SIMMERS, William Wallace
(Service number 6/3461)
| First Rank | Sergeant | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 26/10/1892 | Place of Birth | Dunedin, New Zealand |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 23 August 1915 | Age | 22 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 448 lincoln Road, Christchurch | ||
| Occupation | Student | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | son of George Annand and Isabella Glen Simmers, 20 Selwyn St, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 8th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 13 November 1915 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 35, 36, Willochra or Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment, | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | BWM, VM | ||
Award Circumstances and Date
Mentioned in London Gazette 14 Nov 1916 pg 11146 Rec No 82
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 June 1917 | Age | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Belgium | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Messines Ridge ( Memorial, Ressines Ridge British Cemetery, Belguim | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Timaru Boys High School War Memorial (Library) (as W W Simmers, MM); Waimataitai School War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
Educated at Timaru Boys High School. Son of George Annand Simmers and Isabella Glen Simmers nee Wallace. One of 7children (6 boys 1 girl). Brother Robert Simmers ser no 25/239 also attended Boys High (born1894 - d 1977). George Annand was the Rector at Boys High. Timaru Herald, Volume CVI, Issue 16271, 26 June 1917, Page 2
SERGEANT WALLACE SIMMERS. A cable has been received that Sergeant Wallace William Simmers was killed in.action on June 13th. He' was the eldest son of Mr George Simmers. MA., late Rector of the Timaru High School. He received his primary education at Waimataitai school, and then went to the Timaru High School, where he was one of the most distinguished of recent old boys. He was captain of the first football fifteen and was in the first cricket eleven in his last year at school. In 1910 he gained a Junior University scholarship and went to Canterbury College, where he took the engineering course . In 1913 he gained his B.Sc. He was only three months off his final examination for BE when he joined the forces He was captain of the College first fifteen, a member of the Canterbury rep team, president of the Students' Christian Union, and secretary to the Students' Union. He was a right good fellow, at school and college, and in football circles was well known and very popular in Canterbury. On leaving for the war he went first to Egypt, where he spent some time and then went to France Some months ago he won the military medal. Last evening Mr Simmers received a cable from his second son, Robert, who is now at Sling Camp: "Well. Have gained a commission." This son has also seen a lot of fighting, and has won the military medal, a bar, and a Russian decoration.
Sources
Auckland Cenotaph, CWGC, Historical BMD, PapersPast
External Links
Related Documents
Researched and Written by
Liz Shea (SC branch NZSG)
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
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