Profile

HORNBLOW, Alfred James
(Service number 29168)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 2 March 1887 Place of Birth Kimbell

Enlistment Information

Date 28 June 1916 Age 29
Address at Enlistment Fairlie
Occupation Farmer
Previous Military Experience 2 years Mackenzie Mounted Rifles
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin James Hornblow (father) Ashwick Flat, Fairlie
Religion Presbyterian
Medical Information 5 foot 8 inches tall, weight 154 pounds (70kgs), chest 36 - 39 1/2 inches, fresh complexion, blue eyes, brown hair

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation
Unit, Squadron, or Ship
Date
Transport
Embarked From Destination
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With C Company, NZEF

Military Awards

Campaigns Died during training
Service Medals
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

8 August 1916 - Died at Trentham Cottage Hospital - cerebro spinal meningitis

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 8 August 1916 Age 29
Place of Death Trentham Camp, New Zealand
Cause Died of sickness - cerebro spinal meningitis - Trentham 8 Aug 16
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Fairlie Cemetery, South Canterbury, New Zealand
Memorial Reference Block 2, Lot 10
New Zealand Memorials On Memorial wall, Timaru; Ashwick Flat War Memorial (as A Hornblow); Fairlie War Memorial

Biographical Notes

Alfred, the only son of James Hornblow and his second wife Janet Crawford (nee Taylor), was born at Kimbell in South Canterbury on 2 March 1887. His father James was born at Swindon, Wiltshire, England in 1851, and died at Fairlie on 13 February 1923. James’ first marriage in 1868 to Jemima McGowan ended in tragedy when she died in 1874. James re-married in 1886 to Janet Crawford Taylor on 15 June 1860. The family farmed at Fairlie, where both parents are buried.

Prior to being balloted for military service in 1916, Alfred was a self-employed farmer at Cattle Valley, Fairlie, and had served for two years with the Mackenzie Mounted Rifles. He enlisted at Timaru on 28 June and was one of the men of the 18th Reinforcements fare welled the same day at the Drill Hall by the Mayor (Mr E.R. Guinness) and the Rev Dean Tubman. They took the first express north, disembarking at Temuka for a further farewell by Temuka residents. They then joined the second express north for Lyttelton with the men from Ashburton joining them on the journey. Alfred’s enlistment papers described him as being aged 29 years, Presbyterian, 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing 154 pounds (70kgs), with a chest measuring 36–39 ½ inches, a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He nominated his father James of Ashwick Flat, Fairlie, as his next of kin.

On arrival at Trentham,the principle training ground for the infantry, he began five weeks of preliminary training and elementary musketry. This was to be followed by a further eight weeks in-depth training at Featherston Camp. Unfortunately after having progressed to the second stage of training he was taken seriously ill with cerebro spinal meningitis. An epidemic of cerebro-spinal fever had reappeared in midwinter July 1916 in the two principal camps, and became epidemic in August, dying out gradually in the summer months. In all 51 cases including 36 deaths were recorded. Unfortunately Alfred was one who died at the Trentham Camp Cottage Hospital on 8 August 1916. His father had been called and was at his bedside when he passed away at 4.15 pm. His remains were taken to his home town and he was interred in the Fairlie Cemetery.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database (November 2015); Military personnel file, Archives New Zealand; "18th Reinforcement. South Canterbury Quota" inthe Timaru Herald 27 June 1916 and "News of the day" in the New Zealand Times 11 August 1916, courtesy of Papers Past at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/; Find a Grave at https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120612326/alfred-james-hornblow; New Zealand War Graves Project at https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/alfred-james-hornblow (photo of headstone, Fairlie Cemetery)

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald; Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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