended. Only about 25% of the personnel were left and it was proposed to fall back to a line of shell holes and hang on until night.

Having lost nearly 80% of its force the remnants of the battalion were compelled to retire at 11.45 am to the original line held. The battalion had gone into action with a strength of 20 officers and 797 other ranks. Only 3 officers and 87 other ranks got back.

Three officers were killed, including Captain Virgil Tucker, who, it was stated, was killed by machine gun bullet and his death was instantaneous.

Two officers were missing; 5 were wounded and missing; 2 were wounded and prisoners of war; and 5 were wounded.

Virgil Tucker was aged 28.

Commemorations

Having no known grave, Virgil Tucker is commemorated on the Villers-Bretonneaux Memorial, on the Somme, in France. He is also commemorated on the Ballarat war memorial in Victoria, Australia.

Medals

Virgil Tucker's service earned him the 1914-15 Star; British War Medal, 1914-20; and Victory Medal, 1914-19, with Mention in Dispatches emblem, which were issued to his father, together with a memorial plaque and memorial scroll, to commemorate his sacrifice.