William (Curly) Symons

Early life

William John Symons was born on or around 12 July 1889 at Eaglehawk, Victoria (some sources cite his birth date as 17 June 1889 or 10 July 1889). He was the son of miner William Samson Symons and his wife Mary Emma Manning. William's nickname was 'Curly'.

William went to Eaglehawk State School. Then, in 1906, he moved with his parents and younger brother, Eric, to Brunswick in Melbourne. William found work as a commercial traveller (salesman).

In Melbourne, William trained in Victoria's part-time reserve force. He served 5 years in the Commonwealth Military Forces of Victoria attached to the 5th Battalion. From 1911, he served 3 years with the reorganised Commonwealth Military Forces, 3rd Military District, attached to the 60th Battalion.

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Active service

William enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force (AIF) on 17 August 1914. He was posted to the 7th Infantry Battalion as a colour sergeant. He embarked from Melbourne on 18 October 1914 with the first convoy of Australian troops.

While training in Egypt, William was promoted to acting regimental quartermaster sergeant on 9 April 1915.

Gallipoli Campaign

William's battalion landed at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915. He was commissioned second lieutenant the next day and promoted to lieutenant on 2 July 1915.

On the afternoon of 8 August 1915, the 7th Battalion (Victoria) joined the Battle of Lone Pine to relieve the exhausted 1st and 2nd battalions.

Led by Lieutenant Colonel Harold 'Pompey' Elliot, the men of the 7th took over captured positions at the southern end of the Turkish trenches. Here, the battalion was divided into a left and a right section. William was in command of the right-hand section.

Through the evening and night of 8 August, William's men fought a duel with groups of Turkish soldiers who were able to make their way into the main Australian trench with bombs (grenades).

Eventually, William's section pushed back the Turkish troops. Then, on the morning of 9 August, the Turkish attacked again. Their strong attacks came against all of the 7th Battalion's positions. At one point, it seemed that the enemy might overrun the southern part (right section) of the position, known as Jacob’s Trench.

Colonel Elliott, who had been impressed throughout with William's leadership, called for him again:

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, p 562.]

William then led a charge down Jacob’s Trench, helped by Corporal George Ball and Corporal John Wadeson. They killed 2 Turkish soldiers but continued to face attack from the front and both sides. William received permission to abandon 15 yards (about 13 m) of open trench and establish a new barricade. The Turkish troops then set fire to the overhead woodwork in the trench. William twice put out fires and beat back their attacks.

William's actions, helped by accurate artillery fire support, kept the barricade in place and finally forced the enemy to stop their attacks.

In a letter to his mother about the attack, William wrote:

I only had 40 men with me in the firing line … When I came to muster them afterwards we only had about 15.

[Bryce Abraham, The Heroic Tragedy of William Symons VC, 2025]

For William’s courageous leadership during this time, Colonel Elliott recommended him for the Victoria Cross (VC). He was 1 of 7 Australians to receive a VC for actions at Lone Pine.

Not long after the battle, William succumbed to a fever and was evacuated by ship to England. He spent the next several months recovering in London.

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Victoria Cross citation

William received his Victoria Cross from King George V at Buckingham Palace at an investiture ceremony in December 1915.

Lieutenant William John Symons, 7th Battalion, Australian Imperial Force.

For most conspicuous bravery on the night of 8th-9th August, 1915, at Lone Pine trenches, in the Gallipoli Peninsula.

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 Symons 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 Symons withdrew some fifteen 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 Symons extinguished the fire and rebuilt the barricade.

His coolness and determination finally compelled the enemy to discontinue the attacks.

[Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, 24 February 1916, p 455.]

On this occasion, so the story goes, the King said to William:

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.]

When they heard of William's prestigious award, the people of Eaglehawk were very proud of their local boy:

At a patriotic and memorial service, held in the Eaglehawk Town Hall last night, in honor of the fallen soldiers, the Rev. E. H. Hobday referred to the fact that Lieutenant Symons, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross, was a native of Eaglehawk. The announcement was received with loud and prolonged applause.

['Eaglehawk Boy Wins V.C.', Bendigo Advertiser, 18 October 1915, p 7.]

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Brief respite

Returning to Australia in March 1916, William was honoured at civic receptions in his home state of Victoria at Bendigo and Brunswick.

The Bendigo Independent reported that:

On his entering the basement the gathering stood and cheered for several minutes. Lieutenant Symons bowed his acknowledgment.

["RETURNED HEROES." The Bendigo Independent, 22 March 1916, p 5.]

During the Brunswick reception, William received a highly decorative illuminated testimonial – a leather-bound pair of certificates including William's image and his Victoria Cross citation. This gift was bestowed by the mayor of Brunswick in the presence of other important dignitaries, including federal and state politicians. William also received 25 sovereigns (worth about $3,000 in today's money).

The civic receptions and William's gifts show that his local communities held him in high regard after his service at Gallipoli.

Western Front

William re-embarked for the Western Front as a captain in June 1916. He commanded a company in the newly raised 37th Infantry Battalion.

William arrived in France in November 1916 and quickly saw action with his new company. He was twice Mentioned in Dispatches in February 1917.

While leading his company during the Battle of Messines in Belgium on 7 June 1917, William was gassed. He was evacuated to the United Kingdom and spent 6 months in convalescence.

William rejoined his unit in January 1918. He saw action again at the First Battle of Dernancourt in France during the German Spring Offensive.

While on leave in England, William married Isabel Annie Hockley at St Mary's Church in Havant, Hampshire, on 15 August 1918. The day after the wedding, William returned to Australia with a group of 13 other Victoria Cross recipients to help recruit more troops for the war effort.

Due to the signing of the armistice less than a month after William's arrival in Australia, he did not return to war. His enlistment with the AIF concluded on 17 December 1918.

Life after the war

The time William spent in the AIF came at great personal cost.

In 1918, he adopted the surname of Pen Symons and resumed work as a travelling salesman in Australia.

William's return to civilian work was difficult due to ongoing health problems. He suffered from breathing problems, insomnia (a sleep issue) and nervousness. He received a temporary, partial disability pension straight after discharging from the Army. He had to continue to apply to the Repatriation Department for extensions on a regular basis.

In 1923, William moved to England with his family. He stopped receiving his pension and took up full-time work again. He became a director of several engineering and construction companies. He also worked as the manager of a greyhound track.

William's health problems persisted. On more than one occasion, he returned to a partial disability pension to survive.

Later service and death

In 1941, William re-enlisted to serve in the British Home Guard. He served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the 12th Battalion, Leicestershire Regiment.

Due to poor health, William discharged from the Home Guard in 1944.

William's health continued to deteriorate after his discharge. By 1947, he was diagnosed with dementia. His wife, Isabel, continued to petition the Repatriation Department on his behalf for a disability pension. A full pension was only granted 3 months before William's death.

William passed away on 24 June 1948, aged 58. He was survived by Isabel and their 3 daughters.

Commemoration

William's official commemoration is at the Garden of Remembrance in Melbourne's Springvale Botanical Cemetery. You can find William's name on row A of wall 111.

William's VC and other medals are displayed in the Hall of Valour at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

William is remembered on many memorials around Australia, including:

• 2LT W J Symons VC Memorial in Victoria
• Eaglehawk John Symons VC Memorial in Victoria
• Eaglehawk Lieutenant William John Symons VC Memorial Pine in Victoria
• Keith Payne VC Memorial Park in Queensland
• Lone Pine Memorial in New South Wales
• North Bondi War Memorial in New South Wales
• North Brother Mountain War Memorial in New South Wales
• Winchelsea WWI Memorial in Victoria.

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