Mr John Forrester, of Ashburton, received word yesterday from the Defence authorities that his son, Gunner William Frederick who was with the New Zealand Forces at the Dardanelles, had been discharged cured, and was now at the base at Alexandria. This was the first intimation that Mr Forrester had received that his son had been wounded. His name had not appeared in any casualty list until yesterday. Gunner Forrester is a fine, stalwart young man, 22 years of age. and over 6ft in height. At the outbreak of the war he was engaged in farming in the Palmerston North, district. He was among the first to volunteer for active service, and made one of the Main Expeditionary Force. -Evening Star, 8/6/1915.
PERSONAL.
Mr J. Forrester yesterday received news from his son, Gunner W. F,. v Forrester, of the New Zealand Field Artillery. Gunner Forrester states that, with his section, he was on board a transport off the Dardanelles for a month and then contracted pneumonia, necessitating his removal to a hospital at Alexandria. -Ashburton Guardian, 15/9/1915.
Mr John Forrester, of Ashburton, has received official advice that his son, Gunner W. J. Forrester, has been re-admitted to the Pont de Koubbeh Hospital at Cairo. This is Gunner Forrester's second sojourn in this hospital, which he left about two months ago, for an unnamed destination. -Ashburton Guardian, 22/1/1916.
Mr John Forrester, Burnett Street, has received advice that his son. Gunner W. F. Forrester, of the New Zealand Field Artillery, has been wounded in France. Gunner Forrester is one of the old Main Body, having enlisted as soon as war was declared. He saw service at Gallipoli, and since the evacuation has been in France. Prior to enlistment he was engaged in farming in the North Island. -Ashburton Guardian, 30/8/1917.
At the time of his wound (August 14), William Forrester was serving with the Field Artillery during a relatively quiet time, but it was not without its dangers, as described in the NZFA's Official History below:
The weather at the beginning of August was bad and the low visibility restricted the activity on both sides of the line, although the enemy gunners continued to devote a fair amount of attention to La Basse Ville. On the 10th the weather improved, and the sector became more lively. Our howitzer batteries commenced to carry out gas shell bombardments, chiefly with asphyxiating shell on selected points, such as suspected headquarters, etc. Retaliation was fairly prompt and in kind, 3rd Brigade Headquarters being twice shelled with poison gas shell on the night of the 13th. Although hostile fire showed a slight decrease during the month the enemy had continued to pay some attention to counter-battery work, and most of the New Zealand batteries had been shelled at one time or another.
William was seriously wounded, his Army record stating: "left knee, thigh, scrotum, back," ant the cause of the wound being shrapnel.
Mr J. Forrester, Burnett street, Ashburton, has been advised that his Bon, Gunner Forrester, who was . recently reported wounded, has been admitted to Brockenhurst Hospital. -Press, 17/9/1917.
In January, 1918, a Medical Board at Ashburton pronounced him unfit for military duty and permanently disabled by his wounds. He would have qualified for a full pension. Perhaps he took it. But, as the story below reveals, he was a man of a strong work ethic. Which possibly killed him.
ST. LEONARDS FATALITY
VERDICT OF ACCIDENTAL DEATH.
The adjourned inquest into the circumstances of the death of William Frederick Forrester, who was killed at St. Leonards on Wednesday through being run over by a rake of trucks, was concluded yesterday afternoon before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M., who sat as coroner. Sergeant Hall represented the police, and Mr E. H. Newman watched the case on behalf of the Railways Department.
Dr Ross gave evidence of the injuries received by the deceased, the body being badly mutilated.
Charles Rush, inspector of permanent way, said he considered that the deceased must have been preparing to leave the train when he fell.
Arthur Lane, a ganger, said that the deceased was working on the ballast train without orders, preferring to do that rather than stand idle.
The magistrate: Is that a usual thing for a man to do?
Witness: No, It depends largely on the nature of the man. Some men would do it; others would not. Forrester was engaged in assisting the platelayer, and because he was doing nothing he took a hand on the train. He had no instructions to go on the train. There was a jolt, but witness was in the van at the time and could not say whether the jolt occurred before or after the deceased fell off. He could think of no explanation for the bump.
James Parkhill also gave evidence of a jolt. He did not see Forrester fall off, but he thought the bump occurred some time before the accident. Witness considered it part of the deceased’s duty to be where he was on the train at the time.
Irvine McIvor said the train was travelling no more than six miles per hour. Witness saw the deceased fall off and gave the signal to stop, the train pulling up very smartly. Three wagons passed over the deceased’s body, so that the tram must have been pulled up in 18 yards.
Percy Ibbotson, engine driver on the ballast train, said there was a good deal of slack between the trucks so that each truck would get a heavy jolt as the tram got under way. After the start it would all be smooth running. After going 25 yards he received a stop signal from someone on the new bridge, and he immediately applied the brakes and brought the tram to a standstill in less than a chain. He could not explain any jolt after the tram started.
William Hawarth, guard on the ballast train, also gave evidence. He could offer no explanation as to how the deceased met his death.
Arthur Sheppard and C. H. Anthony also gave evidence.
In giving his verdict, the coroner said that how the deceased came to fall off the train was uncertain, but the evidence adduced nothing to indicate that anything untoward had occurred. The deceased left his own work to assist in other operations and was returning to his work. Whether he was right or wrong in this did not concern the court, which could only find that death was entirely accidental and due to injuries received from falling off a rake of trucks at St. Leonards. There could be no question of anything amiss in the Railways Department’s methods of operations. The fatality was a pure accident. The verdict would be that the deceased was accidentally killed as a result of falling off a rake of trucks at St. Leonards. -Otago Daily Times, 7/3/1931.
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