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Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The Dudson Brothers - Carterton Memorial
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Corporal Robert Arthur Harvey - Carterton Memorial
"East of Ypres on the 4th October 1917 this N.C.O took command of his Platoon after his Platoon Officer was wounded. Throughout the action he displayed the very greatest courage and good leadership, leading his men against and capturing several enemy fortified shell holes. His utter disregard for danger and devotion to duty were a splendid example to his men. He was severly wounded shortly before reaching the objective but refused to be carried out, knowing the demand for stretcher bearers, and finally struggled down alone to the Regimental Aid Post. A fine example of devotion to duty." (London Gazette, 17 December 1917, p. 13201, Rec. No. 1358)
It is hard to imagine how he managed to get himself to the first aid station despite suffering serious gunshot wounds to the side of his body. I have read several accounts of the Battle of Broodseinde. The two that stand out are Monty Ingram's published diary titled 'In Flanders Fields' and the other is from Len Coley's diary published by his grandson Allan Marriott titled 'Mud Beneath my Boots'. Both give a vivid account of the horrors and the awful conditions soldiers suffered during the battle and how difficult it was for the stretcher bearers to carry the wounded back to medical stations. Despite his gallant efforts, sadly Arthur Harvey died of the wounds he received in the Battle of Broodseinde on 7 October 1917, he had just turned 24 years old.
James Harvey continued to serve in Belgium with the Wellington Infantry Battalion but was killed in action at Ypres, Belgium on 29 November 1917. James was 22 years old.
As I have said many times before it is hard to imagine how the family felt losing two of their sons so far away from home and at such a young age.
WHILE DOING THEIR DUTY
Evening
Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 145, 17 December 1917, Page 7
Source: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz
Friday, August 3, 2012
'Things have been pretty lively'
While researching the names on the Carterton memorial I have been re-reading the Great War diary of Melve King, 'Things have been pretty lively', Neil Frances and Doug King (Melve's son).
Melve King was born and bred in Carterton so it was rather apt to read it while looking at the Carterton Memorial and some of the names inscribed on the memorial are mentioned in the diary. Melve Kings's diary gives the reader a real glimpse into the everyday life of the New Zealand soldier during the Great War and I recommend reading it. I am always astounded of the amount of marching and physical labour soldiers endured when not actually on the front line. Apart from short spells of leave there was not much respite for the ordinary soldier.
Melve King was born and bred in Carterton so it was rather apt to read it while looking at the Carterton Memorial and some of the names inscribed on the memorial are mentioned in the diary. Melve Kings's diary gives the reader a real glimpse into the everyday life of the New Zealand soldier during the Great War and I recommend reading it. I am always astounded of the amount of marching and physical labour soldiers endured when not actually on the front line. Apart from short spells of leave there was not much respite for the ordinary soldier.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Barson Brothers - Featherston Memorial
George Edward Barson stood at over six foot tall and had fair hair and blue eyes.
He embarked on 5 February 1916 with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (NZRB) and he was soon 'doing his bit'. On 19 June 1916 he was wounded and shipped to England for recovery. He did not return to the field until over a year later in December 1917. During his period of convalescence he met Mary Charlotte Decks who he married on 1 July 1917 in Tottenham, London. She was 28 years old and how they met is a mystery. Maybe she cared for him in hospital or they may have met while George was on leave. Soon after the wedding George was back in camp and shipped back to the front on 20 November 1917 rejoining the NZRB just before Christmas on 18 December 1917.
On Christmas Day the Brigade was not in the line and enjoyed a Christmas dinner of turkey and plum pudding a luxury I am sure was very welcome. On 2nd January 1918 the NZRB went back into the line at the Ypres salient and two days later on the 4th January 1918 George Barson was killed in action. His wife Mary so recently married was now a widow and from a small amount of research it seems she never remarried and there were no children from the marriage. Mary died in 1969 in London. George is remembered on the Buttes New British Cemetery (NZ) Memorial, Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Henry John Barson (George's elder brother) embarked later in the war with the 40th reinforcements on 10 July 1918 aboard the 'Tahiti". The Tahiti was to become an ill-fated voyage being severely affected by the second wave of the the 1918 influenza pandemic. The ship called in at Cape Town, South Africa where the ships unofficial Journal the 'The Fag End' was printed. I spent some time at the Auckland Museum browsing through a copy of the Journal which is held there. The Journal is full of anecdotes and lots of cheerful, sartorial writing showing no glimpse of the disaster to come. The ship then called in at Freetown, Sierra Leone to refuel at a time the influenza pandemic was reportedly raging through Freetown. As a result, the crew and soldiers stayed aboard the ship however locals came on board to bring on coal. Within days of the ship leaving Freetown over half the ship's company had fallen ill. The Tahiti disembarked at Plymouth on 9 September 1918 and on 11 September Henry Barson was admitted to the Military Hospital at Devomport with Pneumonia. He died on 12 September 1918 and is buried at Efford Cemetery, Plymouth he was 39 years old. In total 68 died onboard the Tahiti before she docked.
