Tuesday 1 January 2019

Remembering Those Who Served - 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration:

Ernie McINTYRE


Captain Ernest Stewart McINTYRE

WWI 9/323 – Army


Born on the 19th September 1893, Ernie was the youngest of 11 children for Thornbury residents John and Catherine (nee Bath).
Ernie’s early history includes attendance at Flint’s Bush, Thornbury and Gladstone Schools before remaining home to work on the family farm ‘Rothiemurchus’ which bred horses and shorthorn cattle.  The family farm is often referred to in Ernie’s letters as “Rothie” and their horses enjoyed a fair amount of success in the showring and on the race course.  Prior to enlistment Ernie was active in many sports including athletics and was a member of the Riverton Football Club.  He was also a member of the Territorials and a Sergeant in the “A” Squadron.
Ernie was 20 years old when he enlisted on the 13th August 1914, entering the war as a Lieutenant in the Otago Mounted Rifles.  Throughout his service Ernie achieved a number of promotions including that of Temporary Major in May 1917.
Unfortunately Ernie died on the 28th July 1917 due to wounds sustained in the chest and abdomen during combat in France.  At the time of his death Ernie was 23 years old and had served 2 years 351 days for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.  Ernie’s military war grave is in Trois Arbres Cemetery Steenwerck, France.
Also serving in The Great War was Ernie's brother Charlie (Charles) who was featured in the blog previous to this, and sisters Catherine (Kate) and Charlotte (Lotte), who will be featured in the next post on this blog.

Above information from http://www.sincewritingyoulast.co.nz/ This site includes copies of originals and transcribed WW1 letters written by Ernie to his family back in NZ, giving insight into conditions he faced.



Below - The Notification to Ernie's Unit Headquarters in Canterbury, of his death at the Front in France:





MORE ON CHARLIE McINTYRE:


from Auckland War Memorial Museum (AWMM) -

The events leading to the action in which Major McIntyre was wounded are described in the Official History of the Otago Regiment as follows: 'On the 17th [July 1917], however, he was evacuated sick and Major Hargest, of the 1st Battalion, filled the vacancy, Captain (Temp. Major) E.S. McIntyre in turn taking command of the 1st Battalion, and continuing in charge when Lieutenant Colonel Charters left for the United Kingdom on leave. On the 18th the 2nd Battalion having vacated its billets in the Doulieu area moved to Romarin Camp, and on the following day the 1st Battalion marched to the Catacombs under Hill 63.' (p. 193)

'The sojourn, from July 19th to July 28th, which the 1st Battalion spent at the Catacombs, was not free from hard work nor from enemy shelling. On the 20th casualties were sustained numbering five killed, including 2nd-Lieutenant G. Richardson, and eight wounded, including Major E.S. McIntyre, who subsequently died of wounds. The death of Major McIntyre, who was at this stage temporarily commanding the 1st Battalion, occasioned deep regret in the Regiment.' (p. 195-6) AWMM




Above Photo - Taken from AWW Online Cenotaph:
Unknown provenance (May 1917). The Otago Battalion Officers on the Western Front in France, May 1917, before the battle of Messines. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira PH-PR-179. Image has no known copyright restrictions.




DETAILS:
Name:
Ernest Stewart McIntyre
Rank: 
Captain

Date of Enlistment:
13/8/1914
Enlistment Address: 
Thornbury, New Zealand
Armed Force: 
Army

 Unit:
NZEF, Otago Regiment, 1 Battalion
Embarkation Body:
Main Body
Embarkation Place:
Port Chalmers, New Zealand
Embarkment Date:
16 October 1914
Transport:
HMNZT 5, HMNZT 9
Vessel:
Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay
Destination:
Suez, Egypt
Cause of Death:
Died of woundsDate of Death: 28 July 1917Day of Death: SaturdayCemetery: Trois Arbres Cemetery, Steenwerck, France













































































































































































































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You're always welcome at our place on Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request on other days, just contact us on Email: collections.otautaumuseum@gmail.com  Cell: 027-211-4675 or Ph: 03-225-8991

Monday 31 December 2018

Remembering Those Who Served - 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration:

Charlie McINTYRE - WWI 16429 – Army



Born on the 6th November 1891, Charlie was the 10th of 11 children to parents John and Catherine (nee Bath) who resided in Thornbury.
Charlie’s early history includes attendance as Flints Bush, Waihopai and Southland Boys’ High Schools.  He left school to work on the 1400 acre family farm ‘Rothiemurchus’ or “Rothie”, named after the Scottish birthplace of his father John.  Charlie was a keen sportsman and played for the Southland Boys’ High School XV and for the Riverton Football Club.
Charlie began his service in The Great War on the 2nd May 1916 at the age of 24, with the 17th New Zealand Mounted Rifles and then the Canterbury Mounted Rifles.  Unfortunately on the 30th March 1918 at 26 years of age Charlie was killed in action whilst serving in Palestine.  At the time of his death he had served 1 year 333 days for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force.  Charlie’s military war grave is in the Damascus Commonwealth War Cemetery, Syria.


