BRIEN, William Stewart
(Service number 6/1785)
| First Rank | (1) Lance Corporal (2) Private | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | Unknown | Place of Birth |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Shearman St, Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Carpenter | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs J. Brien (mother), Shearman St, Waimate | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | (1) 4th Reinforcements (2) NZEF | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | (1) Canterbury Infantry Battalion (2) 10th Reinforcements Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company | ||
| Date | 17/4/1915; 4/3/1916 | ||
| Transport | (1) Willochra or Knight Templar or Waitomo (2) Willochra or Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment; 2nd Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
Award Circumstances and Date
London Gazette, 13 March 1918, p3254, Rec No.1797: Operations opposite Polderhoek 27th November to 1st December 1917. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. During the aboel period this NCO was in command of the Battalion Carrying Party bringing rations up to the troops in the Front line. The enemy shelled the track at dusk and dawn with H.E shrapnel, and also with Machine Guns, but Sergt Brien personally led his party through the barrage, where a less resolute leader would not have succeeded. He never once ailed to bring up hot rations to the men in the trenches, and in these duties showed marked powers of command, initiative and readiness to assume responsibility. He showed the greatest devotion to duty, an utter disregard for danger, and his services were of the greatest value to his Battalion.
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 | 13 December 1917 | Age | 21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Ypres, Belgium | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Polygon Wood Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; St Augustine Church War memorial; Waimate First World War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
William Brien was the son of Jessie Brien, of Waimate and the late Robert Brien
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Databse (Oct 2013)
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
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