WILSON, Samuel Charles
| Service Number: | 3534 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 26 July 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 53rd Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Braidwood, New South Wales, Australia, May 1885 |
| Home Town: | Port Macquarie, Port Macquarie-Hastings, New South Wales |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Farmer |
| Died: | Killed in Action, France, 19 July 1916 |
| Cemetery: |
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery Plot II. Row E. Grave 1. Inscription: In proud memory of Samuel loved brother dear son of Isabella and George rest in peace with Eric. |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Hibbard Public School Pupils Honour Roll of the Great War, Port Macquarie Cenotaph |
World War 1 Service
| 26 Jul 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3534 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3534, 3rd Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '7' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 3534, 3rd Infantry Battalion, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 16 Feb 1916: | Transferred AIF WW1, Private, 53rd Infantry Battalion, To be with his brothers James and Charles | |
| 19 Jul 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Private, 3534, 53rd Infantry Battalion, Fromelles (Fleurbaix), --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3534 awm_unit: 53rd Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1916-07-19 |
From AWM
A 29 year old labourer prior to enlistment on 25 July 1915, he embarked for overseas with the 11th Reinforcements from Sydney aboard HMAT Euripides on 2 November 1915. After transferring to the 53rd Battalion, he was killed in action on 19 July 1916 at Fromelles, France on the same day and at the same place as his brother, 4887 Pte Eric Robert Wilson [see image P05445.002]. After the war his grave could not be located and he was commemorated on the VC Corner Australian Cemetery Memorial, Fromelles. In 2008 a burial ground was located at Pheasant Wood, France containing the bodies of 250 British and Australian soldiers including Privates Samuel and Eric Wilson. All of the remains were reburied in the newly created Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. At the time of the official dedication of the new cemetery on 19 July 2010, ninety-six of the Australians, including Privates Samuel and Eric Wilson, had been identified through a combination of anthropological, archaeological, historical and DNA information. Work is continuing on identifying the other remains relocated from the burial ground and buried in the new cemetery as unknown soldiers.
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1167000
Submitted 27 January 2019 by Evan Evans
Biography contributed by Geoffrey Gillon
Sam was 30 and a son of George and Isabella Wilson. His brother Private Eric Robert Wilson, Service Number 4887, aged 20 fell in the same action and rests alongside him.
The three Wilson brothers from Port Macquarie NSW, were in the 53rd Battalion, Eric and Sam were killed side by side in German trenches, and Private James Arthur Ernest Wilson, Service Number 3533,returned to Australia, 25 January 1919. He was wounded in the neck but survived . He passed away in 1959.
Report from the Australian Red Cross, Wounded and Missing Enquiry Bureau, 18 October 1920, 'Wilson, S. C. 3534. 53 Bn. B. Co. Fell 19.7.16 near Fromelles[.] Final German Death List, S'.
Red Cross File No 2990606: 'The above name appeared on German death list dated 4-11-16.'
Statement, 3528 Pte E.B. TAYLOR, B Company, 53rd Bn (patient, No 6 General Hospital, Rouen), 16 April 1917: 'Informant said Wilson was in B Co. 7 Pl. and came from Port Macquarie (sic) N.S.W. He was a bomber and in the Fromelles attack he held at bay a German party attempting to come down a sap while a number of other men were able to get away. He held the sap all alone and was himself killed by a bomb when the others had safely got away.'
Originally listed as 'No Known Grave' and commemorated at V.C. Corner (Panel No 9), Australian Cemetery, Fromelles.
Sources
NAA: B2455, WILSON Samuel Charles
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