William Edward Knowles Unknown date of birth - Died 8 February 1915 PDF Key details Service numberWWI NZ663 AWMM Also known as Armed force / branchNavy AWMM Last rankAble Seaman/Military AWMM Royal Navy, HMS Philomel AWMM WarWorld War I, 1914-1918 AWMM Enquire Lay a poppy Portrait of Able Seaman William Edward Knowles, Auckland Wee … Read more View gallery Hide sources Show empty fields Identity About Contribute › Title ForenamesWilliam Edward AWMM SurnameKnowles AWMM Ingoa Also known as Service numberWWI NZ663 AWMM GenderMale AWMM Iwi Hapū Waka Rohe Religion Images and documents Images Contribute › Report › Documents Contribute › Civilian life About birth Contribute › Birth Date of birth16/02/1875 Public - Jackie Leanne - Direct descendant - 2 August 2018 - Marriage and death certificate Place of birthLiverpool Public - Jackie Leanne - Direct descendant - 2 August 2018 - Death certificate Birth notes Address before enlistmentWW1 Lyttleton, New Zealand AWMM Post war occupation Next of kin on embarkationWW1 Jane Knowles (wife), Lyttelton, New Zealand AWMM Relationship statusMarried AWMM Service Wars and conflicts Contribute › WarWorld War I, 1914-1918 AWMM Campaign Armed force / branchNavy AWMM Service numberWWI NZ663 AWMM Military service Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers Military decorations Contribute › Medals and Awards Training and Enlistment Contribute › Military training Enlistment Occupation before enlistment Age on enlistment Embarkations Contribute › Embarkation details Prisoner of war Contribute › Capture details Days interned Liberation date Liberation Repatriation POW liberation details POW serial number Medical history Contribute › Medical notesDied of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM Last known rank Contribute › Last rankAble Seaman/Military AWMM Royal Navy, HMS Philomel AWMM Biographical information Biographical information Contribute › William Knowles was the son of Thomas and Kathleen Knowles, and the husband of Jane Knowles of Lyttelton, New Zealand.Able Seaman Knowles was the first New Zealander of a regular force to be killed in action in the Great War. Knowles was one of three sailors killed on 8 February 1915 after a party of 2 officers and 15 ratings encountered a strong force of Turkish troopsIncorrectly recorded by CWGC as dying at GallipoliKilled aged 39 serving ashore when operating against Turkish defensive positions 8 February 1915 - Third New Zealander to be killed in action died of wounds - Name on Canterbury Provincial Memorial - born in UK emigrated to NZ AWMM Able Seaman William Edward Knowles became one of the first New Zealanders to die in the First World War as a result of enemy action, following an ambush by Ottoman forces outside Alexandretta (İskenderun) on 8 February 1915.The New Zealand Expeditionary Force had suffered its first combat-related death just three days before, when Private William Ham succumbed to wounds received during an Ottoman raid on the Suez Canal on 3 February. The first New Zealander to die on naval active service was Able Seaman John Reardon, who was lost when the Royal Australian Navy submarine AE1 disappeared while on patrol near New Guinea in September 1914. Knowles, a 38-year-old naval reservist from Lyttelton, was serving on New Zealand’s first warship, HMS Philomel, as it patrolled the eastern Mediterranean Sea in early 1915. At 4 p.m. on 8 February a landing party consisting of Knowles, 14 other ratings and two officers was sent ashore to intercept a mule caravan heading towards Alexandretta. Once it had landed and moved inland, the landing party was fired upon by an Ottoman force of approximately 100 men who were waiting in ambush. In the ensuing skirmish Knowles was badly wounded in the abdomen.The landing party retreated back to the shore under covering fire from the Philomel, which sent more than 100 shells onto the Ottoman positions. During the retreat Able Seaman William Stanbury, an Englishman, was killed outright by Turkish rifle fire as he attempted to carry the wounded Knowles. The party took cover in a dry riverbed close to the shore until nightfall and then moved off under cover of darkness. Knowles died of his wounds on board Philomel at 12.55 a.m. that night and was later buried at sea.Able Seaman John Moreton, another New Zealand naval rating, died a few days later from wounds he too had received in the 8 February skirmish. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 17 April 2018 - Reference : New Zealand History Online : www.nzhistory.org.nz William had previously sailed to Antarctica as part of the ships company on Scotts Terra Nova. Public - Greig - Direct descendant - 23 April 2018 - Various books on Scotts ill fated Antarctic expedition Read more Death About death Contribute › Death8 February 1915 AWMM Age 38 AWMM Date of death Age at death Place of death Cause of deathDied of wounds AWMM Death notes Cemetery Cemetery name Grave reference Obituary Memorial name Memorial reference Memorials Memorial Contribute › Memorial nameCanterbury Provincial Memorial, Christchurch, New Zealand AWMM Roll of Honour Remember William Edward Knowles by laying a poppy. William Charles Knowles William Charles Bain Knowles William Edward Knowles William Gibson Knowles William Leslie Knowles Lay a poppy for 2019 Leave a note Leave a tribute or memory of William Edward Knowles Leave a note Contribute › Processing Related objects Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy) Library / Pictorial › manuscripts and archives MS-2016-2 Sources Sources Contribute › External linksMilitary personnel file https://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21087978&digital=yes Further Reference Royal New Zealand Navy Museum, Torpedo Bay, Devonport, Auckland.HMS Philomel. http://www.navymuseum.mil.nz/history/time/ww1/hms-philomel.htm Further Reference Six casualties reported. Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 35, 11 February 1915, Page 7 http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19150211.2.86&srpos Further Reference DocumentsMcKenzie, R. (1970). And quiet now their rest. Wellington N.Z.: Government Printer. AWMM McKenzie, R. (1970). p. 49 AWMM Contributors Processing Command item Command item Add new record Refresh DateNameLocationRelationshipContact 02 August 2018Jackie Leanne Brisbane Australia Direct descendant 23 April 2018GreigAustralia Direct descendant 17 April 2018JeniferWairarapaResearcher
