SELWYN TIMES
Tuesday June 23 2015
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Soldiers of Selwyn www.selwynlibrary.co.nz
the sick and wounded This involved being shackled in irons for up to two hours a day, although it would not have been for more than 21 days. Withers was later detached to the school of instruction on July 29 for two weeks. He was appointed Lance Corporal on October 12 and sent to Brigade School for a week. He was back in time to take part in the attack on the December 3 attack on Polderhoek Chateau and it was here that he was killed in action, aged 21. Another soldier reported that “In the attack on the Chateau when he had gone about 25 yards Lance Corporal Withers was hit in the back of the leg by a piece of shell and obviously wounded. He evacuated into a shell hole where I was and asked me to dress his wound. He was very bad and I do not think he could have lived.” He is buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Ypres, and remembered on the Prebbleton War Memorial. • Sydney Stephens Sydney Stephens was born at Dunsandel on August 21, 1890, to William and Carol Stephens. He was a member of the Dunsandel Football Club and was working at Dunsandel as a labourer before enlisting on October 13, 1915. He had previous military experience with the 13th Canterbury and Coast Regiment. Stephens was assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade, and embarked with them for Suez on February 5, 1916. After a brief period for training he left for France on April 7, serving throughout the campaigns without any issues and was still with his unit on May 18, 1917. However, Stephens was wounded on June 7, in the battle for Messines and spent about a month in hospital. He re-joined his unit briefly in August before being granted a
month’s leave to England. He returned to the Rifle Brigade on September 20 and was killed in action on December 6, 1917, aged 27. The Rifle Brigade were holding the line in the Becelaere Sector not far from the notorious Polderhoek Chateau position. He is buried in the Polygon Wood Cemetery, Ypres, and remembered on the Dunsandel War Memorial as well as his family grave stone. • Sergeant Edric Davidson Reid Edric Davidson Reid was born at Dunedin on December 10, 1894, to the Reverend James Swanson and Annie Jane Reid. He spent time as a tutor at Gilby’s Commercial School and had previous military experience with the 12th Canterbury Regiment. Reid enlisted on December 15, 1915, and was assigned to C Company, 13th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion. He was promoted to Corporal on December 15 and then to Sergeant on February 6, 1916. He embarked for England on May 31. In Sling Camp, he reverted to the ranks. However, it was probably at this time that he was retained in a non-commissioned officers’ camp at Andover, during which time he topped the list in an examination in which there were about 800 competitors. Completing the course he was appointed Corporal in August and then Sergeant on September 25, the day before leaving for France. Reid joined 1st Battalion Canterbury Regiment on October 13 where he relinquished his sergeant’s rank. On July 17, 1917, he was promoted again to Lance Corporal and then detached to the School of Instruction on August 1, re-joining the battalion six days later. From October 12 onward he acted as temporary Sergeant, substituting for other non-com-
missioned officers who were either wounded or on leave. Reid was killed in action on December 13, 1917, aged 23. At this time the 1st Canterbury Battalion took over the sector known as Judge Cross Roads. He is buried in the Polygon Wood Cemetery and remembered on the Dunsandel War Memorial. • Signaller George Willan George Willan was born at Lowther Village, England, on February 19, 1896, to John James and Annie Willan. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1909 and when he was older, engaged in farming pursuits as a ploughman at Tai Tapu. He had previous military experience with K Company, the Coastal Defence unit set up soon after war broke out. He appears to have had a farm accident for the examining doctor noted that the end phalanges on the thumb and first finger of his left hand were missing but his grip was quite good so he was passed fit. Willan enlisted on June 28, 1916, and was assigned to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 9th Reinforcements, 3rd Battalion, G Company. He embarked for England on October 16. He was posted to the 4th Infantry Brigade at Codford on May 21, 1917, where he lost two days’ pay and was confined for 48 hours as punishment for having been absent without leave overnight on May 18-19 while at Sling Camp. On May 23 he joined 3rd Battalion Auckland Infantry and
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was posted to 16th Company. His obituary notes that he had undergone special training and qualified for his signaller’s badge. After serving his time for being absent he left for France on May 28. Willan survived the fighting at Ypres before being killed on December 28, 1917, aged 21, when a shell landed in the doorway of his dugout. He is buried in Tyne Cot Cemetery and remembered on the Tai Tapu War Memorial. • Rifleman Ewen Taylor Ewen Taylor was born at Leeston on June 4, 1875, to Ewen and Annie Taylor. At the time of his enlistment, on December 12, 1916, his father was dead and his mother was partially dependant. He was employed as groom and gardener at Ravensbourne. Taylor was assigned to New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 24th Reinforcements, G Company, and embarked for Devonport on April 5, 1917. He joined the Division in the field in France on August 8 and was posted to A Company, 3rd Brigade, 4th Battalion the next day. In September he was treated for scabies before returning to the field on October 8, 1917. Taylor was killed in action on January 8, 1918, aged 43. At that time the Rifle Brigade was back in the front line with the 4th Battalion in the Nord sub-sector around the remains of the hamlet of Noordemdhoek. They were relieved on January 8, on which day there was a severe snowstorm. On the night of the relief the enemy attempted to raid the point of the salient at Joiner’s Avenue in the 4th Battalion line. Taylor is buried in the Oxford Rd Cemetery and remembered on the Ellesmere County War Memorial’s Leeston plaque.
• George Gordon McKay George Gordon McKay was born at Halkett on August 3, 1889, to George and Mary McKay. He was working as a general contractor at Halkett before enlisting on January 26, 1917, and had previously been rejected for military service because of appendicitis. McKay was assigned to the 27th Reinforcements, Specialists Company, Machine-Gun Section and embarked for Devonport on June 12, 1917. After arriving in France, he was afflicted with measles and admitted to No 46 Stationary Hospital on November 1 and then on to No 13 Convalescent Depot at Dauville which had previously been a resort for the wealthy. He seems to have spent Christmas there. He was sent to join the 2nd Battalion Canterbury Regiment in the field at Polygon Wood on January 20 and was killed in action only four days later. McKay is buried at the Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood, and remembered on a memorial inside the grounds of the Halkett Presbyterian Church. • Selwyn Libraries welcomes your feedback or any information you can provide regarding these soldiers. Please contact selwyn.library@selwyn. govt.nz • For more information go to http://keteselwyn. peoplesnetworknz.info/en/ soldiers_of_selwyn
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