Sources:
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-NZRi-t1-body-d11.html
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/792.detail?Ordinal=1&c_surname_search=barson&c_firstname_search=g+e
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1623&iid=31280_198145-00468&fn=George+Edward&ln=Le+Barson&st=r&ssrc=&pid=3574397
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/1918-influenza-pandemic/begins
He embarked on 5 February 1916 with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (NZRB) and he was soon 'doing his bit'. On 19 June 1916 he was wounded and shipped to England for recovery. He did not return to the field until over a year later in December 1917. During his period of convalescence he met Mary Charlotte Decks who he married on 1 July 1917 in Tottenham, London. She was 28 years old and how they met is a mystery. Maybe she cared for him in hospital or they may have met while George was on leave. Soon after the wedding George was back in camp and shipped back to the front on 20 November 1917 rejoining the NZRB just before Christmas on 18 December 1917.
On Christmas Day the Brigade was not in the line and enjoyed a Christmas dinner of turkey and plum pudding a luxury I am sure was very welcome. On 2nd January 1918 the NZRB went back into the line at the Ypres salient and two days later on the 4th January 1918 George Barson was killed in action. His wife Mary so recently married was now a widow and from a small amount of research it seems she never remarried and there were no children from the marriage. Mary died in 1969 in London. George is remembered on the Buttes New British Cemetery (NZ) Memorial, Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Henry John Barson (George's elder brother) embarked later in the war with the 40th reinforcements on 10 July 1918 aboard the 'Tahiti". The Tahiti was to become an ill-fated voyage being severely affected by the second wave of the the 1918 influenza pandemic. The ship called in at Cape Town, South Africa where the ships unofficial Journal the 'The Fag End' was printed. I spent some time at the Auckland Museum browsing through a copy of the Journal which is held there. The Journal is full of anecdotes and lots of cheerful, sartorial writing showing no glimpse of the disaster to come. The ship then called in at Freetown, Sierra Leone to refuel at a time the influenza pandemic was reportedly raging through Freetown. As a result, the crew and soldiers stayed aboard the ship however locals came on board to bring on coal. Within days of the ship leaving Freetown over half the ship's company had fallen ill. The Tahiti disembarked at Plymouth on 9 September 1918 and on 11 September Henry Barson was admitted to the Military Hospital at Devomport with Pneumonia. He died on 12 September 1918 and is buried at Efford Cemetery, Plymouth he was 39 years old. In total 68 died onboard the Tahiti before she docked.
Sources:
http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-NZRi-t1-body-d11.html
http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/792.detail?Ordinal=1&c_surname_search=barson&c_firstname_search=g+e
http://search.ancestry.co.uk/iexec?htx=View&r=5538&dbid=1623&iid=31280_198145-00468&fn=George+Edward&ln=Le+Barson&st=r&ssrc=&pid=3574397
http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/1918-influenza-pandemic/begins
Friday, July 27, 2012
Sister Mabel Helen Whishaw - Featherston Memorial
Sister Mabel Helen Whishaw was the daughter of John Henley Whishaw and Catherine Elizabeth Whishaw of Stoneridge, Featherston. A qualified nurse before war broke passing her staff nurse examinations in 1909 and for a time working as a midwive at St Helen's Hospital in Auckland. In February 1916 she reported for duty at Featherston Hospital and was promoted to Sister in May 1918.
Mabel had two brothers who volunteered for duty early in the war Harry Guthrie Whishaw and Bernard Guthrie Whishaw. Harry was killed in action on 3 July 1916 at the Somme and Bernard died of malarial pneumonia on 17 October 1918 in the Middle East. I imagine that both her brothers were at the forefront of her mind while she cared for the soldiers who returned from the war to Featherston Hospital. For their parents it must have been heartbreaking. Sadly more heartbreak followed when Mabel succumbed to the influenza epidemic on 10 November 1918 (one day before armistice) she likely contracted the disease from the very patients she cared for. She was given a full military funeral (see link below).
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=KT19190101.2.17&srpos
As a post script to Mabel's story she was also immortalised on a plaque in memory of nurses who served during WW1 erected at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston Road, London in 1938. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first English woman to become a medical practitioner. The hospital opened in the 1870's to allow poorer women access to medical care and was renamed the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in 1918 after her death.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19381112.2.213.62.4&srpos=35&e=-------10--31----2elizabeth+Garrett+Anderson--
Mabel had two brothers who volunteered for duty early in the war Harry Guthrie Whishaw and Bernard Guthrie Whishaw. Harry was killed in action on 3 July 1916 at the Somme and Bernard died of malarial pneumonia on 17 October 1918 in the Middle East. I imagine that both her brothers were at the forefront of her mind while she cared for the soldiers who returned from the war to Featherston Hospital. For their parents it must have been heartbreaking. Sadly more heartbreak followed when Mabel succumbed to the influenza epidemic on 10 November 1918 (one day before armistice) she likely contracted the disease from the very patients she cared for. She was given a full military funeral (see link below).