Also serving in The Great War was Charlie’s brother Ernest (Ernie) and sisters Catherine (Kate) and Charlotte (Lotte); they will be featured in the next posts on this blog.
Above information from http://www.sincewritingyoulast.co.nz/ This site includes copies of originals and transcribed WW1 letters written by Charlie to his family back in NZ, giving insight into conditions he faced.


MORE ON CHARLIE McINTYRE:

Name:
Charles Clements McIntyre
Rank: 
Trooper

Next of Kin: 
T.V. McIntyre (brother), Thornbury, Southland, New Zealand
Date of Enlistment:
Not known
Occupation on Enlistment:
Farmer
Armed Force: 
Army

Unit:
NZEF, New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, Canterbury Mounted Rifles
Embarkation Body:
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Embarkation Place:
Wellington, New Zealand
Embarkment Date:
05 October 1916
Transport:
Manuka 5 October 1916
Vessel:
Manuka
Destination:
Suez, Egypt
Cause of Death:
Killed in action
Date of Death:
30 March 1918
Day of Death:
Saturday
Age at Death: 
26






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You're always welcome at our place on Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request on other days, just contact us on Email: collections.otautaumuseum@gmail.com  Cell: 027-211-4675 or Ph: 03-225-8991

Tuesday 25 December 2018

Peace - at last! Looking back on Christmas Day in 1918:


"For four years the whole world has mourned its Christmas as the result of the devastation wrought by the bitterness and hatred of war..."

It is hard for most of us in our country town to imagine in this day and age, that our forebears faced the effects of war during each Christmas from the year of 1914, and it was only just prior to the Christmas of 1918 that bought them peace, although the death toll was still rising - from skirmishes in outlying areas to those still dying from their wounds, to the flu epidemic that the soldiers bought back from the war front with them (which also took many lives). However, what profound peace at the Christmas of 1918, when at last families got some respite from the terrible toll of the war of the last nearly 4 years. Their relief is shown more below, in the local newspaper:









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You're always welcome at our place on Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request on other days, just contact us on Email: collections.otautaumuseum@gmail.com  Cell: 027-211-4675 or Ph: 03-225-8991

Monday 24 December 2018

Remembering Those Who Served - 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration:


Lance Corporal Dominic Gonley, of Otautau:
#26/561 – NZ Rifle Brigade, 4th Battalion, D Company

Dominic Gonley was born in Milltown, County Kerry, Ireland on 12th July 1894. He was the only son of Police Sergeant P. Gonley (Patrick) of Caherdaniel, County Kerry, Ireland who was a brother of Mick Gonley, Barber, Tobacconist & News Agent, of Otautau, Southland.

Dominic immigrated to NZ and was working as a Salesman for his uncle M. Gonley at Otautau when he enlisted on 11 October 1915. He embarked for Suez, Egypt on 5th February 1916 and served in the Egyptian Expeditionary Force and on the Western European Front. Lance Corporal Gonley was killed in action at Ypres, Belgium on 12 October 1917 and buried in Belgium at the Tyne Cot Memorial Cemetery. He is remembered on the NZ Apse, Panel 7, and is also named on the Otautau & Districts Soldiers Memorial (or Otautau War Memorial). 








NOTE: we have no photo of Lance Corporal Dominic Gonley, if you can help us by adding one to our collection, please contact our Collections Manager as below - thankyou.


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You're always welcome at our place on Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request on other days, just contact us on Email: collections.otautaumuseum@gmail.com  Cell: 027-211-4675 or Ph: 03-225-8991

Thursday 20 December 2018

Happy Holidays - remembering this day 100 years ago...


 To see more about the above, visit: https://museumhack.com/10-best-museum-holiday-events-2018/

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Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year for 2019, from the trustees and volunteers at Otautau Museum & Heritage Trust, with happiness, peace and blessings for this season and beyond.

We are opening as usual over the holidays for you to view the current exhibitions - currently "100 Years of WW1 Commemoration" and "Celebrating the Women of Otautau & Districts", every Sunday afternoon from 2-4pm or as below. And from January 2019, we will have a Family History and Research assistant at the Museum to help you with any inquiries about your family or other town and district research, on the first Sunday of the month, the first date for this being Sunday 6th January. So please come in and see us.


REMEMBERING THIS DAY 100 YEARS AGO: WESTERN STAR, 20 DECEMBER 1918




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You're always welcome at our place on Sundays, 2pm-4pm, and by request on other days, just contact us on Email: collections.otautaumuseum@gmail.com  Cell: 027-211-4675 or Ph: 03-225-8991