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DEWHIRST, Edward
(Service number 6/443)

Sergeant E Dewhurst — From" "South Canterbury Roll of Honour", published 1916 by the South Canterbury Caledonian Society. (South Canterbury Museum 17/15)

St Mary's Church, Timaru, memorial plaque, circa 2010 — (South Canterbury Museum 2013/155.31)

Aliases	DEWHURST on Memorial wall, St Mary's Church Memorial
First Rank	Sergeant	Last Rank	Sergeant

Birth

Date	22/05/1891	Place of Birth	Newcastle-on-Tyne, England

Enlistment Information

Date	13 August 1914	Age	23 yrs 3 mths
Address at Enlistment	Bank of New South Wales, Timaru
Occupation	Bank teller, clerk
Previous Military Experience	Territorial Forces.2nd S. C. Regt.
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	G. F. DEWHIRST (father), Marama Street, Frankton Junction
Religion	Church of England
Medical Information	Height 5 ft 11 in. Weight 177 lb. Chest 35-38 in. Complexion fair. Eyes light brown. Hair light. Sight, hearing, heart, lungs normal. Colour vision correct. Limbs, chest well formed. Full movement of joints. Teeth good. Free from herna, variocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Good bodily & mental health. No defects.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Canterbury Infantry Battalion
Date	16 October 1914
Transport	Tahiti or Athenic
Embarked From	Lyttelton, Canterbury	Destination	Suez, Egypt

Other Units Served With	2nd South Canterbury Company
Last Unit Served With	New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Military Awards

Campaigns	Gallipoli
Service Medals	1914-15 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal
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

June 1915 reported wounded at the Dardanelles.

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date	8 May 1915	Age	24 yrs
Place of Death	Daisy Patch, Sari Bair, Dardanelles, Gallipoli, Turkey
Cause	Killed in action (instantly by a Turkish bullet).
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Twelve Tree Copse (New Zealand) Memorial, Twelve Tree Copse Cemetery, Helles, Turkey
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials	On Memorial wall, Timaru; st mary's Anglican Church Timaru Memorial

Biographical Notes

Son of George Francis & Eliza Emma DEWHIRST, of Frankton Junction, Waikato. Teller at the Bank of New South Wales, Timaru. Prominent footballer. Attended Egmont Village School Inglewood & Stratford High School. Brother Francis DEWHIRST, bank clerk, also served in WWI. Family came to New Zealand about 1894. Was a corporal in the Territorial Forces. Listed in the Bank of New South Wales Roll of Honour held in Sydney. See Bank Bio (Printed copy). Edward was one of the addiitional men passed and sworn in on the night of 13 August. The next morning, 14 August, they were to fall in at the Drill Shed at 9.30 and leave Timaru at 1.30 for the camp at Addington. They were to be photographed prior to leaving. The Stipendary Magistrate very kindly sent a big bundle of literature and some packs of playing cards for the use of the troops and another gentleman gave magazines, all of which were appreciated. Mr T. G. Towley, dentist, was also thanked for attending to the teeth of the men, free of charge, and doing all that was possible for all those whose teeth required attention. Prior to his departure, They actually left by the first express on 17 August after parading at the Drill Shed and being addressed by Archdeacon Jacob, who trusted God would guide and protect them, and the Deputy-Mayor (Mr W. A. Pearson), who said that all must "feel very proud to see that so many of the young men had volunteered to serve their country in this the greatest crisis they had ever known." and he wished them God speed and a safe and speedy return. Edward was presented with a fountain pen, a collapsible drinking cup, and a scout knife, by the manager of the Bank of New South Wales on behalf of the staff.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [11 December 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5537 0033641) [18 December 2013]; CWGC [11 December 2013]; Timaru Herald, 14 August 1914, 17 August 1914, 18 August 1914, 14 June 1915, 22 June 1917, 29 July 1919, Press, 16 June 1915 (Papers Past) [19 November 2013, 11 December 2013]. Bank of New South Wales Roll of Honour - South Canterbury, N.Z. names [11 December 2013]; SCRoll web submission by H Hickford, 29 September 2016

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