William Edward Sanders
Lieutenant Commander William Edward Sanders, VC, DSO was a First World War New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was killed in action during his fourth patrol, when his ship was sunk by a U-boat. His VC, the first and only such medal to be awarded to a New Zealander serving with a naval force, was presented to his father.
About William Edward Sanders in brief
Lieutenant Commander William Edward Sanders, VC, DSO was a First World War New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross. He was killed in action during his fourth patrol, when his ship was sunk by a U-boat. His VC, the first and only such medal to be awarded to a New Zealander serving with a naval force, was presented to his father and is held by the Auckland War Memorial Museum. There are several tributes to Sanders, including the Sanders Memorial Cup, a sailing trophy for 14-foot yachts. He left school at the age of 15 and, at the urging of his parents, was apprenticed to a mercer in Auckland’s Queen Street. Sanders was not particularly interested in the trade and, desiring a career at sea, would go down to the wharves to inspect the berthed ships and chat with their captains and crewmen. In 1899, Sanders became aware of a vacancy for a cabin boy aboard Kapanui, a steamer that worked the coast north of Auckland. In 1906, as an ordinary seaman, he transferred to NZGSS Hinemoa, a government steamer servicing lighthouses along the New Zealand coast and depots on offshore islands. In 1914, Sanders sailed on a series of vessels and by 1914, after taking his mate’s certificates, he was mate of the barque Joseph Craig. On 7 August 1914, the ship foundered on the Hokianga bar and Sanders took charge of a small boat to seek help.
He appeared at the inquest held at Auckland into her sinking, the blame for which was placed on the master. In June 1915, Sanders wrote to the Admiralty in support of New Zealand High Commissioner Willoch. After completing a three-month junior officer’s course at the facility HMS Excellent on Whale Island, Sanders was granted a position on Helgoland, a Q-ship operating against German submarines in Western Approaches. He also sat for his master’s certificate, passing with honours on 7 November 1914. In December 1915 he was appointed an acting sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Reserve. In February 1916, Sanders served as a Merchant Navy officer on the steamer Tofua. In April 1916, two days after his arrival in London, he made his way to Glasgow via the Atlantic to join the Royal Navy. In March 1917, he became an acting captain on HMS Prize. In May 1917 he was granted his own command, HMS Prize, in February 1917. His performance on his first two patrols earned him his own VC for his actions when he engaged and saw off a German U-boats that had earlier attacked and damaged his ship. Sanders’ maternal grandfather was a sea captain and worked for the family’s shipping company. His father, Edward Helman Cook Sanders, was a boot maker, who with his wife Emma Jane Sanders would have three more children.
You want to know more about William Edward Sanders?
This page is based on the article William Edward Sanders published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 02, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
