Victor Silbery was the son of Oscar Silbery, J.P., and Leah Ellen Silbery, of Petone, Wellington, New Zealand.

The gunners of 5 Brigade had, after the CRUSADER Campaign, to retrace their steps to the Tobruk area, where they were stationed in an all-round defensive position at El Adem. The New Zealand command insisted that all defensive positions be well dug and protected and the 14,000-yard perimeter was strongly wired and mined. To strengthen the anti-tank defences still further, six 75-millimetre and six 47-millimetre Italian guns were to be manned by infantry, supervised by a field gunner on each '75' and an anti-tank gunner on each '47'. The brigade layout seemed to be designed for a do-or-die action against a full-scale panzer onslaught - not a reassuring prospect and even less so when it was discovered that the 75s were practically useless and the 47s almost as bad. The least that could be expected if a strong enemy did reach the neighbourhood would be a bombardment by field and medium artillery to which, in replying, the 5th Field would be very much at a disadvantage. Even the Bofors gunners, who looked forward to some brisk action, had their spirits dampened by orders not to open fire except against planes which were actually attacking the El Adem Box from a 'reasonable height'. In the next few days they saw many hostile aircraft; but most were at high altitudes, evidently respectful of the heavy ack-ack guns defending Tobruk and the El Adem landing ground. However, one of these planes dropped six bombs in the 5th Field B Echelon area on 26 February killing Gunners D.L. Wilson and V.B. Silbery and wounding Captain H.T.W. Nolan. (p. 300-1, 2nd Div. Arty history) AWMM