Simon Henry (Sam) TURNER

Simon Henry (Sam) TURNER Update Details

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TURNER, Simon Henry

Service Number:	2246
Enlisted:	10 January 1916, Enlisted Cooma, New South Wales.
Last Rank:	Private
Last Unit:	55th Infantry Battalion
Born:	Middlingbank, New South Wales, Australia, 2 April 1887
Home Town:	Adaminaby, Snowy River, New South Wales
Schooling:	Middling Bank Public School, New South Wales, Australia
Occupation:	Miner
Died:	Killed in Action, France, 2 April 1917, aged 30 years
Cemetery:	Lebucquiere Communal Cemetery Extension Plot I, Row B, Grave No 6., Lebucquiere Communal Cemetery Extension, Lebucquiere, Arras, Nord Pas de Calais, France
Memorials:	Adaminaby War Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour

World War 1 Service

10 Jan 1916:	Enlisted AIF WW1, Private, 2246, 55th Infantry Battalion, Enlisted Cooma, New South Wales.
4 Sep 1916:	Involvement Private, 2246, 55th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '19' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Port Sydney embarkation_ship_number: A15 public_note: ''
4 Sep 1916:	Embarked Private, 2246, 55th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Port Sydney, Sydney

Simon (Sam) Henry Turner, Letters Home.

LEST WE FORGET

With sincere gratitude to Sandra O’Hagan who found this letter and shared it with me.

A letter written to my grandmother Mabel Rees (who was still Mabel Turner at the time the letter was written) from a Private McDonald who was in the 55th Battalion alongside my uncle Simon Turner and my grandfather Frank Rees. Simon was killed in action on 2 April 1917 ~ which was his birthday....😓

I don’t know whether Private McDonald made it home but safely but the Eddie Baragry he mentions was KIA on 9 May 1917, aged 22. 😓

The Manaro Mercury and Cooma and Bombala Advertiser
Friday 13 July 1917
Letters from Soldiers.
Miss M.G. Turner of Cooma has received a letter addressed from 'Somewhere in France' from an unknown soldier and dated April 23rd 1917. It reads.

Dear Miss Turner: No doubt you will be surprised to receive this letter as we are perfect strangers; but as your poor brother Sam was a great friend of mine I thought it no harm in writing to tell of his sad end. We marched from billets where we were camped on 1st April to a sunken road. About 400 yards in front of us was a village which was occupied by the Germans. Next morning the 55th Battalion was ordered to attack and capture the village which we did although we lost a lot of lives in getting there. Sam was with me when we landed in the town and it was not until 4 p.m. on April 2nd that poor Sam met his death. I was just alongside of him at the time; digging a trench to get under cover when a German shell landed just close to us. I was dazed for a time; and looked around only to find poor Sam face downward on the ground. I immediately caught hold of him and asked what was the matter; but he never answered.

Thinking he was only in a fit, I gave him some of my water but it was all in vain. He had a weak heart and the shock of the shell killed him. Thank goodness he is now happy in the next world. He was a good Catholic and a brave soldier and a better pal I never had. He has nice grave which is more than some of our poor boys have. And his Cross has been erected alongside of two other Snowy River boys. I think it is hard for you and your parents to think that he will never come back but try and bear it as he is far better off than we are today.

I received your address from Eddie Baragry and he sends kind regards to all.
Well Miss Turner I will now conclude with kind regards and sympathy from your unknown soldier friend Private R.P McDonald

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