REYNOLDS, Samuel
(Service number 6/1702)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 13/04/1879 | Place of Birth | Waimate |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 29 December 1914 | Age | 35 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | G.P.O. Christchurch | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | George REYNOLDS (brother), Willowbridge, Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 3rd Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 14 February 1915 | ||
| Transport | Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 8 November 1951 | Age | 72 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Auckland | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated; ashes interred Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Samuel Reynolds was born on 13 April 1879 at Waimate, the third son of William and Mary Ann (née Surkitt) Reynolds. William and Mary Ann had come to New Zealand soon after marrying in 1874 in England and settled at Waimate where thirteen children were born. Mary Ann died in 1908 and William, a well-known Willowbridge farmer and fruitgrower, died at Waimate in August 1911. Samuel was likely very involved in competitive cycling in his youth. Samuel was a labourer and single when he enlisted on 29 December 1914 at Trentham, naming his oldest brother as next-of-kin – George Reynolds, Willowbridge, Canterbury. Private S. Reynolds embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 3rdy Reinforcements, departing from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, on 14 February 1915. Private Sam Reynolds embarked on 5 May 1916 at Suez to return to New Zealand by the “Tahiti”, which was expected at Port Chalmers in early June. He was discharged on 8 July 1916 and awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The name of Private Samuel Reynolds appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of Answered the Call, from 2 June 1915. As of July 1925 George Reynolds did not know the address of his soldier brother. It was in 1925 that Samuel married Elizabeth Rohan. Elizabeth was born Elizabeth Palmer and had been widowed at Gisborne in 1923. Samuel and Elizabeth lived together for many years at Gisborne, where he was a labouer, although there was a court order in September 1927 for him to pay maintenance for his wife. Samuel Reynolds died 8 November 1951 at Auckland, late of Gisborne. He was cremated, his ashes being interred in Waikumete Cemetery. He was 72 years old. His estate was administered by the Public Trustee, who held £657 in cash. Elizabeth, a widow, died on 10 August 1958 at Gisborne and was buried with Rohan family members at Taruheru Cemetery, Gisborne. By her Will signed in 1954, she left legacies to her granddaughter Sandra Rohan, her son Patrick Joseph Rohan (wife Freda) and her daughter Catherine Hannah Hogan (Rohan). Samuel’s brother William also served in World War One. Neither Samuel nor William was a beneficiary of their father’s estate.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [29 June 2022]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 7 August 1911, 2 June 1915, 2 June 1916, 30 May 1918 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 29 June 2022; 01 July 2022]; Waikumete Cemetery record (Auckland Council) [30 June 2022]; Taruheru Cemetery records (Gisborne District Council) [30 June 2022]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [30 June 2022]; Probate records (Archives NZ/Family Search) [30 June 2022]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.