Raymond John Ambury was born at Cheltenham, England on 17 September 1886. He was one of four sons of Arthur and Emily Ambury. The family had emigrated to New Zealand in 1893 where Arthur Ambury ran a successful drapers store with his brother.
Raymond and his wife had barely spent two years together and she must have been heartbroken at the news of his death, their life together cut short. For Raymond's parents the news of Raymond's death came only months after their son Arthur Ambury had been killed in a climbing accident on Mt Taranaki (known then as Mount Egmont). Arthur had fallen to his death while attempting to rescue a fellow climber William Gourlay and by all accounts knew the risk he took while doing so. Arthur was posthumously awarded the Albert Medal for Bravery which may have been of some consolation to his wife and their 4 children. A memorial to Arthur's bravery was erected at Mount Taranaki and is still there today.
Both Raymond and Arthur were selfless in their sacrifice, as a member of the clergy Raymond was exempt from overseas service but when his name was called in the ballot he voluntarily went as a normal soldier and Arthur an experienced mountaineer knew the risk he was taking when he tried to save the younger less experienced climber.
In December 1915 Raymond married Mildred Oxenham at New Plymouth, they had no children. Prior to enlisting Raymond was an ordained Baptist minister preaching at Bulls: he was called up in the ninth ballot and embarked on 16 November 1917 with the 32nd Reinforcements Wellington Infantry Regiment. He was initially posted to active service in France as a member of the No 1 NZ Entrenching Battalion, then in April he was transferred back to the Wellington Infantry Battalion. On 30 August 1918 he was killed in action, aged 31 and is buried at Bancourt British Cemetery, Pas-de-Calais, France. Below is an obituary from the Wanganui Chronicle:
Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17384, 21 September 1918
Both Raymond and Arthur were selfless in their sacrifice, as a member of the clergy Raymond was exempt from overseas service but when his name was called in the ballot he voluntarily went as a normal soldier and Arthur an experienced mountaineer knew the risk he was taking when he tried to save the younger less experienced climber.
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