Before William Wilson set off from Wellington, he stood before his newly built home with his wife, Bridget, and their young baby, Jean.
The photo taken in this proud moment stayed with William throughout his service on the Western Front, carried in his uniform pocket until 4 November 1918, where he was badly wounded during the Battle of Le Quesnoy.
William would die that same day, leaving Bridget and Jean behind, but still with him in his precious photo.
Almost 107 years on, William’s grave in Ruesnes, Northern France, received a visit from back home.
Desiree and Neil’s journey
Desiree and Neil Jury travelled from Whitby, New Zealand to Le Quesnoy, France to retrace their families’ service during the First World War.
Before visiting William, the couple stood before the grave of Desiree’s great uncle, George Henry Hodgson, who died in 1917 at Passchendaele and whose name would be given to Desiree’s father.
The Jurys came to the Western Front very well-prepared and well-read: Desiree holds a doctorate in modern English historical novels and has a keen interest in war history, while Neil served many years in the New Zealand Navy.
However, it was not until they stood on the battlefields of Flanders and within the ramparts of Le Quesnoy that they finally felt the enormity of New Zealand’s sacrifice in World War One.
“It’s much more than I realised”, says Neil.
The couple were moved by the exhibition at the New Zealand Liberation Museum – Te Arawhata: “It’s stunning what they’ve done. The atmosphere of the place, the dignity, the respect for the people, the range of the stories – there’s more there than you can see in one visit”, says Desiree.
Neil added that he felt a range of emotions within the Museum. “A lot of sadness, a lot of admiration for the people who have made the Museum happen, and of course enormous pride for the heroism and perseverance for the young men that were involved.
I’m very conscious of the waste of lives and the impact on those who survived and went home, and how difficult life was for them, readjusting to being an ordinary person – making a living, having a family, and just having life.”
Rifleman William Archibald Wilson, MM
William, who is related to Desiree through a cousin, grew up in New Plymouth and became a rail engine driver with the New Plymouth Harbour Board. He married Bridget in 1915, and Jean had come along by 1917.
William enlisted on 23 July 1917 before embarking five months later on New Year’s Eve of the same year. Following further training in the United Kingdom, William arrived in France just as the Germans launched their massive 1918 Spring Offensive, designed to overwhelm the Allies on the Western Front before the arrival of American reinforcements. The New Zealanders were rushed to the Somme to plug a gap in the British line – part of an action which would ultimately halt and turn the German offensive and lead to the Allied attack now referred to at the Hundred Days Offensive.
Soon, William would be approaching Le Quesnoy – an occupied town fortified 250 years earlier by France’s most famous military architect, Vauban. Surrounded by imposing walls and bastions, liberating Le Quesnoy would be some feat, especially following the decision not to bombard the town so as to avoid injury to the civilian population.
On 31 October, William took part in a patrol designed to establish the strength of the German defences around the old town.
From The London Gazette:
“Rifleman Wilson took part in a daylight raid on an enemy position, having been out with an officer previously to reconnoitre the position. He took forward a Lewis gun and got it into such a position as to enfilade the enemy’s position and give covering fire to the patrol, although his own position was entirely exposed to the enemy. With this gun he rendered great assistance to the patrol and covered them during their retirement with the 38 prisoners of war they had captured, although exposed to the fire of the enemy in other positions covering the captured position, remained at his post until the patrol had been safely withdrawn.”
This brave action would win William the Military Medal.
On 4 November, the New Zealand Division pushed around and beyond Le Quesnoy, and William was killed before the Rifle Brigade’s famous siege and liberation of the town.
The importance of remembrance
William lies within the Ruesnes Communal Cemetery alongside 86 other Commonwealth soldiers – 8 of whom are New Zealanders.
Desiree and Neil expressed their honour to have visited William, while also questioning how often those other brave boys receive visits.
Their message of remembrance is clear: “This is part of our identity. It’s part of who we are. If we don’t remember our history, we’re damned to repeat it. People forget – you wouldn’t imagine they could possibly forget, but they do. We have to be reminded just what a waste and a burden war is.”