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Cenotaph record

Sidney Charles Ashton

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Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1917 - No known copyright restrictions

Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1917 - No known copyright restrictions

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Sidney Charles AWMM
  • Surname
    Ashton AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWI 13283 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    London, England AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    H. Ashton (brother), Whangateau, via Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 27 May 1916 AWMM Single AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 13283 AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 Unknown AWMM Farmer/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Sidney Ashton was the son of Thomas Felix and Emma Ashton, of Warkworth, Auckland, New Zealand.
      Gained Captain's commission on 27 May 1916 (Studholme 1928).
      "Captain Sidney Ashton, Auckland Mounted Rifles, who has been killed in action at Beersheba, was a farmer near Tauranga before going to the front. He was in the second fight at Gaza, and latterly was second in command of the fourth squadron of the Auckland Mounted Rifles. He was about 46 years of age." (Auckland Weekly News, 15 November 1917, p. 21)
      Commonwealth War Graves Commission (cwgc.org) lists Sidney Ashton's last rank as Captain. AWMM
    • --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Biography from Matakana War Memorial Researcher -

      “Chas” born on the 20th January 1873, the son of English immigrants Thomas and Emma Ashton of Ashton’s Farm, Whangateau.

      A farmer, talented horseman and excellent shot he started his military career as a reservist with the Rodney Mounted Rifles in 1904, which lead to him receiving the NZ Long & Efficient Service Medal for over 15 years military service in March 1917.

      At the beginning of WW1 he was assigned as a training officer for the Auckland Mounted Rifles (AMR) then in 1916 he was sent overseas to fight in the Sinai Desert. Within weeks he is promoted to Major and Commander of the AMR 3rd Squadron, living though battles such as Hill 70, Romani and the First and Second Battle of Gaza.

      On the 31st October 1917 the New Zealand Mounted Rifles are ordered to take out the Ottoman Machine Guns at the Tel el Saba mound, east of Beersheba. They ride through the night along the dried river Wadi’s silent, deep in thought with only the sound of hoof on sand and the slap of leather against horse flesh.

      Chas is now 2nd in Command of the 4th Squadron AMR and during this action at dawn his Squad charged out of the Wadi, dismounting at the foot of the mound and scrambled up the rocky slope against the Machine Gun fire of the Ottomans.

      Chas is killed on that rocky slope of Tel el Saba - 31st October 1917.

      The NZMR succeeded in their mission which allows the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade to form the last great charge of the Light Brigade and take the town of Beersheba with minimal casualties.

      He was 44 years old and is buried in the Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel and remembered at the Matakana War Memorial and the Whangateau Cemetery.

      Lest we forget.

      Buried:
      Plot C, Row D, Grave 8
      Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel Public - Matakana - Researcher - 5 November 2017 - Military personnel files, Past Papers, NZ Archives and family archives.
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    31 October 1917 AWMM
    Age 44 AWMM
    Palestine, Middle East AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Killed in Action AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Beersheba War Cemetery, Israel AWMM D.8. AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Matakana War Memorial (King George war memorial statue), Matakana Wharf Reserve, Matakana Road, Matakana, New Zealand AWMM
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Studholme, J. (1928). New Zealand Expeditionary Force record of personal services during the war of officers, nurses, and first-class warrant officers, and other facts relating to the N.Z.E.F. : unofficial but based on official records. Wellington, N.Z.: Government Printer. AWMM
    • New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      33: 2 AWMM
    • Studholme, J. (1928). New Zealand Expeditionary Force record of personal services during the war of officers, nurses, and first-class warrant officers, and other facts relating to the N.Z.E.F. : unofficial but based on official records. Wellington, N.Z.: Government Printer. AWMM
      Studholme, J. (1928). p. 40. AWMM
    • Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications AWMM
      Vol. 4: Includes portrait AWMM
    • Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
15 March 2022Ian BanksTaumarunui New ZealandResearcher
05 November 2017MatakanaMatakana, New ZealandResearcher
13 January 2017AdrienneMatakana, North Auckland, New ZealandResearcher

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