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Private Samuel Steven Wallace
Description
TitlePrivate Samuel Steven WallaceAlternative NameSamuel Stephen on Birth recordSummaryA soldier in World War One. DescriptionSamuel was born at Tai Tapu 6 May 1886, third son of James and Ellen Elizabeth Wallace. He was a pupil of the local school. Before enlisting he had been for a number of years in the employment of Captain McCartney, for whom he acted as foreman on a great number of contracts. Amongst them being the track formation for the Hackthorn Road tramway line and the making of the flat road between Barry's and Duvauchelle Bays. He also had considerable experience at quarry work, being an expert in the use of explosives. He was 5ft 8in tall with a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He also had a scar on his right thigh.
Samuel enlisted 8th November 1916 at Christchurch, volunteering for the 24th Reinforcements and but was assigned to the 23rd Reinforcements Canterbury Infantry Regiment, C Company. He embarked 2nd April 1917 on board the Corinthic for England. He arrived and marched into camp at Sling on 10 June 1917 and left for France four weeks later on 6th July and being added to the strength at Etaples on 9th July. He was sent to join the Canterbury Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion in the field on 25th July and was killed in action just three weeks later on 16th August 1917 aged 32. He had left New Zealand only 20 weeks earlier. In August the New Zealand forces captured and attempted to hold La Basseville under heavy artillery bombardment and sniping. As the weather was very wet trenches became filled thigh deep with mud. As his body was not found or identified his name is inscribed on the Messines Memorial to the Missing, Belgium. In New Zealand Samuel is remembered on the Tai Tapu War Memorial.
Messines (now Mesen) was considered a strong strategic position, not only from its height above the plain below, but from the extensive system of cellars under the convent known as the 'Institution Royale'. The village was taken from the 1st Cavalry Division by the German 26th Division on 31 October-1 November 1914. An attack by French troops on 6 -7 November was unsuccessful and it was not until the Battle of Messines on 7 June 1917 that it was retaken by the New Zealand Division. On 10-11 April 1918, the village fell into German hands once more after a stubborn defence by the South African Brigade, but was retaken for the last time on 28-29 September 1918. The Messines Ridge Memorial stands within Messines Ridge British Cemetery and commemorates over 800 soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died in or near Messines in 1917 and 1918 and who 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. Messines Ridge British Cemetery, in which this memorial stands, occupies ground that belonged to the 'Institution Royale'. It was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefield around Messines and from a number of small burial grounds in the area. The dates of death of those buried here range from October 1914 to October 1918, but the majority died in the fighting of 1917. There are now 1,531 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 954 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them, or who were buried in other cemeteries where their graves were destroyed by shell fire. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Charles Holden.First NameSamuel StevenLast NameWallaceFamilySingleThird son of James and Ellen Elizabeth WallaceDate of Birth6 May 1886Place of BirthTai TapuDate of Death16 August 1917Place of DeathYpres, BelgiumCause of DeathKilled in action Age at Death32
Samuel enlisted 8th November 1916 at Christchurch, volunteering for the 24th Reinforcements and but was assigned to the 23rd Reinforcements Canterbury Infantry Regiment, C Company. He embarked 2nd April 1917 on board the Corinthic for England. He arrived and marched into camp at Sling on 10 June 1917 and left for France four weeks later on 6th July and being added to the strength at Etaples on 9th July. He was sent to join the Canterbury Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion in the field on 25th July and was killed in action just three weeks later on 16th August 1917 aged 32. He had left New Zealand only 20 weeks earlier. In August the New Zealand forces captured and attempted to hold La Basseville under heavy artillery bombardment and sniping. As the weather was very wet trenches became filled thigh deep with mud. As his body was not found or identified his name is inscribed on the Messines Memorial to the Missing, Belgium. In New Zealand Samuel is remembered on the Tai Tapu War Memorial.
Messines (now Mesen) was considered a strong strategic position, not only from its height above the plain below, but from the extensive system of cellars under the convent known as the 'Institution Royale'. The village was taken from the 1st Cavalry Division by the German 26th Division on 31 October-1 November 1914. An attack by French troops on 6 -7 November was unsuccessful and it was not until the Battle of Messines on 7 June 1917 that it was retaken by the New Zealand Division. On 10-11 April 1918, the village fell into German hands once more after a stubborn defence by the South African Brigade, but was retaken for the last time on 28-29 September 1918. The Messines Ridge Memorial stands within Messines Ridge British Cemetery and commemorates over 800 soldiers of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force who died in or near Messines in 1917 and 1918 and who 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. Messines Ridge British Cemetery, in which this memorial stands, occupies ground that belonged to the 'Institution Royale'. It was made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefield around Messines and from a number of small burial grounds in the area. The dates of death of those buried here range from October 1914 to October 1918, but the majority died in the fighting of 1917. There are now 1,531 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 954 of the burials are unidentified but special memorials commemorate a number of casualties known or believed to be buried among them, or who were buried in other cemeteries where their graves were destroyed by shell fire. Both cemetery and memorial were designed by Charles Holden.First NameSamuel StevenLast NameWallaceFamilySingleThird son of James and Ellen Elizabeth WallaceDate of Birth6 May 1886Place of BirthTai TapuDate of Death16 August 1917Place of DeathYpres, BelgiumCause of DeathKilled in action Age at Death32
Connections
CollectionSoldiers of Selwyn World War OneImageTai Tapu War MemorialMore InformationAuckland War Memorial Cenotaph
Military Service
Memorial or CemeteryMessines Memorial to the MissingTai Tapu War Memorial Occupation before EnlistingForemanRegiment or ServiceCanterbury Infantry Regiment Enlistment Details8th November 1916 at ChristchurchService Number44039Rank Last HeldPrivate Embarkation2nd April 1917TransportCorinthicReinforcement24th ReinforcementsNominal Roll57/13CountryNew Zealand
Attribution
Researched ByL. M. Seaton
Private Samuel Steven Wallace. Selwyn Stories, accessed 07/03/2026, https://selwynstories.selwynlibraries.co.nz/nodes/view/407
