Lieutenant William Symons
7th Battalion AIF, 8-9 August 1915
I don't expect to see you again…
SYMONS,
Lieutenant William John
7th Australian Infantry Battalion, AIF
8-9 August 1915, at Lone Pine Trenches, Gallipoli Peninsular
CITATION: For most conspicuous bravery on the night of 8-9 August, 1915, at Lone Pine Trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsular. He was in command of the right section of the newly captured trenches held by his battalion and repelled several counter-attacks with great coolness. At about 5 a.m. on 9 August , a series of determined attacks were made by the enemy on an isolated sap, and six officers were in succession killed or severely wounded, a portion of the sap being lost. Lieutenant Symonds then led a charge and retook the lost sap, shooting two Turks with his revolver. The sap was under hostile fire from three sides and Lieutenant Symonds withdrew some 15 yards to a spot where some overhead cover could be obtained, and in the face of heavy fire, built up a sand barricade. The enemy succeeded in setting fire to the fascines and woodwork of the head-cover, but Lieutenant Symonds extinguished the fire and rebuilt the barricade. His coolness and determination finally compelled the enemy to discontinue the attacks.
( London Gazette 15 October 1915. )
On the afternoon of 8 August 1915, the 7th Battalion, from Victoria, led by
their commanding officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Harold Elliot, went into the Lone
Pine battle to relieve the exhausted 1st and 2nd Battalions. They took over positions
at the southern end of the captured Turkish trenches and here Elliott divided
his command between a left and a right section. On the left he placed in charge
Lieutenant William Symons. Throughout the evening and night of 8 August, Symons’ men
fought a duel with groups of Turkish bombers who were able to make their way
into the main trench. Eventually, the Turks were beaten back but on the morning
of 9 August strong attacks were renewed against all 7th Battalion positions.
At one point, it seemed that the enemy might totally engulf the southern part
of the position known as Jacob’s Trench. Colonel Elliott had been impressed
throughout with Symons’ leadership and consistent cheerfulness:
- Studio portrait of William Symons c.1914 [AWM P02939.002]
In this emergency, therefore, he sent for Symons, handed him
his own revolver, and ordered him to retake Jacob’s Trench. ‘I don’t expect to
see you again’, he said, ‘but we must not lose that post’.
[Charles
Bean, The Story of Anzac, Vol II, Sydney, 1924, p.562]
The young lieutenant now led a charge down Jacob’s Trench assisted by
Corporals George Ball and John Wadeson during which he killed two Turks with
Elliott’s revolver. They then rebuilt a barricade but, finding themselves
being attacked from three sides, Symons requested permission to withdraw to a
more defensible position further back up Jacob’s Trench where there was
some head cover. A few metres of open trench was thus surrendered to the Turks
who now came on and managed, twice, to set fire to the head cover. Both times
Symons personally charged out, beat back the attack, and extinguished the flames.
Further attacks on Symons’ position were driven off by artillery fire.
- Symons in uniform
For Symons’ consistent courageous leadership during this period Colonel
Elliott recommended him for the VC. Like Keysor, he was evacuated from Gallipoli
with enteric fever to London where, on 4 December 1915 the medal was pinned on
his uniform by King George V at Buckingham Palace. On this occasion the King,
so the story goes, said to Symons:
I am proud to decorate an Australian with this Cross. You may be interested
to know that the intrinsic worth of this bronze cross is only five and a half
pence [a few cents]. I hope you will live long enough to wear it.
[George V, quoted in Stephen Snelling, VCs of the First World War: Gallipoli,
1995, p.154]
SYMONS, WILLIAM JOHN (1889-1948), soldier and businessman, was horn on 12
July 1889 at Eaglehawk, Victoria, son of William Samson Symons (d. 1904), miner,
and his wife Mary Emma, nee Manning. Educated at Eaglehawk State School, in 1906
he moved with his family to Brunswick, Melbourne, and worked as a commercial
traveller. He served for eight years in the militia (5th and 6Oth battalions)
before enlisting in the Australian Imperial Force on 17 August 1914. Posted to
the 7th Battalion as colour sergeant, he embarked for Egypt on 18 October, was
promoted acting regimental quartermaster sergeant on 9 April 1915 and landed
with his battalion at Gallipoli on 25 April. He was commissioned second lieutenant
next day and promoted lieutenant on 2 July.
About 5a.m. on 9 August the Turks made a series of determined attacks on Jacob's
Trench at Lone Pine where six Australian officers were killed or severely wounded.
Learning that the position had been overrun, Lieut-Colonel H. E. Elliott
ordered Symons to retake the trench. 'I don't expect to see you again', he said,
'but we must not lose that post'. Symons led the charge that drove off the Turks,
but the enemy continued attacking from the front and both flanks. Symons received
Elliott's permission to abandon fifteen yards (13.1 m) of open trench and to
establish a new barricade. Although the Turks set fire to the overhead woodwork,
Symons extinguished the flames, kept the barricade in place and finally forced
the enemy to discontinue their attacks. One of seven Australians to win the Victoria
Cross at Lone Pine, Symons was cited for his conspicuous gallantry and received
his V.C. from King George V at Buckingham Palace on 4 December.
Retunning to Australia in March 1916, 'Curly' Symons was feted at civic receptions
at Bendigo and Brunswick. He re-embarked for the Western Front as a captain commanding
a company in the 37th Battalion. Wounded in the 10th Brigade's raid on 27 February
1917, he was subsequently gassed during the battle of Messines, Belgium, on 7
June. He rejoined his unit in January1918 and fought at Dernancourt, France,
in March. On 15 August he married Isabel Annie Hockley at St Mary's Church, Hayling
Island, Hampshire, England; they left next day for Australia, arriving a month
before the Amnistice. His AIF appointment terminated on 7 December.
In 1918 he adopted the surname of Pen Symons. With his family he later settled
at Kenton, Hampshire, where he became a director of several engineering and construction
companies. He served as a lieut-colonel in the home guard in 1941-44. Survived
by his wife and three daughters, he died of a brain tumour on 24 June 1948 in
London. His V.C. and medals are in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial,
Canberra.
C. E. W. Bean, 1, 2 (Syd 1921, 1924) and the A.I.F in France, 1917-18 (Syd,
1937, 1942);
L. Wigmore (ed), They dared mightily, second ed revised and condensed by.
Williams and A. Staunton (Canb, 1986); Sabretache, 23, no 4, Oct/Dec 1982, p
28; Bendigo Advertiser, 18, 21 Oct 1915, 14, 17, 21 July 1982; The Times, 6 Dec
1915,26 June 1948; Argus 23 Mar1916; Canb Times, 4 Oct 1967; Lummis, V.C. and
G.C. files (Military Hist Soc, Lond); 7th Battalion, item 2, 1st Aust Division,
AWM28 collection 2 (AWM); information from Mr D. Pillinger, Maidenhead, Berkshire,
Eng.
Source: Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition, Symons, William John