KIRKE, Charles Vere
(Service number 15187)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 01/08/1887 | Place of Birth | Kelso, Otago |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | C/o R. SANDILANDS, 64 Queens Drive, Musselburgh, Dunedin | ||
| Occupation | Sheep farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Married. One child. | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs G. A. KIRKE (wife), No. 1 Rugby Street, Highfield, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 15th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Battalion, D Company | ||
| Date | 26 July 1916 | ||
| Transport | Waitemata or Ulimaroa | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 2nd Battalion Otago | ||
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 | 19 November 1973 | Age | 86 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Fairlie Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Charles Vere Kirke, born on 1 August 1887 at Kelso, Otago, was the older son of John Ambrose Hodge, known as Kirke, and his second wife, Isabella Pringle née White. John adopted his mother’s maiden name. Charles was educated at Christ’s College, Christchurch. His mother died in 1911 and his father in 1915. Charles married Gertrude Amy Sandilands on 5 March 1913 at Dunedin. A child who may have died in infancy was born in 1914 and a son, John Mervyn Kirke (registered Mervyn George John), was born on 31 May 1915 at Tapanui. Charles was a sheep farmer when he enlisted, nominating his wife as next-of-kin – Mrs G. A. Kirke, No 1 Rugby Street, Highfield, Timaru. C. V. Kirkland, 15187, of Timaru, returned to New Zealand per the “Kia Ora”, embarking at Liverpool in March 1919, the draft being due at Lyttelton on 7 May 1919. Charles died on 19 November 1973, at Timaru, of Glenwood Home, aged 86 years, and was buried at Fairlie Cemetery.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [27 June 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [27 June 2020]; Salisbury Park Crematorium record [30 June 2020]; Fairlie Cemetery burial record (Mackenzie District Council) [30 June 2020]; New Zealand Times, 26 April 1919 (Papers Past) [27 June 2020]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
Tell us more
Do you have information that could be added to this story? Or related images that you are happy to share? Submit them here!