SIMMONDS, David John
| Service Number: | 3469 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 28 January 1917 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 55th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | Edi, Victoria, Australia, 28 July 1892 |
| Home Town: | Wangaratta, Wangaratta, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Wagga Wagga Public School, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation: | Carpenter |
| Died: | Killed in action, France, 24 May 1918, aged 25 years |
| Cemetery: |
Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, France Plot III, Row C, Grave No. 13. IN MEMORY OF MY DEAR HUSBAND AND OUR DEAR FATHER SADLY MISSED |
| Memorials: | Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Wagga Wagga Cenotaph, Wagga Wagga Victory Memorial Arch |
World War 1 Service
| 28 Jan 1917: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 3469, 46th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 11 May 1917: | Involvement Private, 3469, 46th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 11 May 1917: | Embarked Private, 3469, 46th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 24 May 1918: | Involvement Private, 3469, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :awm_ww1_roll_of_honour_import: awm_service_number: 3469 awm_unit: 55th Australian Infantry Battalion awm_rank: Private awm_died_date: 1918-05-24 |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Stephen Brooks
David Simmonds was only 25 years of age when he died, but he was a married man and the father of two small children.
David was one of four brothers who served in the AIF. He died on a quiet day for the 55th Battalion who were holding the line near Villers Bretonneux. No details are given of death.
His older brother, No.2982 Edward Ernest Simmonds, 55th Battalion, was killed in action at Villers-Bretonneux on 4 July 1918, during a large raid on German trenches, some six weeks after David’s death.
Remarkably they are buried side by side in the Daours Communal Cemetery Extension, in Plot III, Row C, graves 13 and 14.
There is no mention of this fact in their service files, and it is an extremely rare occurrence for two brothers to be buried alongside one another, especially considering Ernest died some six weeks after his brother. Whoever buried Ernest must have deliberately laid the remains beside those of his brother.
They also both have a commemorative headstone in the Wagga Cemetery.
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