ESLER, Robert John
(Service number 43961)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 6 November 1892 | Place of Birth | Pleasant Point |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | |||
| Occupation | |||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | Mrs M.J. Esler (mother), Sutherland's | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 25th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, C Company | ||
| Date | 26 April 1917 | ||
| Transport | Turakina | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
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 October 1961 | Age | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | Sutherlands War Memorial | ||
Biographical Notes
Great nephew Lloyd Esler recounts:
"Robert John Esler was born at Pleasant Point on 6 November 1892, the second son of James and Margaret Esler, and attended Pleasant Point and Sutherlands Schools. After leaving school he worked on farms around Sutherlands and Bluecliffs. He served in the army in France and took the opportunity to visit his relatives in Ireland. In 1920 Rob married Amelia (Millie) Tate. His farm at Sutherlands was on what became known as Esler’s Road. Even after his retirement to Timaru he was closely in touch with farming and the affairs of the district. He was a strong committee man with well thought out views which he expressed forthrightly. His talents were appreciated on the Pleasant Point School Committee and the Levels County Council of which he was vice chairman for a time. For his services to the Returned Servicemen’s Association he was awarded the Gold Star. Strict teetotalism brought him many jibes from his RSA mates but he earned their respect as an upright citizen. Serious when the occasion demanded it, Rob had an Esler sense of humour and enjoyment of a good story. He died in Timaru on 11 October 1961."
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (10 January 2015); SCRoll web submission from P MacKenzie, 20 January 2015; SCRoll web submission from L Esler, 4 September 2017
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin (South Canterbury Museum)
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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