William George Gunn

Forenames

William George AWMM

Surname

Gunn AWMM

Service number

WWI 23/440 AWMM

Gender

Male AWMM

Address before enlistment

Unknown AWMM 132 Nith Street, Invercargill, New Zealand AWMM

Next of kin

Mrs Jessie Gunn (mother), Toiro Street, Balclutha, Otago, New Zealand AWMM

Relationship status

Pre 09 Oct 1915 AWMM Single AWMM

War

World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM

Campaign

1918 AWMM Le Quesnoy AWMM

Armed force / branch

Army AWMM

Service number

WWI 23/440 AWMM

Medals and Awards

• Victory Medal AWMM
• British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM
• Military Medal (MM) AWMM
  London Gazette 16 August 1917, p8430, Rec No 899 For great courage and devotion to duty during the operations round Messines on 7th June 1917. Private Gunn, who is a Signaller, went forward with the Forward Observing Officer of the Machine Gun Group to reconnoitre and guided the gun team through an intense artillery fire to their positions. He also carried messages several times under very heavy enemy artillery fire. AWMM
• Gunn MM, William George. b. 1895. Corporal. No. 23/440. New Zealand Machine Gun Corps. New Zealand. He died in France during WWI on 5th December 1918, age 22 and is buried in Boisguillame Communal Cemetery, Extension Grave 15B, Seine-Maritime, France. Son of Jessie Sainsbury of Mornington, Dunedin, N.Z. and grandson of Hugh Gunn of Caithness, Scotland and Janet Urquhart of Kincardine, ROC, who moved to New Zealand and married there.
  
  "With the Machine Gunners in France & Palestine"- Maj J.H.Luxford 1923- The Final Battle of the War 4 -11 Nov 1918. R Sambre & Valenciennes "Fall of Quesnoy": "He died of wounds in England after the Armistice had been signed. He had been signaller from the foundation of the Corps in Egypt, first in the 3rd Coy, & then in the Otago Coy. His work had at all times been of a high order, & was often performed under heavy shell fire. He never missed a fight & in spite of the dangerous nature of his work, he had a remarkable record of reaching his Coys last day of actual fighting without a scratch."
  Public - Walter Clive - Other Relative - 27 April 2015 - "With the Machine Gunners in France & Palastine" by Maj. J.H.Luxford 1923

Enlistment

WW1 Unknown AWMM

Embarkation details

WW1 09 Oct 1915 AWMM
HMNZT 30 or HMNZT 31 or HMNZT 32 or HMNZT 33 or HMNZT 34 AWMM Vessel was Maunganui AWMM Rifleman AWMM B Company AWMM New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion AWMM

Medical notes

Died of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM

Last rank

WW1 Corporal/Military AWMM
New Zealand Machine Gun Corps AWMM

William Gunn was the son of Jessie Sainsbury, of Mornington, Dunedin, New Zealand. AWMM

Death

5 Dec 1918 AWMM
Age  22 AWMM

Cause of death

Died of wounds AWMM

Cemetery

Bois-Guillaume Communal Cemetery Extension, Seine-Maritime, France AWMM G. 15B. AWMM

Memorial name

Railways Roll of Honour board. Wellington Railway Station, Pipitea, Wellington 6011. AWMM

Related objects

External links

• Military personnel file
  https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R16789649
  Further Reference
• A Street Near You record
  https://astreetnearyou.org/person/121673/-
  Further Reference
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty record
  https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/121673
  Further Reference
• New Zealand War Graves Trust
  https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/
  Further Reference

References

• McDonald, W. (2013). Honours and Awards to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1918. (3rd ed.). Hamilton, N.Z.: Richard Stowers.
• NZEF CASUALTIES — LE QUESNOY As noted in the Appendix of Dr Christopher Pugsley’s book: Le Quesnoy 1918: New Zealand’s Last Battle. This list was compiled by Richard Stowers and Herb Farrant, and added to by Christopher Pugsley. Please forward any additional names and details to the author through Oratia Media. The list covers period 1–7 November 1918 and those who died after from wounds received in this period.
• New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
  Page No: 288
• Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications
  Vol. 3: Includes portrait
• Pugsley, C. (2018). Le Quesnoy, 1918 : New Zealand's Last Battle. Auckland, New Zealand : Oratia.
• Luxford, J. (1923). With the machine gunners in France and Palestine. Auckland, N.Z.: Whitcombe & Tombs.
• Austin, W. (1924). The official history of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (The Earl of Liverpool's Own). Wellington, N.Z.: L T Watkins.
• HMNZT 30 - The Periscope : unofficial mouthpiece of the 1st Battalion N.Z. Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own) and Divisional Ammunition Column -- At sea : Officers & men of the Reinforcement : 1915