Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Samuel was born in Coleraine, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, on 11 October 1895, son of Samuel and Rachel Jane (nee Douglas) Wallace. His parents married at Portrush, Co Derry, Ireland, in 1882, and later left to reside in London before coming out to New Zealand aboard the SS “Papanui” on 8 August 1907. The family worked for Mr A L Barker before purchasing a small dairy farm at Temuka. Later Samuel’s father died at Temuka in 1933. His mother Rachel died in 1952 was interred with her husband in the Temuka Cemetery.

Samuel was educated at the Temuka School where he passed the 4th standard, and on leaving worked for his father on the family farm. Prior to enlisting on February 9, 1916, he had been a member of the 8th Mounted Rifles, but had a bad record for non attendance at military parades and drills.

Samuel was medically boarded for service in World War One at Temuka on 28 December 1915, by local doctor F A Scannell. His enlistment papers described him as being aged 20, single, Presbyterian, 5 foot 9 ¾ inches tall, weighing 146 pounds (66kgs), with a chest measuring 32 ¾ to 35 ½ inches, a fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair and having teeth cavities and two missing teeth. On 9 February 1916 at Temuka, as part of 13th Reinforcements and headed by the Temuka Brass Band followed by a number of citizens, he was farewelled. They marched through the street to the railway station, leaving for camp at Featherston where he was attested on 10 February. Here he was posted to C Squadron 13 Mounted Rifles and issued with his basic uniform, rifle and bayonet, and began 16 weeks of mounted rifle training.

On 4 April he was transferred to J Company 1 Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment and left Wellington on 27 May 1916, aboard HMNZT 55 “Tofua” bound for Devonport, England, in convoy with HMNZT54 “Willochra”. During the voyage time was occupied with physical training, rifle drill, sports and lectures. They had a stop at Adelaide on 5 June where they were entertained by the locals before leaving for Albany where they did not berth. From here they arrived in Durban on 27 June, where they had a route march through the streets and some leave. They continued on to Cape Town, arriving on 1July, where they had a civic reception, played some sport, and a bit more leave. Some of the men took the opportunity to visit Groote Schuur the residence of Cecil Rhodes. Next stop was Dakar on 18 July, but they did not land. Here a huge gun was brought on board along with a naval gun crew for protection against submarines for the last past of the voyage, which reached Devonport on 27 July 1916. Two days later as an infantry soldier he marched into Sling Camp on the Salisbury Plain, England, and was posted to the 1st Battalion of the Otago Infantry Regiment Reserves. At Sling the training was designed to prepare the soldier for Western Front conditions, particularly trench warfare. Sling was just one of many military camps on Salisbury Plain during the war. New Zealand infantrymen made it their own. The camp has gone now, but the memory of those days is preserved by the large white kiwi they carved in the chalk of Beacon Hill, happily still maintained to the present day by the soldiers of nearby Bulford Camp.

On 12 August Samuel left for the NZ Base Depot in Etaples, France. On 24 August he joined the 14th (Southland) Company of the 1st Otago Battalion at Abbeville, preparing for their participation in the Battle of the Somme beginning 15 September 1916. Up to this point the Regiment had not been involved in any major operations but had proved their worth during several months of trench to trench warfare. The Somme Battle was to earn for them fame as a fighting force. When in the early part of October the Regiment, woefully thinned and weakened, marched out of the Somme, it had made for itself a name worthy of the tributes bestowed on the New Zealand Division by the higher command. Tragically though it was during this period, on 17 September 1916, when Private Wallace went into action with the Reserve Company was reported as missing in action. This was later confirmed as killed in action by a court of enquiry. As his body was never recovered his name is one of the many listed on the Caterpillar Valley (NZ) Memorial in the Caterpillar Valley Cemetery, Longueval, Somme, France.

After the war his father was sent a plaque and scroll, along with his war medals consisting of the British War Medal and Victory Medal. Samuel’s name is commemorated on the Timaru Memorial Wall, Temuka RSA Roll of Honour, Temuka War Memorial and Winchester War Memorial.

A brother, 13488 Private Robert John Wallace also served with the 1st Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment in France but thankfully survived to return home. The pair had originally joined together and had served in the same regiment.

Sources

NZ Defence Force Personnel Records, Archives NZ; Assorted records at Ancestry.com

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file
• Other military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available.

Researched and Written by

Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.