6/3201 Private Frederick Charles Wildman, (24/12/1895-21/9/1916). "the lad we loved so well"

PERSONAL WAR ITEMS

April 24. Mrs Wildman, Port Nelson, has been advised that as the result of a Court of Inquiry, her son, F. C. Wildman, previously reported missing, is now reported killed in action in September last.   -Colonist, 16/5/1917.

Fred Wildman was a seaman working for the Anchor Steam Ship Co. when he enlisted in the Canterbury Regiment.  He was with the Canterburys in the Battle of the Somme and was killed during a rather confused engagement, as described in the Canterburys' Official History:

About half a mile to the north-west of Flers, the Abbey Road was crossed by the North road, which continued on towards Longueval, but forked into two branches before crossing the Flers Line. About 8 p.m. on September 20th, the 1st, 2nd, and 13th Companies of the 2nd Canterbury Battalion, which had been detailed for the assault, left their trenches and formed up on the two branches of the North Road. At 8.30 p.m. they advanced to the attack without any barrage. Under cover of the darkness, they crept up to within fifty yards of Goose Alley before they were detected. The enemy then immediately opened heavy machine-gun and rifle fire; but in spite of heavy casualties our men rushed the trench, cleared it of the enemy, and established blocks beyond it in both Flers Trench and Flers Support, and also on the north-east of the captured junction of Goose Alley. On their left flank they were joined by bombing parties of the Black Watch, who had worked their way up Drop Alley. Punctually at 8.45 p.m., our artillery placed a box barrage round the captured positions, in accordance with the arrangements that had been made. Twenty prisoners and four machine-guns were taken by the battalion.

In spite of the barrage, at 10 p.m. the enemy launched a determined counter-attack down all the trenches leading to the position. Armed with the new light "egg" bomb, his bombers outranged ours; and the Black Watch bombing parties, which had not been reinforced, were driven back down Drop Alley. At the same time, the Canterbury men were pushed from the blocks they had established, and a party of the enemy penetrated into Flers Trench, in the rear of our left flank. Two platoons of the 12th Company were sent up to support the line; but owing to the darkness, and the confused hand-to-hand fighting, they could do very little to help, and soon became mixed up in the general melee. The enemy had now encircled both flanks, and there was grave danger of the battalion being cut off.

At this juncture Captain F. Starnes arrived with the remaining platoons of the 12th Company. Finding men of all companies mixed together, and in many cases without leaders, he organized small parties and set them to clear the enemy out of definite areas. Captain Starnes personally led party after party, and after some very desperate fighting he at length cleared the trench from our original right flank to the northern end of Drop Alley. He then led attacks on Drop Alley, till by 4 a.m. the whole of it was in our hands, and he was able to hand it over to the Black Watch.

There was no rest for the garrison, however, as much hard digging was required to fit the position for defence. Nor was the enemy content to leave the trench in our hands; for at 5.30 p.m. on the 21st he made a most determined counter-attack. Altogether about two hundred of his men worked up Goose Alley on the right flank, and up Flers Support and Flers Trench in the centre and on the left. The enemy bombers were well organized, bold and expert, and were much fresher than our men, who had been fighting all night and digging all day. The attack penetrated our line in several places; but the rest of the line stood firm, in spite of heavy fighting. Finally, led again by Captain Starnes, our men got out of the trenches, and from the open bombed the enemy parties which were still holding out in our trenches. Taking advantage of the confusion caused by this unexpected attack, our men charged with the bayonet, and cleared the trenches. During the fighting, a party from the 2nd Auckland Battalion, led by a private, without orders came overland from the North road to assist our right flank.

PAGE 117

Besides the captures mentioned above, the battalion had counted three hundred enemy dead in and about Goose Alley in the morning; and at a very moderate estimate it had killed another hundred in repulsing the counter-attack on the evening of the 21st. For his gallantry in the operations, Captain Starnes was recommended for the V.C., and received the "immediate award" of the D.S.O. The cost to the battalion had been very heavy. Out of eighteen officers and five hundred and twenty-three other ranks engaged, the casualties were: —

	Officers.	Other Ranks.
Killed	8	32
Wounded	4	156
Missing		49
	12	237

The 2nd Canterbury Battalion was relieved on the night of the 21st, leaving Frederick Wildman's remains behind.  At the subsequent Court of Enquiry, Sergeant Wanden stated that Frederick was in the Flers trench on the 20th but nobody in his Company had seen him since or knew what had become of him.

IN MEMORIAM.

WILDMAN. — In loving memory of our dear son and brother, Frederick Charles Wildman, killed in action on September 21st, 1916.

"Killed in action'' say the cables, That is all the news they tell
Of the brave young lad who loved us, Of the lad we loved so well. 

How his life was sped we know not; What the last word, look, or thought, 

Only that he did his duty. Died as bravely as he fought. 

(Inserted by his father, mother, sisters, and "brothers.)  -Nelson Evening Mail, 21/9/1917.