SIMS, Oliver Leonard
| Service Number: | 6900 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 9 June 1915 |
| Last Rank: | Lance Corporal |
| Last Unit: | 15th Field Ambulance |
| Born: | Kensington, South Australia, 11 June 1896 |
| Home Town: | Kensington, South Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Engine Cleaner |
| Died: | 1965, cause of death not yet discovered, place of death not yet discovered |
| Cemetery: | Not yet discovered |
| Memorials: | Adelaide South Australian Railways WW1 & WW2 Honour Boards, Norwood Primary School Honour Board |
World War 1 Service
| 9 Jun 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 10 Nov 1915: | Embarked Private, 6900, 8th Field Ambulance, HMAT Ascanius, Melbourne | |
| 10 Nov 1915: | Involvement Private, 6900, 8th Field Ambulance, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '22' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Ascanius embarkation_ship_number: A11 public_note: '' | |
| 19 Jun 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Private, 6900, 8th Field Ambulance, He embarked on the R.F.F leaving Alexandria, France heading to Marseilles. | |
| 12 Dec 1917: | Honoured Military Medal, Originally recommended for a DCM on 28 Sept 1917- awarded MM. Was recommended for a Bar to the Military Medal in 3 October 1918 for outstanding bravery in the field over a 36 hour period. | |
| 22 Dec 1917: | Discharged AIF WW1, 6900 | |
| 9 Apr 1918: | Wounded 6900, 15th Field Ambulance | |
| 27 Sep 1918: | Promoted Lance Corporal, He was appointed a lance-corporal after initially being the rank of a private | |
| 27 Sep 1918: | Promoted Lance Corporal, He was appointed a lance-corporal after initially being the rank of a private |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by St Ignatius' College
Early Life
Oliver Leonard Sims was born in 1896 in Kensington, Adelaide. Oliver grew up in Norwood with his mother Jessie Sims. He attended school and before enlisting for the war his occupation was an engine cleaner.
As the war began there was a great craze and rush to enlist. Australians thought joining the war would be heroic and exciting. Oliver enlisted on the 9th June 1915, in Keswick as the rank of a private. At the time he was 19 years of age, 5.75 feet tall, skinny with a fair complexion.
Service
Oliver embarked from Australia, on the 10th November 1915, before arriving in Egypt for a training camp. Upon arrival in Egypt, Oliver’s squad the 8th field ambulance was formed. The 8th field ambulance provided second line evacuation from regimental aid-posts.
The 8th field ambulance took part in many battles across Belgium and France. Their first real battle began in the “nursery Sector” near Fleurbaix and Fromelles. The battle overwhelmed the medical forces and many men from the medical divisions were killed trying to retrieve casualties. The field ambulance’s main role was to retrieve the wounded soldiers and attend to them in the Casualty Clearing Station.
Oliver managed to get through the majority of the war rather unscathed. However, on three occasions he had to leave the frontline due to illness and injections. He was detatched from duty with prophylactic treatment on the 16th June 1917 returning soon after, he also left the field with sickness in October 1917 and was kept out of battle for two months. On the 9th April 1918 Oliver was wounded and was admitted to hospital where he stayed for only a short time.
During the latter stages of the war was Oliver was transferred to the 15th field ambulance as a Lance Corporal. A lance-corporal was a non-commissioned officer, with a number of medical orderlies as a private. Coincidentally during this period of time he was awarded a medal for his bravery in the field after he retrieved wounded soldiers under constant gun fire and returned them ‘Wagon Loading Post’
Awards/ANZAC spirit
During the war Oliver displayed great valor and courage and was awarded four medals: The Military Medal and Bar, 1914-15 Star Medal, British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Along with those three medals, Oliver was awarded the Military and Bar to Military Medal. He was awarded the medal because on the 29th and 30th of September, 1918 for bravely carrying on under heavy gunfire for 36 hours. Through his bravery and courage, he was able to rescue many wounded Australian and American troops.
Post War
Oliver Leonard Sims returned to Australia on the 11th July 1919, him and the Australian soldiers were greeted by the public as war heroes. Oliver decided not to enlist for WWII and he lived the rest of his life peacefully with his wife Anne. He died in Hindmarsh, Adelaide in 1965 aged 69.
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