Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Thomas Wild was born on 12 February at Waimate, the seventh and youngest son of William and Charlotte (née Smith) Wild. His birth was registered simply as Tom Wild. William and Charlotte who had married on 11 October 1858 at Chute, Wiltshire, England, arrived at Timaru by the “Peeress” on 26 July 1874. They had six children with them, one having died in infancy in England. With others, they came soon after on to Waimate, where four more daughters and three sons were born. One child died in infancy and their son George died of typhoid fever in 1889, age 20 years. Mr William Wild died on 27 September 1910 at Waimate, having resided there for 36 years.

Thomas enlisted, as Thomas Wilds, at Waimate on 26 March 1917, and again on 16 May 1918 at Trentham, having been turned down earlier, but also having been poster as a deserter on 1 January 1918. He was a farm labourer for Mr McCulloch at Quamby via Waimate. Single and of church of England affiliation, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs Charlotte Wilds [sic], Waimate, South Canterbury. But Thomas Wilds deserted from Trentham Camp on 24 June 1918. He was arrested on 10 August at Redcliffs while working for a farmer at Ikawai. He had not told anyone that he had cleared out of camp. Private T. Wilds embarked with the 43rd Reinforcements, departing for London, England, on 2 October 1918 per the “Matatua”. The Hororata’s draft which was due at Wellington on or about 20 September 1919, brought home T. Wilds, 73535, of Waimate. He was discharged on 21 October 1919, on the termination of his period of engagement and received the British War Medal.

Thomas Wild dropped dead on 8 July 1930 while working on a farm at Waikakahi. He was 48 years old and death was due to natural causes. He was buried in the Waimate Old Cemetery. His mother had died in 1920. Isaac Vincent, a son of Thomas’ sister Mary, also served in World War One. A great-nephew, Malcolm Vincent, was killed in action in 1945 in Italy.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [26 June 2023]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [26 June 2023]; Waimate Old Cemetery burial records [27 June 2023]; Star, 26 August 1919, NZ Times, 27 August 1919, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 28 September 1910, Press, 10 July 1930 (Papers Past) [26 & 27 June 2023]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, South Canterbruy Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.