Lieutenant Commander William Edward Sanders, (7 February 1883 – 14 August 1917) was a First World War New Zealand recipient of the Victoria Cross (VC), the highest award for gallantry "in the face of the enemy" that could be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces at the time. Born in Auckland, Sanders took up a seafaring career in 1899. He initially worked aboard steamships before transferring to sailing ships to enhance his career prospects. Sanders earned a master's certificate in late 1914, following the outbreak of the First World War. He then served aboard troopships in the Merchant Navy until April 1916, when he was commissioned in the Royal Naval Reserve. He completed his military training in the United Kingdom, after which he served aboard Helgoland, a Q-ship that operated against German submarines. His performance on his first two patrols earned him his own command, , in February 1917. Sanders was awarded the VC for his actions while on his first patrol as captain, when Prize engaged and saw off a German U-boat that had earlier attacked and damaged his ship. He was killed in action during Prizes 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 yachts. Early life William Edward Sanders was born in the Auckland suburb of Kingsland on 7 February 1883. His father, Edward Helman Cook Sanders, was a boot maker, who with his wife Emma Jane Sanders ( Wilson), would have three more children. William's maternal grandfather was a sea captain and worked for the family's shipping company. Sanders attended Nelson Street School until 1894, when his family moved to Takapuna. He shifted to Takapuna School, which was close to Lake Pupuke, where he learned to sail. He earned the nickname "Gunner Billy" for his exploits with a small cannon that a classmate brought to school. 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. He was not particularly interested in the trade and, desiring a career at sea, would go down to the wharves to inspect the berthed ships