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War Memorial
Australia

Mr. John Wilkinson, Farleigh, has received the following letters concerning his brother, Corporal Syd. Wilkinson, who died as a result of wounds received while fighting in France : — Lieut. Corrie writes : "I regret that I never had the pleasure of meeting and knowing your brother, for, to quote some of our rough country lads, and they are keen judges of men, he was a "dinkum" soldier — and that stands for everything with our boys and means that he made good. By a curious coincidence Lieut. Dellot has just come back to the base after being away five weeks. He tells me that he was with your brother, in fact standing "right alongside ' of him, up in the front line, when he was hit by a machine gun bullet. He dropped at once, saying, "Oh dear!" This was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
Lieut. Dellet arranged to have him taken to the dressing station, which was about 300 yards away. The bombardment, Lieut. Dellit says, was the worst he had ever been in. He says that Cpl. Wilkinson was a splendid fellow in the line and always full of courage and grit and ready to help all and sundry. He repeated some of the above remarks and added, By jove, Corrie Wilkinson was a good chap and no mistake." My own batman, a very fine fellow by the name of Hardaker, helped to carry him along the trench. No stretcher was available, so they had to use one of the rubber ground sheets. Hardaker says it took them three hours to carry him 300 yards. You see, he was a big heavy man, and the unfortunate stretcher bearers at each step sank knee
deep in the awful mud. All the time Fritz landed shells first on one parapet and then on the other, and yet not one of them was hit though all were splashed with mud from them. Poor old Hardaker told me the cold was intense. (When volunteers were called to help your brother, he was one of a party of four in a trench who volunteered; When only a few yards on the way a shell came over and killed the three chaps he had just left. Was it not strange that he should have just got clear ? I found Will Taylor (Walkerston) alright. He is batman to Major Eckersley and was very sorry indeed to hear of your brother's death. He has already written and a!so supplied me with some details which are these : ''Corporal Wilkinson volunteered to lead a fighting patrol beyond Till trench. While on the way he was wounded in the head by a bullet which went through his steel helmet and made a nasty skull wound. It took some time to get him down to the dressing station. He was then carried on by Ptes. Hardaker, Hanlan, Sandilands and Patterson, under very heavy shell fire." Hearing that he was wounded Will Taylor went down to see him, but was too late as he had moved on. I let the men of his section and platoon know of his death on the 10th April: From their quiet set faces and from what some of them said to me afterwards I had dismissed them on parade, you may feel the very greatest pride for him, as he was greatly admired and respected by all. Besides the good opinion that the N.C.O.'s and men have of him, he is likewise held in high esteem by the officers. Yesterday Major Eckersley came in to see me and sat and yarned for nearly an hour. During the course of conversation your brother's name came up. The Major wished me to convoy his very sincere sympathy to you and yours in your great loss and to say that he know Corporal Wilkinson from the time he first joined. During the whole of that time he had never been the slightest trouble and was always an exemplary soldier. In short, the Major said, "He was all that a soldier should be."
Rev. T. Jeffrey, C.F., writes :
— I deeply regret to say that your son, Corporal Sydney Wilkinson, 461, 31st A. I. F, died here this morning at 3.30. He was suffering from a gunshot wound in the head, with depressed fracture. He did well for a time, but was paralysed to some extent on one side by his wound, yet quite sensible. He took pleasure in hearing me read the Scripture to him and one day asked for the 23rd Psalm. He will be buried with full military honours in St. Sever Cemetery.