Cyril Patrick Melbourne Jackson - Picton Memorial

 

The handsome man in the photo above is that of Cyril Jackson, the second son of George and Martha Jackson of Picton.  In his days in Picton Cyril had been a valued member of the local cricket club and a member of the Holy Trinity church choir.   

At the outbreak of war Cyril was employed by the New Zealand Railways as a clerk at Waihi station in Coromandel.  He enlisted on 20 October 1915 at Waihi and embarked with the 10th reinforcements attached to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 4 March 1916.

Cyril was promoted to Company Sergeant Major on 11 July 1916 at Sling Camp, England.  His posting to the Western Front was delayed as he contracted Mumps early in March 1917 and was admitted to hospital in Glasgow for treatment.  By the begining of April he had recovered and was marched back into Sling camp and on to  Codford camp where he was transferred to the 3rd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment.

He arrived in France in May 1917.  However his tour of duty on the front was short.  Cyril was wounded in action at Passchendaele most likely on 4 October 1917 at the Battle of Broodseinde and died of his wounds the next day.  He was buried at the Brandhoek New Military Cemetery No 3, Vlamertinge, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. 

The news of Cyril's death back in New Zealand added to the grief that his family were already suffering,  this due to the death of Cyril's father in June of the same year.

Cyril is also remembered on the Waihi War Memorial Gate (pictured below).

Sapper Edgar Boucher - Remuera Memorial

 New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16848, 13 May 1918

Sapper Edgar Boucher born in Tauranga was the eldest son of Ernest and Anna Boucher and was educated at Kings College, he was also a member of the College Rifles.  At the outbreak of war in August 1914 he was employed as an assistant surveyor by Thomas McFarlane in Victoria Arcade, Auckland. He quickly volunteered his services leaving with the Samoan Advance Party on 15 August 1914 attached to the Signal Company.  Some months after arriving in Samoa he secured a position with the Goverment Survey Department as an assistant surveyor in January 1915.  Later when the call went up for volunteers for Gallipoli he returned to New Zealand and re-enlisted in October 1915 embarking with the 9th Reinforcements, New Zealand Engineers on 8 January 1916.

After Gallipoli in France, Edgar was wounded in the left leg on 25 July 1916 returning to his unit on 29 September 1916 once recovered.

On 12 October 1917 Edgar was laying cable under heavy shellfire at Passchendaele.  Like many other New Zealand men at the end of the battle he was missing.  A court of enquiry was held to determine his status in May 1918 which concluded he was killed in action.  One of the soldiers to give evidence at his enquiry was Sapper Norman H. McKenzie below is part of his statement taken from Boucher's military record:

"The last time I saw Sapper Boucher was when he was taking shelter from the shelling near Fleet cottage...I saw him crawl out of sight and if he remained he was certainly killed as the shelling was intense"

http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/38834.detail?Ordinal=2&c_surname_search=boucher&c_warconflict_search=%22world+war+i,+1914-1918%22

Edgar was 24 years old and is remember on the Tyne Cot Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium with the many other New Zealander's who went missing on that fateful day.  

12 October 1917 - Passchendaele

In Flanders Fields

John McCrae

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row

That mark our place: and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie 

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders Field.

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

Canterbury Infantry Regiment

Aged 25 years

 

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Aged 20 years

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

Canterbury Infantry Regiment 

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Aged 21 years

Killed in action 12 October 1917, Passchendaele 

New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Aged 30 years

Above are six of the 846 New Zealand soldiers killed on 12 October 1917 at the 2nd Battle of Passchendaele.  The 12 October 1917 is still today New Zealand's blackest day in terms of loss of life.  They all have no known graves and are remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial.