Victor Jubilee Rodier (1897 - 1972)

Born 26 Jun 1897 in Yarragon, Victoria, Australia

Died 11 Jul 1972 at age 75 in Glen Huntly, Victoria, Australia

Biography

Victor was born in 1897 in Yarragon in Gippsland, VIC, the son of Alf Rodier and his wife Carol Blanche, nee Scott. He was a brother of William Henry Rodier

Victor applied to enlist in the Australian Army in WW1 but was rejected. At the time he was living in Mildura, VIC (as were at least 2 brothers).

On 07 May 1917 Victor applied to become an Australian War Worker, to work as a labourer or navvy in the UK on war related work, under a joint Australian government/British government scheme. At the time he was a labourer, milling, grubbing stumps and general labouring and was living in Yarragon, VIC. Although single, he was supporting his mother and sister. He was accepted and his agreement was signed on 26 May 1917. He was issued with Australian War Worker Badge No. 746 and embarked on the SS "Medic" at Sydney on 01 Aug 1917, disembarking at Plymouth, England on 12 Oct 1917.

He began work as a labourer with Messrs. Holland, Hannan & Cubitt at Croydon on 15 Oct 1917. About a month later he was off injured with a horse bite to his finger. His employer had no knowledge of the incident. By 03 Dec 1917 he was unable to work with insomnia and headaches which seemed to relate to an eye injury. It was recommended he be repatriated to Australia. A doctor believed he was almost totally blind in the right eye and needed immediate surgery. The London Opthalmic Hospital disagreed, stating that while largely blind, the symptoms being reported were exaggerated & no immediate surgery was needed.

He was given work closer to London and commenced work with Messrs. Dick Kerr & Co. on 13 Dec 1917. In Jan 1918 he was discharged by them for being the "laziest man on the job and exhibiting great cunningness in his apparent foolishness." He was placed in quick succession at Kingston & Kidbrooke, but left the Kidbrooke job after 2 weeks due to his eyesight. Following inconclusive visits to hospital, he was placed with Royal Arsenal Woolwich as a carpenter's labourer on 22 May 1918. In Jul 1918 he tried to enlist but was turned away. The Medical Officer formed the view that he was unfit for active service.

Victor was transferred to Messrs. Scott & Middleton to work on the Great Central Railway at Wembley on 07 Oct 1918. Later that month the Maypole Margarine Works at Southall contacted authorities about him coming to work for them. He had apparently sought them out. Both he and they were told he would not be released. Victor spent most of the next few months in hospital with, variously, influenza, haemorrhoids and his eyesight. In Jan 1919 his repartriation on grounds of ill-health was recommended by authorities.

He was repatriated to Australia due to ill-health^[1], departing England from Tilbury on SS "Eastern" on 13 Mar 1919. He disembarked in Australia on 08 May and his agreement was terminated the same day as complete. He returned to Yarragon initially following disembarkation.^[2]

From at least 1921 until 1924 he was living in Coburg, VIC.^[3]

Victor married Amelia Ditterich in Melbourne, Victoria on 23 Dec 1926. They lived in Prahran from at least 1931^[4] to 1934. By 1936 they were living in South Yarra by 1936.^[5]

During WW2, Victor applied to join the Civil Construction Corps but was not accepted. At the time he was a saw tiler with the Metropolitan Gas Co. in Melbourne and he lived in South Yarra. They were living in South Yarra until at least 1949. They then lived in

At some time in the 1950's he and Amelia separated and Amelia moved to California on 19 Mar 1958. She applied for US Citizenship in 1963.^[6]

From at least 1963, Victor was living in Glenroy, VIC.^[7]

He died in Glen Huntly, VIC in 1972.

Sources

1. ↑ MUNITION WORKERS ON WAY (1919, April 19). Weekly Times (Melbourne, Vic. : 1869 - 1954), p. 30. Retrieved May 27, 2021, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article221833282
2. ↑ Victor Rodier in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 (1919) - Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.; Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].
3. ↑ Victor Jubilee Rodier in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 (1924) - Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.; Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].
4. ↑ Victor Jubilee Rodier in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 (1931) - Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.; Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].
5. ↑ Victor Jubilee Rodier in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 (1936) - Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.; Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].
6. ↑ Victor Jubilee Rodier in the California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1843-1999 - Source Citation: National Archives at Riverside; Riverside, California; NAI Number: 594890; Record Group Title: 21; Record Group Number: Records of District Courts of the United States, 1685-2009; Source Information: Ancestry.com. California, U.S., Federal Naturalization Records, 1843-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.; Original data: Naturalization Records. National Archives at Riverside, Peris, California.; Naturalization Records. National Archives at San Francisco, San Bruno, California.
7. ↑ Victor Jubilee Rodier in the Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 (1963) - Source Information: Ancestry.com. Australia, Electoral Rolls, 1903-1980 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.; Original data: Australian Electoral Commission. [Electoral roll].

• https://my.rio.bdm.vic.gov.au/efamily-history/

• Birth - Victoria BDM Birth index - Event: births; Registration number: 23925 / 1897; Family name: RODIER; Given name(s): Victor Jubilee; Place of event: YARRAGON, Australia; Personal detail Mother's name: Carol Blanche; Mother's family name at birth: SCOTT; Father's Name: Alf

• WW1 Application to Enlist in Australian Army - National Archives of Australia - Rodier, Victor; age 21; born - Yarragon Gippsland Vic; address - Mildura Vic (Paper file); Location: Melbourne; Item ID: 9693617 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=9693617

• WW1 Australian War Worker Service File - National Archives of Australia - RODIER Victor - Munitions Worker Number 746 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=5916905

• Marriage - Victoria BDM Marriage index - Event: marriages; Registration number: 12827 / 1926; Family name: RODIER; Given name(s): Victor Jubilee; Personal detail Spouse's family name: DITTERICH; Spouse's given name(s): Amelia

• WW2 Dossiers of volunteers examined for service with the Civil Construction Corps, but not enlisted, alphabetical series - National Archives of Australia - Rodier, Victor Jubilee born 1896; address - South Yarra Vic; occupation - saw tiler (Metropolitan Gas Company, Kew district) (Paper file); Location: Melbourne; Item ID: 6425795 - http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=6425795

• Death - Victoria BDM Death index - Event: deaths; Registration number: 16597 / 1972; Family name: RODIER; Given name(s): Victor Jubilee; Place of event: Glenhuntly, Australia; Personal detail: Mother's name: Carrie; Mother's family name at birth: UNKNOWN; Father's Name: RODIER Frederick

• Probate - Victor J Rodier in the Victoria, Australia, Wills and Probate Records, 1841-2009 - Source Citation: Public Record Office Victoria; North Melbourne, Victoria; Victorian Wills, Probate and Administration Records 1841-1925; Series: VPRS 7591; Source Information: Ancestry.com. Victoria, Australia, Wills and Probate Records, 1841-2009 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2016.; Original data: Wills and Probate Records. VPRS 28 (Probates) and VPRS 7591 (Wills). Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne, Victoria.

• Link - https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LTBZ-YC9