Picture courtesy of Spink
QSA (0) (4 [...] P[...]e V. Rob[...]rts Uitenhage T.G.) attempted erasure of naming;
BWM (576 Sjt. V. Roberts. 2-S.A.I. Bde) attempted erasure of naming;
VM (576 Sjt. V. Roberts. 2-S.A.I. Bde).
Valentine Roberts was born at Uitenhage and saw service with the Uitenhage Town Guard with his Great War attestation noting two years service during the Boer War.
Attesting with 8th South African Infantry (Machine Gun Detachment) on 26 November 1915 Roberts saw service in the German East Africa Campaign. Transferred to France he embarked on 15 January 1916 serving here with 'M' Company, 4th Regiment, South African Infantry later joining 'L' Company, 2nd Battalion. While in the trenches near Frévent on 9 November 1916 Roberts slipped and fell, landing awkwardly as a result of the Lewis Gun on his back he suffered an injury to his knee. Treated first in Tooting Military Hospital from 15 November he was declared unfit for service and returned to South Africa on 24 February 1917. Discharged on 8 August 1917 he re-joined with the Military Labour Corps on 13 July 1918 with the service number 12685.
Discharged again on 3 April 1919, he worked as a Commercial Traveller and later Wine Merchant and made several disability claims for malaria he contracted during his service