ALFRED JAMES WILSON
Regimental No. 59569
23 May 1883 – 26 August 1918
Alfred James Wilson was born at Kakaramea, south Taranaki on 23 May 1883, the eldest son of David and Elizabeth (nee Amos) Wilson. His father David was originally from Scotland and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of 18, becoming a settler in Kakaramea. He died in 1891 at the age of 45 years of ‘la grippe’ (influenza), leaving Elizabeth a widow with four children - Alfred aged eight and his brothers George William aged seven and David More aged four. Their baby sister Jessie Mary was only one year old. After David’s death, Elizabeth remained in Kakaramea where her parents Godfrey and Mary Amos were also living.
In about 1905 Elizabeth moved the family to live in Petone and Alfred is described as a labourer on the 1905/1906 Hutt Valley Electoral Roll. By the time of the 1911 Electoral Roll, the family had moved again and were living in Harrison Street, Brooklyn and Alfred was a fellmonger with the Gear Company at Petone.
Alfred was called up and attested and enlisted on 21 May 1917 at Trentham and given the Regimental Number 59569. His ‘apparent age’ was 31 years[1], he weighed 142 pounds, was 5’7¼” tall, with dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His religion was Church of England. He was classed as ‘Fit A’, although it was noted that he had suffered from tonsillitis, stomach problems, rheumatics and been off work at times. His military training commenced on 28 June 1917 when he was posted to D Company, 30th Reinforcements.
After training at Trentham and Featherston Alfred departed from Wellington on HMNZT No 93 (Corinthic) arriving in Liverpool on 8 December 1917. He travelled by train to Sling Camp and on 8 December 1917 he joined the 4th Reserve Battalion Otago Regiment. He was at Sling Camp on the Salisbury Plains for the usual 5 months training before leaving for France on 2 June 1918. While at Sling Camp he was required, like all troops, to complete a will but on 29 March 1918 he stated that he had made his will and it was deposited with the Public Trustee in Wellington. At Sling Camp discipline was tough and he received 3 days confined to barracks for being late to breakfast.
Alfred left for France from Sling Camp on 2 June 1918 as a member of the 3rd Reserve Battalion, Otago Regiment, and marched into camp at Etaples on 4 June 1918. On 8 June 1918 he was transferred to No 2 New Zealand Entrenching Battalion. Entrenching Battalions were ‘Pioneer’ Battalions’ - they made trenches, roads, gun emplacements etc. and were not expected to fight but obviously did when the need arose. As Entrenching Battalions were temporary units from which drafts of replacements could be drawn by conventional infantry battalions it was no surprise to see from his personal file that on 20 August 1918 he was posted to 8th Company, 1st Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment. It was with this Company that he was killed in action on 26 August, 1918. He was 35 years and 3 months old.
The precise circumstances of his death are not known, though his military personnel file records that he was buried by the 1 Battalion Otago Regiment Chaplain, Chaplain-Captain Ronald Sinclair Watson MC, (Presbyterian), in the Bapaume area to the south of Arras. Alfred was almost certainly killed in the attack made by the Otago’s which commenced on 21 August 1918 to sweep the Germans from Grevillers, Loupart Wood, and Biefvillers, and gain the outskirts of Bapaume. Stubborn fighting was experienced around Bapaume, but eventually the enemy was pushed back to the east. From 26 August until 14 September 1918 the Otago’s drove the enemy back from Bapaume to the high ground west of Gouzeaucourt, where very heavy fighting occurred at ‘African Trench’. Alfred was almost certainly killed in this fighting.
He was later re-buried in the L’Homme Mort British Cemetery, Ecoust-St Mein, Pas-de-Calais. The first burials made in this cemetery were in August 1918 with the rest after the Armistice when 152 graves were brought in from the neighbouring battlefields. The cemetery now contains 166 burials of the First World War, 104 of them unidentified. Alfred, who is one of the 37 New Zealanders commemorated in the cemetery, has a headstone inscribed with his regimental number and battalion, as well as the date he died.
Alfred’s brother, George William, who served in and survived the War, is also commemorated on the Brooklyn War Memorial.
Alfred James Wilson was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, both of which were sent to his mother Elizabeth in 1922, at which time she was still living at 7 Harrison Street, Brooklyn.
Research undertaken by Ann Walker with supplementary material provided by Barbara Mulligan.
[1] “Apparent age” was frequently different from the enlistees actual age – Alfred was 33 years 11 months old when he enlisted.
