TINCLER, Charles Knox Kirkwood
(Service number 6/4365)
The building was opened on 22 October 1923. It still stands today (2019) in the Geraldine Domain. (Courtesy of K Close and P McAuliffe )
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 05/10/1880 | Place of Birth | Dublin, Ireland |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | 35 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Beautiful Valley, South Canterbury | ||
| Occupation | Shepherd, for R T Newton | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Arthur Temple (sister), Waipiro Bay, Gisborne. LAter changed to Mrs. John Holmes, of Highfield House, Bowness of Solway, Carlisle, Cumberland, England | ||
Military Service
| Served with | New Zealand Armed Forces (?) | Served in |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 11th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company | ||
| Date | 1 April 1916 | ||
| Transport | HMNZT 49 Tahiti or HMNZT 50 Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European 1916-1917 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War Medal, Victory Medal | ||
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 |
Death
| Date | 11 June 1917 | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Messines, Belgium | ||
| Cause | Died of wounds | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne, France | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | On Memorial wall, Timaru; Geraldine Church Memorial; Geraldine War Memorial; Geraldine Hockey Club Memorial Pavilion plaque; Gapes and Beautiful Valley First World War Memorial (as TINDEER); Mackenzie War Memorial, Fairlie, 2016 additions | ||
Biographical Notes
Charles Tincler was the son of Mrs. John Holmes, of Highfield House, Bowness of Solway, Carlisle, Cumberland, England.
By the time he was called up for service, Charles was a shepherd working for R T Newton who farmed in Beautiful Valley, South Canterbury.He listed his sister, Mrs Arthur Temple of Waipiro Bay in Gisborne, as his next of kin. He was described as being 5ft 9 ½ inches tall, of fair complexion, with dark hair and an Anglican. His medical board otherwise found him of acceptable fitness, noting his hearing in his left ear was ‘fair’ - though his right was listed as ‘good’. On 15 December 1915 at Trentham he was posted to C company, 11th Reinforcements.
On 1 April 1916 Tincler left New Zealand with the 11th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company on HMNZT 49 Tahiti or HMNZT 50 Maunganui, headed for Suez, Egypt. After disembarking at Suez on 3 May 1916, he continued on Alexandria where, a week later, he embarked for Marseilles in France, headed for the Western Front. After another week’s travel he joined the 1st Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, at Armentières on 16 June 1916. The newly-formed NZ Division weas posted there at gaining experience of the ‘new’ trench conditions while guarding a ‘quiet’ sector of the line.
On 20 June, only a few days later Tincler was accidentally wounded while doing his duty. It seems he received a severe gunshot wound to his back on 18 May. He was admitted to No.14 Stationary Hospital at Boulogne two days later. The next day he was sent to England where he was admitted to the New Zealand General Hospital, Graylingwell, Chichester. Almost a month later he was transferred to No.1 NZ General Hospital at Brockenhurst then, after another month, he was transferred to the NZ Convalescent Hospital at Hornchurch (or Grey Towers) on 18 August 1916. Three days later he was transferred to the New Zealand command depot at Codford, where he remained until passing to Sling Camp on 6 October. Three days later Tincler left Sling for France, being attached to the strength of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (NZRB) at Etaples two days later. After a brief sting at Etaples, he rejoined the 1st Battallion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment in the field on 29 October.
Back at the front Tincler and the New Zealkand Division prepared for an assault on Messines Ridge, which preceeded the third battles of Ypres (Passchendaele). Over the previous two years tunnelers had dug shafts at Messines under the German lines and exploded huge mines underneath them in the early hours of 7 June. The assault was a striking success. But the success didn’t come without cost. On 7 June Tincler was wounded in action for the second time and was admitted to No.77 Field Ambulance the same day. The following day he was transferred to No.83 General Hospital in Boulogne, but died there of his wounds three days later on 11 June 1917. He was buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, France.
His will left his possessions to his sister Evelyn Mayhew of Pigeon Bay, New Zealand and his nephew Richard Temple son of my sister Ida Temple of Waipira Bay, Gisborne. His executors were his brother in law Arthur Leofric Temple and friend Edward William Inman of Cattle Valley.
His commanding officer, L O’Callaghan wrote to his sister “expressing his sincere sympathy in the loss of your brave brother. He fell during the Messines operations, and I feel sure it will be some consolation to you to hear how well he was liked and respected by his comrades, who all deplore the loss of so good a soldier.”
After the war Tincler’s medals (a British War Medal and Victory Medal), plaque and scroll were sent to his parents in Cumberland.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [26 September 2023]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ R22013735 [26 September 2023]; SCRoll submission by Karyn Close, 25 Septembr 2023
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Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin, South Canterbruy Museum
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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