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Lance Sergeant Stephen Owen Reynolds
Description
TitleLance Sergeant Stephen Owen ReynoldsSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionStephen was born 17 February 1895 at Coalgate, fourth son of Michael and Catherine Reynolds. He was educated at the Glentunnel School and after leaving school, he was employed as a moulder at the Homebush Pottery Works, Glentunnel, for about three years. Later he joined the Railways Department as a cleaner at Invercargill. At the time of enlistment he was working in Southland as a rabbiter for J. H. Smith at Birchwood. He was 5ft 10½in tall with a dark complexion, blue eyes and dark hair.
Stephen enlisted on 10 June 1915 at Birchwood in Southland and was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Battalion. He embarked with them on 9 October 1915 for Suez, Egypt arriving on 18th November. After time at the reserve camp he embarked for France aboard the Llandovery Castle arriving in Marseilles on 17 April. He was appointed Lance Corporal in the field on 21 June 1916. However a month later he was subject to a Field General Court Martial on 17 July charged with having let prisoner John Braithwaite escape whilst escorting him to prison camp. Stephen pled not guilty and was found not guilty. (John Braithwaite was one of 28 New Zealand servicemen who were court-martialed and sentenced to death during the First World War. He was one of 5 executed.) The trial does not seem to have reflected badly on Stephen, for he was promoted to Lance Sergeant on 17th October 1916. Sadly he was wounded on 15 November suffering gunshot wounds to his left foot and his right leg was amputated by explosion. He probably suffered these wounds during the Battle of the Ancre Valley, the last major operation of the year, fought between 13th and 18th November. He died the next day in the 3rd NZ Field ambulance, aged only 21. He was buried in the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentiers. In New Zealand he is remembered on the Malvern County War Memorial.
Note: John Braithwaite was accused of mutiny after he and several prisoners were found guilty of provoking a strike in the British military prison in Blargies, France where all were serving sentences for offences against military law. Conditions in the prison and punishments were severe and their protests resulted in Braithwaite being executed. A Private Member's Bill was put before the New Zealand Parliament in September 1998 by the MP for Invercargill, Mark Peck, to pardon the soldiers executed. This became the Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000 which pardoned the five soldiers. The purpose of the act was to remove so far as practicable, the dishonour that the execution of those five soldiers brought to those soldiers and their families.
Armentieres was occupied by the 4th Division on 17 October 1914 and it remained within the Allied lines until its evacuation ahead of the German advance on 10 April 1918, after a prolonged and heavy bombardment with gas shells. It was occupied by the Germans next day, and was not recovered until 3 October 1918. Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery was begun (Plot IX) in October 1914 and during the winter of 1914-15 it was used for civilian burials (later removed), the town cemetery at Le Bizet being too greatly exposed. The cemetery continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units (particularly the 4th, 6th, 21st, New Zealand, 17th and 57th (West Lancashire) Divisions and the Australian Corps) until April 1918. Plots V, VI, VII and X were then used by the Germans. The cemetery now contains 2,132 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. Within the cemetery stands the Cite Bonjean Military Memorial, commemorating 47 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who died in the neighbourhood of Armentieres and have no known grave. This is one of seven memorials in France and Belgium to those New Zealand soldiers who died on the Western Front and whose graves are not known. The memorials are all in cemeteries chosen as appropriate to the fighting in which the men died. The cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Herbert Baker.First NameStephen OwenLast NameReynoldsFamilySingleFourth son of Michael and Catherine ReynoldsDate of Birth17 February 1895Place of BirthCoalgate, CanterburyDate of Death16 November 1916Place of DeathFranceCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death21
Stephen enlisted on 10 June 1915 at Birchwood in Southland and was assigned to the 7th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Battalion. He embarked with them on 9 October 1915 for Suez, Egypt arriving on 18th November. After time at the reserve camp he embarked for France aboard the Llandovery Castle arriving in Marseilles on 17 April. He was appointed Lance Corporal in the field on 21 June 1916. However a month later he was subject to a Field General Court Martial on 17 July charged with having let prisoner John Braithwaite escape whilst escorting him to prison camp. Stephen pled not guilty and was found not guilty. (John Braithwaite was one of 28 New Zealand servicemen who were court-martialed and sentenced to death during the First World War. He was one of 5 executed.) The trial does not seem to have reflected badly on Stephen, for he was promoted to Lance Sergeant on 17th October 1916. Sadly he was wounded on 15 November suffering gunshot wounds to his left foot and his right leg was amputated by explosion. He probably suffered these wounds during the Battle of the Ancre Valley, the last major operation of the year, fought between 13th and 18th November. He died the next day in the 3rd NZ Field ambulance, aged only 21. He was buried in the Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery, Armentiers. In New Zealand he is remembered on the Malvern County War Memorial.
Note: John Braithwaite was accused of mutiny after he and several prisoners were found guilty of provoking a strike in the British military prison in Blargies, France where all were serving sentences for offences against military law. Conditions in the prison and punishments were severe and their protests resulted in Braithwaite being executed. A Private Member's Bill was put before the New Zealand Parliament in September 1998 by the MP for Invercargill, Mark Peck, to pardon the soldiers executed. This became the Pardon for Soldiers of the Great War Act 2000 which pardoned the five soldiers. The purpose of the act was to remove so far as practicable, the dishonour that the execution of those five soldiers brought to those soldiers and their families.
Armentieres was occupied by the 4th Division on 17 October 1914 and it remained within the Allied lines until its evacuation ahead of the German advance on 10 April 1918, after a prolonged and heavy bombardment with gas shells. It was occupied by the Germans next day, and was not recovered until 3 October 1918. Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery was begun (Plot IX) in October 1914 and during the winter of 1914-15 it was used for civilian burials (later removed), the town cemetery at Le Bizet being too greatly exposed. The cemetery continued to be used by field ambulances and fighting units (particularly the 4th, 6th, 21st, New Zealand, 17th and 57th (West Lancashire) Divisions and the Australian Corps) until April 1918. Plots V, VI, VII and X were then used by the Germans. The cemetery now contains 2,132 Commonwealth burials of the First World War. Within the cemetery stands the Cite Bonjean Military Memorial, commemorating 47 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who died in the neighbourhood of Armentieres and have no known grave. This is one of seven memorials in France and Belgium to those New Zealand soldiers who died on the Western Front and whose graves are not known. The memorials are all in cemeteries chosen as appropriate to the fighting in which the men died. The cemetery and memorial were designed by Sir Herbert Baker.First NameStephen OwenLast NameReynoldsFamilySingleFourth son of Michael and Catherine ReynoldsDate of Birth17 February 1895Place of BirthCoalgate, CanterburyDate of Death16 November 1916Place of DeathFranceCause of DeathDied of woundsAge at Death21
Connections
Military Service
Occupation before EnlistingRabbiterRegiment or ServiceOtago Infantry BattalionEnlistment Details10th June 1915 at Birchwood in SouthlandService Number8/3048Reinforcement7th ReinforcementsCountryNew Zealand
Attribution
Researched ByL. M. Seaton
Lance Sergeant Stephen Owen Reynolds. Selwyn Stories, accessed 16/12/2025, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/313
