Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Roderick, born in Timaru on 30 April 1888, was the third son of Lt Colonel William Stewart & Mrs Ada Henrietta (nee O’Brien) Lindsay. His father was an honorary Colonel in the Territorial Forces, having served in the NZ Auxiliary Forces, and his mother was the daughter of artist, George O’Brien. He was educated at Christ’s College Christchurch, before spending nine years overseas studying in England, Scotland and America on the motor engineering profession in all its branches. Working in Glasgow, he had consulted on the workings of tramways. On 3 September 1913, at St Mary’s Church Timaru, he married Sarah Clark Weber Talbot, the officiating minister being the Rev F.H. Sapford.

On enlisting at Christchurch on 17 August 1914, Roderick stated he had had previous military service with the Royal Naval Reserve Clyde, and he was a self employed motor engineer and driver. Posted to the Army Service Corps Divisional Train, he was described as age 28, 5 foot 9 inches tall, weighing 159 lbs, chest measuring 34 inches, of dark complexion, brown eyes and having good teeth. After initial training, he left Auckland for Suez, Egypt, aboard the HMNZT Waimana on 16 October 1914. While serving in Egypt he was promoted to the rank of Corporal. On 15 August 1915, he was accidently run over by an ambulance in Cairo, badly injuring his right knee. This resulted in him being found medically unfit for further military service and he was returned to New Zealand on the SS Maheno 1 January 1916, being finally discharged on 15 June 1916. For his war service, Roderick received the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal.

Returning to his civilian occupation, he was kept busy inventing machines, including in October 1917, a “Land Torpedo”. This was a miniature tank controlled by electricity which would drag itself over shell holes and explode three hundredweight of explosives against German pill-boxes. Previously, in 1904, he was involved in experiments in England on Salisbury Plains, of the tractor type wheel which had been made famous by “the tank”. His experience had also included service in the Royal Navy on special service where he became familiar with the mechanism of the torpedo. It was this experience that resulted in his combination of tractor propelled tank and torpedo.

In October 1919, he was the New Zealand general manager for the “Delco Light Company“, and at the Timaru Show he displayed it's merits to the public. In February 1920 he had a patent out for an internal combustion engine, and in May 1922, he was involved in setting up community garages at Cashmere, Christchurch. After World War Two, he was living in Northland, where he died in Whakapara on 18 October 1957, aged 70, and is buried in the RSA Section of the Maunu Cemetery.

Sources

Auckland Museum Cenotaph database (June 2015); Archives NZ (Personal File); ancestry.com.au; Papers Past; NZSG Index V5; Whangarei District Coucil cemeteries database

External Links

• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.