As for the Australians, of the two Battalions that Monash had now ordered to participate, the 39th had already to a large extent been involved in the fighting, and the 33rd, endevouring to reach its position of readiness for outflanking Passchendaele, had suffered great loss. No less than 6 of its Officers were killed or mortally wounded. Captain: Wilfred Frank HINTON, in command of the forward company, Lieutenant: Leonard Rockley BROWNLOW,  Lieutenant: Thomas Acheson ARMSTRONG,   Lieutenant: Albert George KIPLATRICK, Lieutenant: William Rees-REYNOLDS and Lieutenant: Norman Francis GOBLE.

(BEAN; History of World War 1, Vol IV page 921)

William was Killed in Action on the 12th of October 1917 at Passchendaele, Belgium. William is remembered with honour and is commemerated in perpetuity by the Commonweath War Graves Commission at Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial Belgium.

William's WW1 Trio, Memorial Plaque and Scroll were issued to his father between 1921-1923. His WW1 Trio was sold at auction in March 2010 by the Collectors Club of Victoria to a private collector. I was able to secure for collection at a later date his WW1 Trio: 14-15 Star:26188 Pte: 5021 W R REYNOLDS. 1ST HOSP SHIP. British War Medal:17012 to 2nd LIEUT W R REYNOLDS AIF. Victory Medal: 16946 to W R REYNOLDS. 2ND LIEUT W R REYNOLDS. AIF.

William was a single 22 year old Farmer from "Lanark" Watson Street, Bondi, Sydney, New South Wales upon enlistment. His Father Captain William Rees Reynolds died on the 1st April 1933 at Port Douglas, North Queensland, Australia. William's sisters; Helena Myrtle and Gwendolen Mary Reynolds had funds held in trust by their father after William kas killed.

William Rees Reynolds, Second Lieutenant, Australian Infantry. William was the only son of Captain William Rees Reynolds, and Mary Reynolds, of Cilwenan Hill, Dinas Cross, Pembrokeshire, and of 'The Astor', Macquarie Street, Sydney, Australia. William was educated at Llandovery from 1909 until 1910, and was also educated at the Church of England Grammar School, North Sydney, Australia. William's intention was to be a farmer, and on completion of his schooling, he enrolled for a course of Instruction at Wagga Experimental Farm. However, with the advent of War, instead of chasing his dream, William enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 18 June 1915, joining the Australian Army Medical Corps at Sydney. William was later posted to England, and became an Instructor, serving on Salisbury Plain. However, William wanted action, and so transferred into the Infantry, and was soon commissioned as Second Lieutenant into the 33rd Battalion, AIF, which was part of the 3rd Australian Division. The Battalion had to wait until the emphasis of British and Dominion operations switched to the Ypres Sector of Belgium in mid-1917 to take part in its first major battle; which was the battle of Messines, launched on 7 June. The battalion held the ground captured during the battle for several days afterwards and was subjected to intense artillery bombardment. One soldier wrote that holding the line at Messines was far worse than taking it. The battalion's next major battle was around Passchendaele on 12 October. The battlefield, though, had been deluged with rain, and thick mud tugged at the advancing troops and fouled their weapons. The battle ended in a disastrous defeat. The 33rd Australian Battalion was called up to attack Crest Farm, where a previously captured pill-box had been re-taken by the enemy. It was in this attack that William was killed, along with five of his brother officers of the Battalion. He was 24 years old, and has no known grave, and so is commemorated on the Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial, Belgium.

Dinas Cross is a small village sat in a picturesque location between Fishguard and Newport in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The War Memorial to the men of the Parish that gave their lives during both World Wars takes the form of three marble plaques fixed onto a masonry wall, the large one in the centre containing the names of the fallen of the Great War, and the two smaller plaques commemorating the fallen of World War 2.

Captain: William Rees Reynolds; Ships Captain and part owner of the labour vessels Ivanhoe and Sydney Belle. Pacific Islanders 1906/v.2 511-517; 890-893

The "Sydney Belle" was bulit by Henry Beattie at Balmain. "Sydney Belle" was a Schooner, Barque and built between 1881-1893.

sent to Mrs. Mary E. Christian, with marvelous addressing "Pitcairn Island/S.P. Ocean/via Bg Sydney Belle" instruction; the accompanying letter, on the notepaper of "The Mariners' Church and Institute, Circular Quay, Sydney," was written by Pitcairn Islander Leonard Christian, who was working on a ship that was wrecked on Norfolk Island , subsequently re-floated and then sailed to Sydney from where he had tried unsuccessfully to find a ship going to Pitcairn, he tells of his probable return to Norfolk Island instead and reports on his brother Ben who had arrived in London after a 139 day passage from the Cape, where he received just four shillings pay at the end of the voyage while the ship had passed within sight of Pitcairn but the captain had refused to stop the ship; cover with understandable edge wear and soiling, still fine; a most exciting postal history rarity of Pitcairn.

(Australian National Archives)