As a post script to Mabel's story she was also immortalised on a plaque in memory of nurses who served during WW1 erected at the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in Euston Road, London in 1938. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson was the first English woman to become a medical practitioner. The hospital opened in the 1870's to allow poorer women access to medical care and was renamed the Elizabeth Garrett Anderson Hospital in 1918 after her death.
http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19381112.2.213.62.4&srpos=35&e=-------10--31----2elizabeth+Garrett+Anderson--
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Gunner Ellis Alexander Parr - Featherston Memorial
Ellis Parr was born in the Wairarapa the eldest son of Thomas and Annie Parr. At the time of enlistment he was working as a railway clerk in Newmarket, Auckland. He embarked with the Auckland Mounted Rifles as part of the 4th reinforcements on 8 January 1916. Ellis Parr had a busy war he was wounded twice and was awarded the Military Medal for gallantry in the field. His citation from the London Gazette is below:
London Gazette, 16 August 1917, p8430, Rec No 841: At Messines on 7th June 1917. During the operations on the Messines Ridge this man was a member of F.O.O.'s party. They laid, and for hours endeavoured to maintain communications under very heavy shellfire. For a period of twentyfour hours they were continually working on the wire, repairing breaks until communication was finally established. On the 29th June, volunteers for a similar task were called for - this man volunteered and was again included. When one of his party was wounded Gunner Parr, assisted by three others, carried him under heavy fire to a dressing station. His coolness and gallant conduct during the whole period was a splendid example to the other men.
On 30 October 1917 his luck ran out and he was killed in action at Ypres aged 26 years. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.
The extract above taken from the Auckland Weekly News once again demonstrates the contribution and sacrifice New Zealand families made to the war effort.
Ellis's father and two brothers survived the war. The words below were added to a memorial notice printed in the Evening Post by Ellis Parr's siblings, they are adapted from a poem written by an 11th century Persian philospher Omar Khayyam.
London Gazette, 16 August 1917, p8430, Rec No 841: At Messines on 7th June 1917. During the operations on the Messines Ridge this man was a member of F.O.O.'s party. They laid, and for hours endeavoured to maintain communications under very heavy shellfire. For a period of twentyfour hours they were continually working on the wire, repairing breaks until communication was finally established. On the 29th June, volunteers for a similar task were called for - this man volunteered and was again included. When one of his party was wounded Gunner Parr, assisted by three others, carried him under heavy fire to a dressing station. His coolness and gallant conduct during the whole period was a splendid example to the other men.
On 30 October 1917 his luck ran out and he was killed in action at Ypres aged 26 years. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial in Belgium.
Private Ellis Alexander PARR, who was recently reported wounded, is a
member of a family which is doing its share in the war. His home is at
Petone, Wellington, and he has two brother, Rupert and Mark PARR, in
the fighting lines, while his father is a member of the garrison at
Samoa. All the male members of their household are in khaki. Ellis
Parr is well known in rowing and football circles in Auckland, where he
was a clerk in the loco department of the railway service at the time of
his enlistment. [AWN 12.04.1917]
Ellis's father and two brothers survived the war. The words below were added to a memorial notice printed in the Evening Post by Ellis Parr's siblings, they are adapted from a poem written by an 11th century Persian philospher Omar Khayyam.
Lo! Some we loved , the noblest and the best
Have one by one crept silently to rest
Trooper William Alfred Ottaway - Featherston Memorial
William Ottaway was the son of William and Kate Ottaway of Fernside Farm, Featherston. The family had moved from Sussex, England in 1910. Before enlisting in November 1915 at age 20 years William had been an Apiarist (Beekeeper) on the farm. William embarked with the Wellington Mounted Rifles on 29 February 1916 he was killed in action on 9 January 1917 in the Canal Zone during the attack on a large Ottoman garrison at Rafa, on the Sinai–Palestine border. He is buried at the Kantara War Memorial Cemetery in Egypt.
William's brother Ernest also served during WW1 and thankfully survived.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Featherston Memorial
Featherston Memorial was unveiled on the 25th April 1927 by the Hon. Sir James Allen G.C.M.G, K.C.B. who had been Minister of Defence during WW1.
The memorial was made possible with funds raised by the Wairarapa Anzac Club. The Wairarapa Anzac Club was set up by the residents of Featherston as a place where soldiers could go to be entertained away from the Featherston army camp, the largest in New Zealand during WW1.
The club's building was unveiled in 1916 by Sir James Allen and today is a historically protected building.
Those who lost their lives in WW2 are also recorded on the memorial.
Monday, July 2, 2012
I haven't given up....
Once again everyday life is getting in the way of my research. I have not given up just having a hiatus. Hopefully I will be back on board sooner rather than later.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Renwick War Memorial
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