Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Athol was born at Waituna, Waimate, on 16 May 1894, the fifth child of John and Jessie Ann (nee Miller) Menzies. Athol’s father John was born at Airdrie, Lanarkshire, Scotland, in 1850 and came out to New Zealand with his parents in 1868 aboard the “Schleswig Bride,” landing at Port Chalmers. After a year in Dunedin the family moved to Lawrence where John secured a position at Lawrence grammar school. The next few years saw him working at Dunedin High School, then Dunedin BNZ as a clerk, before returning to teaching in the goldfields districts of Otago. Teaching then took him to Hook School, Pleasant Valley School, and finally to the position of Headmaster of the Waituna Creek School. He died at Waimate in 1925. Athol’s mother Jessie Ann Miller was born at Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, in 1862. She died in Waimate in 1939. Both parents are buried together in the Old Waimate Cemetery.

Athol received his primary education at the various schools his father had taught at. His last years of schooling were spent at the Waimate District High School where he gained his Standard VI Proficiency and his Higher Leaving Certificate. Two of William’s brothers were already serving before Athol entered service. Sergeant James Lawrence Menzies (7/2078) and Second Lieutenant William Barnet Menzies were serving with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles. In late 1916 the family would have already received the tragic news that William had been killed in action on 9 August at Bir-El-Abd Egypt.

When he enlisted, at Invercargill, on 26 June 1917, he gave his occupation as self-employed farmer, and his address as Parsonage Road, Waimate. His father John, of PO Box 34 Waimate, was his given next of kin. Athol was bigger than average for that period, his enlistment papers describing him as single, Anglican, 5 foot 10 inches tall, weighing 175 pounds (79kgs), with a chest measuring 35-39 inches, a fair complexion, light brown hair and blue eyes. Prior to enlisting he had served for a period with the 7th Southland Mounted Rifles and on entering camp at Trentham, was posted to D Company, 30th Reinforcements, NZ Field Artillery as a Gunner. He was quickly promoted to Lance Corporal on 26 July, just a month after enlisting. On 18 August he was transferred to the 32nd NZ Field Artillery (NZFA). Then, on 29 September, he was further transferred to the 34th NZFA. On 5 October he was reverted in rank to Gunner at his own request. From 13 to 28 January 1918 he was on leave without pay, before transferring to the 35th Reinforcements on his return to duty. On 5 March he was transferred yet again, to the 36th NZFA and finally, on 18 July marched in to the NZFA Reserve Depot. During this period he would have undergone a 16 week training programme receiving instruction in handing large weapons plus the normal infantry type training. A further eight weeks of more specialist training followed which included live fire training across the Ruamahanga River at targets on Jury Hill 3000 yards away. Gunner Menzies spent a lot longer than normal in New Zealand, a period of over one year, before finally embarking for the front.

On 23 April 1918 Athol finally boarded HMNZT 102 “Willochra” at Wellington, to sail with other reinforcements including the 36th Reinforcements NZEF, the 37th Reinforcements NZ Rifle Brigade and the 28th Reinforcements Maori Contingent. They disembarked at Suez, Egypt, on 31 May and marched into the Australian Camp for a short time. On 4 July they re-embarked at Alexandra, aboard the liner RMS “Ormonde”. Sailing to Taranto, Italy, they were again transhipped aboard the liner “Duchess of Argyle”, finally arriving at Southampton, England, on 18 July 1918. He then marched into Ewshot Camp, the main training area for artillery personnel. Almost two months later, on 29 September, his posting to France on came, and he marched into camp at Etaples. From there Athol was posted to the front on 5 Octoberwith the 6th Battery in the field, which was serving as part of the 2nd (Army) Brigade and operating as a movable artillery unit under British Command. From July to November 1918, the unit took part in supporting the ‘Advance to Victory’ in the last stages of the war. As the war came to a close, on 27 November Athol was admitted to 3 NZ Field Ambulance then transferred to 1CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) with influenza. A succession of transferes followed, first to 2 Canadian General Hospital on 3 December, followed by a transfer to the UK on 8 January 1919, where he was admitted to the Countess of Lyttons Hospital, London. Then, presumably as he was improving, he was moved to the Convalescent Hospital at Hornchurch on 21 January.

With the war now over and his recuperation largely complete Athol boarded the “Ionic” at Plymouth on 14 March 1919, arriving home at Queens Wharf Auckland on 24 April. He was granted leave on arrival and returned home to Waimate. There, from 27 July to 22 August he was presumably still dealing with the aftereffects of his service and/or illness as he was admitted to the Waimate Hospital as an outpatient. Finally, on 4 September 1919, Athol was discharged from the army after having served a total of 1 year and 67 days in New Zealand and 1 year and 4 days overseas. For this service he received the British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Following the war life appears to have retuned to some normality. In 1925 Athol married Miss Ivy Amelia Davis (born 1900), the daughter of Walter John and Harriett Eleanor Davis. Electoral roll records place him as being at 81 Pownall Street, Masterton, in 1928 where he was employed as a salesman. In 1935 he had moved to 606 Avenue Road, Hastings, again but later relocated to 604E St Aubyn Street, Hastings, and become a “Company Manager”. From 1938 to 1957 he remained listed as a “Company Manager” and lived at Duart Road, Havelock North.

During World War Two Athol served once again, this time on Home Service with the 12th Company National Military Reserve at Palmerston North from 18 December 1940. He served at various camps including Blenheim, Trentham, Waiouru, and Linton, rising through the ranks until being posted in the rank of Lieutenant to the Reserve of Officers List on 5 July 1945. For this service he was later awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the New Zealand War Service Medal.

Electoral rolls show that Athol moved one final time. From 1969 until 1974 he lived at 16a Parkvale Road, Tauranga. He was still listed as a “Company Manager”. Athol died on 4 January 1974, aged 79. He was cremated at the Bay Of Plenty Crematorium, and buried in the RSA ashes section of the Havelock North Cemetery. His wife Ivy died in 1985, and her ashes were interred in with husband.

Sources

NZ Defence Force Personnel Records, Archives NZ (February 2021); 'The Ionic at Auckland' in the Wanganui Chronicle 25 April 1919, courtesy of Papers Past at https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/; Hastings District Council Cemetery records at http://cemeterybase.hdc.govt.nz/Details.aspx?id=HN3331

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file
• Other military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Paula Wells, SC branch NZSG; Ted Hansen, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.