MINNISS, Samuel Henry
(Service number 7/117)
NB: Those names marked with an asterisk (*) were underlined in red as "killed or died of wounds". (Courtesy of R Waldie. South Canterbury Museum L2014/025.01)
Back: Rainey, G; Frost, R; Julian, W; Cochrane, John; Tennant, John; Cochrane, James; Nichol N; Cameron, C; Robins; Rickman, E A; ?
3rd R: McKenzie, J (alexander John); Duggan, M; Tobin ,J; Tavendale, W; Campbell, J; Gynes; Hodgson, J; McKenzie, R S (Percy?); Samuels, H [actually Henry Samuel Miniss]; Copland; Fitzharris, P; Gill, J
2nd R: Fraser; Whitta, J H; Carr, J; Manchester, A R; Wain, P J; Finlay, John; Bailey, G C; Sloan, P; Bell, N; Menzies, W; Spencer, E; Ryan, E
Front: McGrath, W; Keane, T; Wall, T; Hunt; ?; Hogan, H (Courtesy of Waimate Museum & Archives, P2183 )
| First Rank | Trooper | Last Rank | Gunner |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 29/01/1883 | Place of Birth | Remeura, Auckland, New Zealand |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 14 August 1914 | Age | 31 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Waimate, New Zealand | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 1st Infantry Regiment, Sydney (2 1/2 years) | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Nellie Samuels (mother), 119 Crystal Street, Petersham, NSW, Australia | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Main Body | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Mounted Rifles | ||
| Date | 16 October 1914 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Athenic | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, New Zealand | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | NZ Field Artillery, NZDAC | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Field Artillery, NZDAC | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian, Balkans (Gallipoli), & Western Europe | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal | ||
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 | 28 August 1962 | Age | 79 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Sydney, Australia | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Samuel, eldest son of John and Ellen (nee Hobble) Minniss, was born at Remeura, Auckland, on 29 January 1883.
At the outbreak of war Samuel was employed as a labourer by Mr J. Gillon of Waihao Down, Waimate. He enlisted into the Canterbury Mounted Rifles at Timaru on 14 August 1914, under the name of Henry Samuels after failing a medical under his real name. His enlistment papers described him as being 31 years of age, single, Anglican, 5 foot 8 ½ inches tall, of fair complexion, light brown hair, grey eyes, weighing 151 lbs, chest measuring 33 ½ to 36 ½ inches, having good teeth and a circular scar on his right elbow outer. He stated he had had 2 ½ years previous military service with the 1st Infantry Regiment in Sydney, Australia. His mother, Mrs Nellie Samuels of 119 Crystal Street, Petersham, NSW, Australia, was listed as his next of kin but she could not be found at this address so an alternate next of kin was recorded as Miss M. Minniss of 14 Boulevard, Petersham, Sydney, NSW.
Samuel embarked from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, aboard SS Tahiti or Athenic, with the Main Body of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles, on 16 October 1914. In Egypt he was transferred to the NZ Field Artillery and embarked for the Dardanelles on 9 May 1915 with the 9th Battery. On 23 July he came down with neuralgia and was admitted to the NZ Field Ambulance at ANZAC and transferred to 3 Field Ambulance at Mudros on 26 July, and again sent to the EA Hospital, Egypt, on 1 August then on to No 1 Stationary Hospital on 28 August. After discharge from hospital, he again embarked for Mudros on 27 September. October 13 saw him again being admitted to hospital in Mudros with the same complaint and on 4 November, he was sent to Grey Towers Hospital, England.
On 7 April 1916, Samuel once again embarked for service in France with the Field Artillery. On 6 January 1917, he received a minor gunshot wound to the leg and was admitted to No 1 NZ Field Ambulance and discharged back to duty on 9 January. He again received a gunshot wound to the leg on 20 April 1917, and admitted to No 3 NZ Field Ambulance, and on 30 April, was transferred to No 2 NZ General Hospital at Walton, England. On 19 May he moved to the Convalescent Hospital at Hornchurch, and was discharged to Chaddington on 14 June 1917. He embarked for France on 10 April 1918, where, on the next day, he was posted to NZDAC, where he finished his war service. Samuel boarded the SS Willochra at Southampton on 8 March 1919 for his return to NZ, and arrived home on 15 April. After having served a total of 4 years and 273 days, he was discharged from the army on 13 May 1919. For this service he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medals.
On 20 May 1919, at Wellington, he made a declaration that his name was in fact Samuel Henry Minniss, his military records being amended to record that fact, and in June, left NZ bound for Australia. Samuel spent the remainder of his life living in the Campsie area of Sydney, NSW, Australia, where he worked as a railway employee, and died in Sydney on 28 August 1962, aged 79 years.
Sources
Assorted records on ancestry.com.au; Birth, Death and Marriage Historical Records at https://bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz; University of New South Wales, Canberra NZEF Project "New Zeland Anzacs in ther Great War 1914-1918" at http://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=225673; Facebook contact via DigitalNZ with grand-daughter, M Freeman, 23 November 2016.
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
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