Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Joseph Wimms, known as Jimmy, was born on 24 April 1891, St George in the East, London, England, the second of the three sons of Alfred George and Susan (née Eade) Wimms. He was baptised on 20 November 1892 at St Mary, Stepney. Joseph was at home with his family at St George in the East in 1901 and again in 1911 when he was a wharf clerk. He was in New Zealand when war was declared and the New Zealand troops were rallied. He entered camp on 23 September 1914, enlisted on 9 October 1914 and embarked with the Main body for Suez, Egypt, on 16 October 1916 per the “Waimana”. He was a driver with the New Zealand Army Service Corps, Divisional Train. He gave an Auckland address, was a farm labourer, single and of Church of England affiliation. His next-of-kin was Mrs Susan Wimms, 62 Khartoum Road, Ilford, Essex, England. She was recorded as his sister but this was queried. She was surely his mother. Also named was Miss Winifred Maddock, C/o National Mortgage & Agency Co, Timaru.

14/76 Joseph Wimms was awarded to Distinguished Conduct Medal. The citation in the Gazette of 3 June 1915 read “For conspicuous bravery on 25 April 1915 immediately after landing at Anzac when he was in charge of an Indian Mule train conveying ammunition from the beach to the Fourth Australian Brigade then entrenched in Shrapnel Valley.” Lance-Corporal J. Wimms was mentioned in General Sir Ian Hamilton’s despatch published in London on 13 August 1915. The graphic account of this “unobstrusive hero”, which was published in the Otago Daily Times of 6 November 1915, makes fascinating reading. [See newspaper attachment.] But afflicted with fever and dysentery, Wimms lost a lot of weight and became very weak. Embarking at Alexandria on 28 September 1915, he was invalided home to New Zealand per the “Tofua”. Joseph Wimms, D.C.M., was honoured at a function at the Auckland Soldiers’ Club on 8 November. He was, in fact, one of the first New Zealand soldiers to be decorated for distinguished conduct at Gallipoli.

It was his intention to return to the Front, which he did. Lance-Corporal J. Wimms embarked on 29 February 1916, departing from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, per the “Aparima”, to resume his service with the Army Service Corps. Corporal J. Wimms (D.C.M.), of Timaru, returned by the “Port Melbourne” (No. 219), embarking on 25 January 1919 and arriving on 9 March 1919. He was discharged on 11 April 1919 after four years and 178 days of service, all but 164 days overseas. He had served in all theatres of war and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. On 24 November 1919 in the King Edward Barracks, medals which honoured the brave were presented to over thirty returned soldiers and their next-of-kin. “. . . . at the eastern end a table was placed, covered with the Union Jack, upon which were stacked the little boxes which held the decorations.. . . . . each soldier or next-of-kin being heartily applauded by the public present as they came forward to receive the medals.” One of those presentations was the Distinguished Conduct Medal to Lance-Corporal J. Wimms.

One of the applications before the Canterbury Land Board under the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act at the end of October 1919 was for J. Wimms. His application was dealt with in February 1920. Joseph, who was recorded as James Joseph Wimms on electoral rolls, lived in Christchurch after the war, he and Winifred Maddock at the same address in 1919. He married Winifred Victoria Maddock in December 1919. They had one son, Anthony (Tony) Stuart Wimms, who moved to England, married and died there. Joseph (Jimmy) Wimms died on 25 November 1970 at Christchurch, aged 79 years, and was cremated at the Canterbury Crematorium. His wife Win had died in January 1970 and was also cremated.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [11 January 2023]; Baptism record (ancestry.com.au) [07 March 2023]; England Census returns 1891, 1901, 1911 (ancestry.com.au) [7 & 08 March 2023]; Evening Post, 5 July 1915, Otago Daily Times, 27 August 1915, 6 November 1915, Hawke’s Bay Tribune, 4 October 1915, NZ Herald, 9 November 1919, Dominion, 25 February 1919, NZ Times, 25 February 1915, Timaru Herald, 28 February 1919, Press, 25 November 1919, 28 January 1970, 26 November 1970 (Papers Past) [11 January 2023; 07 & 08 March 2023]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [08 March 2023]

External Links

Related Documents

• WIMMS Joseph - newspaper clippings (pdf, 280.9 KB updated 25-May-2023)

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