3rd Australian Pioneers, Australian Imperial Force
Hubert Chamberlain Vale was born in Cheltenham on 11 February 1882, the son of Benjamin who was a house painter and Elizabeth Vale, who at that time were living at 36 Hungerford Street, Cheltenham.
At the time of the 1891 Census the couple had seven children.
Prior to the turn of the century Hubert joined the Royal Navy as service number 293708 and at the time of the 1901 Census he was serving on board the ‘Majestic Class’ battleship HMS Mars as a stoker, based at Gibraltar.
His navy service record is present in the UK National Archives (ADM 188/474/207) and interestingly this noted his birth date as 11 February 1881. However, this is in contradiction with the UK register of births and there is no mention of Hubert in the census return of 1881, which was taken in early April.
The conclusion must be drawn that, when enlisting in the Royal Navy, Hubert gave his age as a year older that was the case. After leaving the navy he emigrated to Australia and was working as a fireman when he enlisted into the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) at Moore Park, New South Wales on 31 July 1916.
On his Attestation paper he noted that he had served in the Royal Navy for seven and a half years.
He was posted to the 3rd Australian Pioneers and on 9 November 1916 he was on board the HMAT Benalla en route to England, as a reinforcement for the 3rd Pioneer Battalion. Upon arrival in England he was sent to Larkhill Camp, Salisbury Plain.
He went to France on 20 March 1917, initially staying at Etaples before joining his unit in the field on 8 April 1917.
During his time in the Army he spent time as a Corporal and for a short period Acting Sergeant but a couple of disciplinary incidents saw him return to the rank of Private. On 9 April 1918 his unit was in battle trying to resist the German offensive in the Somme sector. Private Vale suffered shrapnel wounds to his face, head and right thigh.
From a field ambulance he was sent to 3rd Canadian Stationery Hospital and on 11 April to the 11th Stationery Hospital. On the following day he was placed on board the Hospital Ship Panama and on 13 April arrived at Horton (County of London) War Hospital, Epsom.
He died of streptococcal septicaemia at 9.40pm on 30 April 1918, aged 36; relatives where present.
He was brought home to Cheltenham, his birth town for burial in the Borough Cemetery on 4 May 1918.
He was given a full military funeral in the presence of his parents and this brother Lieutenant Herbert Algernon Vale, who was serving with the 14th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment.
His grave was eventually marked by a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone and he is commemorated on the Cheltenham Borough War Memorial. By this time his family were living at 3 Suffolk Square, Cheltenham.
Hubert left a widow, Christine, back in Australia.
At the time he was reported wounded she lived at Randhurst, Allen Street, Arncliffe, New South Wales but later moved to 18 Wright Street, Hurstville, New South Wales.
Research by Graham Adams 11 February 2013