The extremely scarce 1916 Prisoner of War trio issued to 10/3294 Walter Ernest Hinch, who was captured by the Germans near Flers on 2nd October 1916.

 

Walter Hinch was born in Riby, Lincolnshire, England in 1894 to parents William and Mary Ann Selina Hinch (née White). William Hinch died in 1908 and in 1912, Mary Hinch and her children emigrated to New Zealand, settling in New Plymouth. Walter embarked with the 8th Reinforcements NZEF in late 1915 and deployed to France with 2nd Battalion, Wellington Infantry Regiment in June 1916.

 

During at attack near Flers on 1st October 1916 Hinch and a small party of New Zealanders found themselves exposed on the edge of the advance. They retired to what they considered a secure area to await developments. Hinch's post-repatriation report on what transpired gives further details:

 

“I was taken prisoner on October 2nd, 1916, near Flers, on the Somme. We had attacked on the day before, and we went too far on out left flank. We retired until we thought we were in a safe position, and we stayed in this position until 8 p.m. on October 1st. There were six of us here. Later that night we set out to try and get back to our own company. In going back we went too much to the right, so we decided to wait in a shell hole and observe the Very lights, and endeavour to judge from there where our line was. In the meantime four of our party of six were wounded and had made back, and there was only two of us in this shell hole. My mate was an Otago man, but I do not know his name. We stayed here until about 4-30 o’clock on the morning of October 2nd. We then got out and started to go back in the direction in which we thought our lines were. In going back we ran into a trench which was full of Germans, and they took us prisoners”.

What Happened after Capture:-

“I was taken back to a dressing station, and from there I was sent to Cambrai. I was kept here until October 12th, when I was sent to Dulmen Camp, in Germany. I did no work here. The food was very bad. From Dulmen I was sent to work in a Coal Mine at Westerhalt, and I was kept here until November 16th. Then I was sent to Holland and then to England”.

 

Walter Hinch resided at Inglewood after the war, raising a family of three children with his wife Emly. He died on 4th September 1963 at Inglewood.

Approximately 21 members of the NZEF were captured by the Germans in 1916, making this trio extremeky scarce. All medals are correctly impressed 10/3294 PTE. W.E. HINCH. N.Z.E.F. and teh group comes with Walter's large and small RSA badges, a WW2 PoW Association pin, and original report on the delivery of a parcel from the New Zealand Prisoner of War Department and an invitation and menu from a dinner held in 1919 in honour of repatriated PoW's. The menu is signed by several ex-PoW members of the NZEF.

 

Note: The photos of Walter Hinch in this listing are digital copies only.

 

 

Service file held at Archives New Zealand

Capture report