No. 19357, Private, Victor John Thomas MALING
Aged 20
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Victor MALING was born in Hockwold, (Thetford Q4-1895 4B:353 ) the son of William and Martha Ann MALING (née SAYER)
1901 census... Aged 5, he was at Hockwold Street with his father William MALING [48] a garden labourer; his mother Martha A [40]; brother William B [8] and sister Hilda Mary [8 months]. They were all born in Hockwold, except Martha, who was born in Methwold. 1911 census... Aged 15, a farm labourer, Victor was still in Hockwold with his widowed mother; brother William Baker, a farm labourer; sister Hilda [10]; grandmother Sarah Ann SAYER and Ivy Mary SAYER [1 yr 10 months) recorded as granddaughter ? of Martha and born in Norwich. His father had died in 1907 |
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He is recorded as dying on 2nd May 1916 which supposes that he died of illness and as his Army records have not survived there is no way of ascertaining when and how he died.
The Memorial in Basra records casualties from all over Mesopotamia as the CWGC found in the 1930's that they were unable to maintain all the cemeteries and so recorded all
the names on Memorials. The 2nd Norfolks were captured by the Turks at the Siege of Kut al Amara on 29th April 1916 and were marched under terrible conditions across the desert on a 400 mile walk. 261 Norfolks were captured at Kut of whom only 78 ever returned to Norfolk, a rate of loss of 70%.; 7 out of every 10 Norfolks died during their captivity of maltreatment and disease. |
click here to go to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website for full cemetery/memorial details