Regimental No. 59569
23 May 1883 – 26 August 1918
Alfred James Wilson was born at Kakaramea, south Taranaki on 23 May 1883, the eldest son of David and Elizabeth (nee Amos) Wilson. His father David was originally from Scotland and immigrated to New Zealand at the age of 18, becoming a settler in Kakaramea. He died in 1891 at the age of 45 years of ‘la grippe’ (influenza), leaving Elizabeth a widow with four children - Alfred aged eight and his brothers George William aged seven and David More aged four. Their baby sister Jessie Mary was only one year old. After David’s death, Elizabeth remained in Kakaramea where her parents Godfrey and Mary Amos were also living.
In about 1905 Elizabeth moved the family to live in Petone and Alfred is described as a labourer on the 1905/1906 Hutt Valley Electoral Roll. By the time of the 1911 Electoral Roll, the family had moved again and were living in Harrison Street, Brooklyn and Alfred was a fellmonger with the Gear Company at Petone.
Alfred was called up and attested and enlisted on 21 May 1917 at Trentham and given the Regimental Number 59569. His ‘apparent age’ was 31 years[1], he weighed 142 pounds, was 5’7¼” tall, with dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. His religion was Church of England. He was classed as ‘Fit A’, although it was noted that he had suffered from tonsillitis, stomach problems, rheumatics and been off work at times. His military training commenced on 28 June 1917 when he was posted to D Company, 30th Reinforcements.
After training at Trentham and Featherston Alfred departed from Wellington on HMNZT No 93 (Corinthic) arriving in Liverpool on 8 December 1917. He travelled by train to Sling Camp and on 8 December 1917 he joined the 4th Reserve Battalion Otago Regiment. He was at Sling Camp on the Salisbury Plains for the usual 5 months training before leaving for France on 2 June 1918. While at Sling Camp he was required, like all troops, to complete a will but on 29 March 1918 he stated that he had made his will and it was deposited with the Public Trustee in Wellington. At Sling Camp discipline was tough and he received 3 days confined to barracks for being late to breakfast.
Alfred left for France from Sling Camp on 2 June 1918 as a member of the 3rd Reserve Battalion, Otago Regiment, and marched into camp at Etaples on 4 June 1918. On 8 June 1918 he was transferred to No 2 New Zealand Entrenching Battalion. Entrenching Battalions were ‘Pioneer’ Battalions’ - they made trenches, roads, gun emplacements etc. and were not expected to fight but obviously did when the need arose. As Entrenching Battalions were temporary units from which drafts of replacements could be drawn by conventional infantry battalions it was no surprise to see from his personal file that on 20 August 1918 he was posted to 8th Company, 1st Battalion Otago Infantry Regiment. It was with this Company that he was killed in action on 26 August, 1918. He was 35 years and 3 months old.
The precise circumstances of his death are not known, though his military personnel file records that he was buried by the 1 Battalion Otago Regiment Chaplain, Chaplain-Captain Ronald Sinclair Watson MC, (Presbyterian), in the Bapaume area to the south of Arras. Alfred was almost certainly killed in the attack made by the Otago’s which commenced on 21 August 1918 to sweep the Germans from Grevillers, Loupart Wood, and Biefvillers, and gain the outskirts of Bapaume. Stubborn fighting was experienced around Bapaume, but eventually the enemy was pushed back to the east. From 26 August until 14 September 1918 the Otago’s drove the enemy back from Bapaume to the high ground west of Gouzeaucourt, where very heavy fighting occurred at ‘African Trench’. Alfred was almost certainly killed in this fighting.
He was later re-buried in the L’Homme Mort British Cemetery, Ecoust-St Mein, Pas-de-Calais. The first burials made in this cemetery were in August 1918 with the rest after the Armistice when 152 graves were brought in from the neighbouring battlefields. The cemetery now contains 166 burials of the First World War, 104 of them unidentified. Alfred, who is one of the 37 New Zealanders commemorated in the cemetery, has a headstone inscribed with his regimental number and battalion, as well as the date he died.
Alfred’s brother, George William, who served in and survived the War, is also commemorated on the Brooklyn War Memorial.
Alfred James Wilson was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal, both of which were sent to his mother Elizabeth in 1922, at which time she was still living at 7 Harrison Street, Brooklyn.
Research undertaken by Ann Walker with supplementary material provided by Barbara Mulligan.
[1] “Apparent age” was frequently different from the enlistees actual age – Alfred was 33 years 11 months old when he enlisted.