One family’s search finds another’s hero
One man’s search for the soldier who saved his grandfather has led to another family uncovering a hero they never knew they had.
Churchill Peach was blown off his horse on a French battlefield on April 9, 1918, and was rescued by a man known to Peach as ‘‘Scotty Sim’’.
Peach, who was originally from Staffordshire in England but later enlisted in the New Zealand Army, first tried to find his saviour in
1959 but was unsuccessful and his grandson Malcolm Hyde continued the search, finally discovering the man’s identity about a month ago.
He was found to be Scottish immigrant James ‘‘Scotty’’ Sim of Taranaki, and his grandson Bruce Sim still milks on the Okato land Sim farmed after the war.
‘‘It was a rehab (ballot) farm in
1919,’’ Bruce Sim said. Bruce’s mother Margaret, now
91, was James Sim’s daughter-inlaw, and still lives at the original farm. There are now five farms in the area which have been in their family for 100 years.
It was one of their farming neighbours, Darcy Julian, who made Bruce realise ‘‘Scotty’’ Sim was his granddad James Sim.
‘‘Darce could remember; he said ‘that’ll be him’,’’ Bruce said.
After James Sim left his Okato farm he moved to Seaview Rd in New Plymouth, where he lived until his death in 1966.
He and wife Mary had five children, including James Alexander Sim Jr, Bruce’s father, who died in
2015. They also had about 20 grandchildren and some greatgrandchildren.
‘‘I was 13 when he died but I can’t remember him ever talking about the war or anything like that,’’ Bruce said. ‘‘A lot of them didn’t. ‘‘Back then they weren’t involved the same with grandkids.
‘‘He was quite sick at the end. He was always coughing.’’
Bruce’s sister Ann Beckwith, who lives in Sydney, said her grandfather was a quiet man.
‘‘They looked after us when my siblings were born and that.
‘‘You could always rely on Granddad – he always came out with some blackball lollies.’’
Bruce’s brother Robert Sim, of New Plymouth, said he was planning to go to Brisbane in May and would like to connect with Malcolm Hyde.
‘‘It sends a bit of a tickle down your spine. You feel quite proud talking about him.’’
Hyde said he had spoken to several family members on Facebook.
‘‘Out of the blue a bloke sent me the family tree of the Sims in Scotland.’’
All of his Peach relatives were now much more interested in family history, he said.
‘‘My family are saying, you know if this hadn’t happened my whole family wouldn’t be here. A single event changes everything.
‘‘I think we’re more linked than what we thought we were with other people.’’