Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Reginald Foster Williams, known as Reg, was born on 10 March 1879 at Picton. He was the third son of Thomas Williams and his second wife, Fanny Ann (née Goodman) Williams, of Wanganui. Reginald was educated initially at Timaru Main School, along with two of his older brothers, and afterwards at Oamaru North and Middle schools. From the mid 1880s his father owned the Timaru Brewery, and was well-known locally. He afterwards acquired the Oamaru Brewery. By 1893 the family had settled in Wanganui, Mr Thomas Williams having retired from business. Young Reginald appears to have made his mark as an entertainer. When the teachers and pupils of the Oamaru North School gave their annual entertainment on 4 December 1891, Reg Williams received special mention for his character part as Rip Van Winkle. He featured in the programme to mark the opening of Horner’s Hall at Mangaweka in October 1898, when he played the part of the Hon Levison, “well and favourably known in Wanganui”, in the comedietta, “Hunting a Turtle”. At a concert held in aid of the organ fund of the Mangaweka Church of England in April 1899, Mr Reg Williams sang “Sons of the Sea”, which was repeated in response to an encore. Probably he also had a part in a tableau, and helped with the stage decoration and coloured lights. In May 1899, following the inaugural sports of the Mangaweka Athletic Club, a concert was held in aid of the Sports Fund. Mr R. Williams sang “Soldiers of the Queen” and was again encored. Reg was a member of the committee, which was “entitled to great praise for the excellent and extensive programme provided.” He was also interlocutor for the Minstrels. His brother Stanley was secretary for the club.

Reginald and his brother Stanley were residing at Mangaweka in 1900, both drapers. Reg may have also been into rowing, R. Williams being drawn for a U.B.C. crew to compete for trophies in early March 1901. Stan R. Williams and Reg Williams contributed 5 shillings each to the Queen Victoria Memorial Ward Fund. Reginald’s father died in November 1901, aged 73 years, at his home in Wanganui, after a long illness. Having settled in 1862 at Picton, where he was the first mayor, he married Fanny in 1869 and six children were born at Picton before he moved into the brewery business at Timaru and later Oamaru. He was the proprietor of both the Timaru Brewery and the Oamaru Brewery. It was reported that Thomas Williams (senior) had served in the Maori Wars. Reginald was probably residing at Mangaweka or Wanganui when his father died. 1902, when Reg and Stanley were at Guyon Street, found Mr R. Williams requesting assistants and arranging practices for the music at the Coronation services to be held at Christ Church. In 1905 he was a storekeeper in Wanganui.

His brother Cecil Horatio Child Williams was killed in action on 26 April 1915 at Ypres. At this time it was reported that Reginald was with the Australians at the Dardanelles. “Mrs. Kerr, of Liverpool Street, yesterday received a letter from her brother, Private Reg. Williams, who joined the Third Australian Brigade, which made the landing at Gaba Tepe. He was a member of the landing party, but got through unscsathed, and at the time of writing (May 5) was fit and well. Private Williams is well known in Wanganui.” [Wanganui Chronicle. 1 July 1915] Mrs Kerr was Reg’s oldest sister Maud. The Third Australian Brigade was reformed in 1914 for service during World War I and took part in the fighting at Gallipoli (the first Australian unit to land at Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915) and on the Western front in Europe. The battalion was recruited from New South Wales and raised within a fortnight of the declaration of war in August 1914. It embarked two months later, reaching Egypt on 2 December.

Reginald Foster Williams (Reg) was at the Dardanelles with the Australian Forces when his brother Cecil was killed in April 1915. And brothers, Walter Beauchamp Williams and Russell Stanley Williams, were listed on the Reserves Rolls, Stanley being called up. His nephew, Walter Samuel Kerr, who served in World War I, was gassed during the fighting on the Western Front in June 1917. Two cousins of Reg – Russell Stanley Goodman and Kenneth Douglas Goodman – served with the New Zealand Forces in World War I. A nephew and a great-nephew of Reginald lost their lives in World War II. Leading Airman Ewan Seymour Ingle was killed in a flying accident in England in 1941 and Flying Officer Albert Gordon Boswall Williams was lost on air operations in the Mediterranean Sea in 1942. Reginald’s much older half-brother, T. B. (Tom Boswall) Williams, was the mayor of Wanganui and chairman of the Wanganui Patriotic Committee. Tom’s wife co-ordinated a project to knit mittens, scarves and socks for the men in Trentham camp.

Mr Reginald Foster Williams and Miss Constance Grace (Queenie) Wilkin married in August 1935 at Holy Trinity Church, Orange, New South Wales. Queenie’s father, Charles Wilkin, formerly of New South Wales, was by this time living in Dunedin, New Zealand, where he died in 1937. Four daughters, including Constance Grace Williams, and two sons and grandchildren, were beneficiaries of his estate. In August 1951, Mr Reginald Foster Williams, of Trunkey Creek, suffered fractured left ribs and lacerations to his head when he fell under a moving truck. After treatment by the Bathurst Ambulance he was able to return home. Reginald and Constance were living at Trunkey Creek in the 19149s and early 1950s, where Reg was postmaster. Reginald Williams – son of Thomas and Fanny Ann - died in 1966, his death registered at Bathurst, New South Wales.

Sources

NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [13 April 2015]; School Admission Records (South Canterbury & Oamaru branches NZSG) [2014]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [14 March 2015]; Australian Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au); Oamaru Mail, 5 December 1891, 14 November 1901 [x 2], Wanganui Chronicle, 31 October 1898, 21 April 1899, 27 May 1899, 4 March 1901, 23 May 1901, 11 [x 2] & 19 November 1901, 12 May 1902, 1 July 1915, 9 August 1916 [x 2], Wanganui Herald, 8 & 19 November 1901, 1 July 1915, 20 June 1917, Timaru Herald, 9 November 1901, 25 May 1915, Otago Daily Times, 27 May 1915, 7 June 1937, Otago Witness, 2 June 1915 (Papers Past) [26 February 2014; 13 April 2015; 22 December 2018; 08 September 2020; 09 & 17 October 2020]; Sydney Mail, NSW, Australia, 3 July 1918, Wellington Times, NSW, 29 August 1935, National Advocate, Bathurst, NSW, 31 August 1951 (Trove) [November 2016; 09 October 2020]; NSW Death Index (NSW Registry); ; Third Australian Brigade (Wikipedia) [18 October 2020]; Third Australian Brigade (Australian War Memorial) [18 October 2020]

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Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

TS