Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Vincent Gabriel Symes (known as Vic) was the second son of Henry and Grace Montgomery (née Wright) Symes. Vic's mother was a school teacher and his father was an engineer, inventor, onetime mayor of Alexandra, and and founder of the Alexandra Herald newspaper. Vic was educated at the Broad Bay School, Dunedin, then spent some time at Hamilton South School, before returning to Dunedin, to High Street School, and two months later to Mornington School, Dunedin.

A niece, Grace Anne (Nan) Bray (nee Grant), wrote the following notes about Vic:

“Vincent Gabriel Meldrum Symes: (4th child of Henry & Grace Symes, my Uncle Vic) Born in Alexandra. Educated at Hamilton South and at the Otago Boys’ High School. (On the 1913 roll.) Worked in a bank in Dunedin. Later taught at the Gapes Valley School---maybe others. Enlisted at end of World War I but didn’t get overseas due to the war ending ..”

Vincent Symes was publicly entertained by the Ashwick Flat Patriotic Entertainment Committee and received a wristlet watch before going to war. he was accorded a welcome home by the same committee.

Vic’s niece also wrote that:

“After the war, with his brother Ab, [he] worked at their gold-mine on the West Coast. Also together they did a great deal of fencing, especially in the Fairlie district. Ab and Vic co-invented a fencing coupling device in the 1920s.

When gold-mining during the 1930s on the West Coast in the Moonlight area with Ab I don’t think they made much money. At the outbreak of the 2nd World War they left the area and Vic joined the Forestry Company of the N.Z. Army stationed in England. Returned to N.Z. at the conclusion of the war. Married twice. First to Molly, an Australian in 1927. This marriage was to last only a short time [ending in divorce in 1938]. After the war, Vic returned to England where he married again in Cirencester, Gloucestershire. This is where he lived out the remainder of his life, dying there about 1969 of lung trouble which he had had for many years. No children.”

Vincent's brother, Henry Albert Symes (known as Ab), also served in World War I.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [28 October 2019]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [28 October 2019]; Timaru Herald, 14 May 1919 (Papers Past) [15 May 2014]; SCRoll web submissions by J Bray, 22 & 23 October 2024

External Links

Related Documents

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Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG; Tony Rippin, South Canterbury Museum

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