HIGGS, William
(Service number 28876)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 30 March 1895 | Place of Birth | Albury |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Albury | ||
| Occupation | Farming | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | William HIGGS (father), Albury, South Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 18th Reinforcements, J Company | ||
| Date | 11 October 1916 | ||
| Transport | Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Plymouth, Devon, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Otago Infantry | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
No information
Prisoner of War Information
| Date of Capture | |
|---|---|
| Where Captured and by Whom | |
| Actions Prior to Capture | |
| PoW Serial Number | |
| PoW Camps | |
| Days Interned | |
| Liberation Date |
Death
| Date | 1 May 1969 | Age | 74 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Salisbury Park Crematorium, Timaru | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
William Higgs was the fifth son of William and Sarah Major (née Smith) Higgs, the first-born william having died in infancy. He was educated at Albury School. Private W. Higgs arrived at Port Chalmers per the “Tofua” in May 1919, the South Canterbury men reaching Timaru by special train on 29 May. There was a very large and enthusiastic crowd on the station platform to welcome the men when they arrived at 7.40 pm. Loud cheers erupted, which were “followed by the usual rush of overjoyed relatives and friends to unearth their respective soldier heroes.” The Mayor welcomed them back on behalf of the citizens of Timaru, assisted by members of the Timaru Soldiers’ Reception Committee and ladies of the Patriotic Society. “All ranks were very cheerful, and looked in the pink of condition, and were evidently pleased at their return home.” (Timaru Herald).
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 August 2019]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [20 August 2019]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [21 August 2019]; Salisbury Park Crematorium record [21 August 2019] Timaru Herald, 30 May 1919 (Papers Past) [12 August 2019]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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