KNOWLES, West
(Service number 33734)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 16 October 1895 | Place of Birth | Waipara, Otago |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 20 September 1916 | Age | 20 years 9 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Pareora East | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs H.J.H. Knowles, James St, Balclutha | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | C Company 21st Reinforcements | ||
| Date | 21 January 1917 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 74 Ulimaroa | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, N.Z. | Destination | Plymouth, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 1st Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 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 | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
West Knowles was born on 16 October 1895, in Waipara, Otago, to Mrs H. J. H. Knowles of James Street, Balclutha. After West left home he moved to Pareora East where he went to work as a labourer for Mr Samuel Hanson. West also joined the No 46 Company of the Senior Cadets in Waimate.
West undertook his medical examination to join the army in Christchurch on 25 July 1916. Captain Guthrie of the New Zealand Medical Corps described him as being 20 years and 9 months old, 5 f00t 7 inches tall, and weighing 9 st 9 lb, with a chest measurement of between 33 1/2 and 37 inches in diameter. He was of a fresh complexion, with grey eyes and light brown hair. His religion was listed as Baptist. On 20 September 1916, West signed his attestation papers and swore his allegience to the King in front of Lieutenant O. Henry in Trentham Military Camp when he enlisted to fight in World War One.
After finishing his basic training at Trentham, Private Knowles joined C Company, 21st Reinforcements, 1st Battalion Canterbury Infantry Regiment and embarked at Wellington on HMNZT 74 'Ulimaroa' with the 21st Reinforcements New Zealand Expeditionary Force. In convoy with HMNZT 75 'Waitemata' they arrived in Plymouth on 27 March 1917, and then marched into Sling Camp where Knowles was transferred to the Canterbury Company of the 4th Reserve Battalion. After extra training at Sling, Private Knowles left for France on 28 May 1917, and was taken on strenght at the New Zealand Infantry Base Depot and Etaples. From which he joined the 1st Canterbury Infantry Regiment in the field on 19 June 1917.
On 30 September 1917, Private Knowles was at the New Zealand wing of the Reinforcement Camp behind the front line, where he stayed for three weeks before returning to his Battalion in the field on 25 October 1917. Several weeks later Private Knowles was evacuated from the field sick, and was admitted to the New Zealand Field Hospital in France on 8 December. The same day he was transferred to the Australian General Hospital at Rouen, France, before being transferred to Bathurst (suffering from severe trench foot) from 31 January 1918. Soon after he was transferred to the Hornchurch Convalescent Depot on 16 February 1918, and the on the 4 March he was given leave.
After recovery and leave Private Knowles was sent back to France, marching into Etaples on 19 May 1918. Four months later Private Knowles was reported missing on 30 September 1918. The War Department received a communicate confirming that Private Knowles was a prisoner and was unwounded on 19 November 1918. At the end of the war Private Knowles was released and from captivity and arrived in Ripon, North Yorkshire on 11 December 1918, and reported to the New Zealand Headquarters and was granted leave on the 14 December 1918 until 14 February 1919, when he is supposed to report to the New Zealand Convalescent Depot in Codford. While on leave, West Married Evelyn Ada Stintze, at Westminster in London, on 25 January 1919. He did not make it back from leave on time and he was fined 14 days pay and he had to pay the sum of 8/- for the cost of a railway warrant from Paddington to Codford.
Private Knowles embarked for return to New Zealand on board the 'Hororata' from Plymouth on 26 July 1919. On 21 October 1919, Private Knowles was discharged from the army. He received the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his efforts in the 3 years and 33 days that he spent in the army of which he spent 2 years and 248 days in France, during the Western European Campaign.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [4 November 2016]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5541 0065414 [17 November 2016]; "HMNZT: New Zealand Transport Ships" on Flotilla Australia at http://www.flotilla-australia.com/hmnzt.htm [28 January 2017]
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Researched and Written by
Dianne Hall
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