Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Herbert Allan Stark was born on 18 January 1896 at Timaru, the older son of Robert James and Alicia (née Gardner) Stark. After just two months at Timaru Main School, Herbert transferred to High Street School, Dunedin, where he was awarded a prize in his first year. In 1905, 1906, 1907 and 1908 he again won prizes, at Kaikorai School, and gained a free place at high school. From Kaikorai he went on to Otago Boys’ High School and in 1912 studied at the Dunedin Technical Classes. Further educational success followed and Herbert qualified as an accountant. A pupil of the Canterbury Aviation Company he gained his ticket on 6 June 1918 at Sockburn. Herbert’s father a well-known book seller, died in November 1910 in Dunedin. He had served his apprenticeship to the bookselling trade at Timaru. Immediately after gaining his Bachelor of Commerce in Christchurch, Cadet Herbert Allan Stark embarked with the 41st Reinforcements, to serve with the Royal Air Force. He had been called up in 1917. As of December he was at the R.A.F. Camp at Sandling, Kent. By 20 June 1919 Second Lieutenant H. A. Stark had left England and was on his way home to New Zealand. In March 1920, Mr H. A. Stark took up a position at Hawera. There he joined the Returned Soldiers’ Association and the Hawera Public Library. “Mr H. A. Stark, who is visiting Hawera on holiday as the guest of Mr W. G. Walkley, was at one time in practice here as a. public accountant. He left Hawera eleven years ago to join the New York branch of Messrs Price Waterhouse, an Engiisli firm of chartered accountants represented throughout North and South America. Mr Stark has been since resident in various parts of South America and before leaving on an extended holiday was in charge of the Bolivian offices of his firm.” [Hawera Star, 24 August 1932.] Herbert married Annie Wanda Valerie Spitzer, known as Valerie. In the 1950s, it appears, they settled in New South Wales, Australia, Herbert still practising as an accountant. He died on 21 June 1974 in New South Wales.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [27 November 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs); School Admission records (South Canterbury & Dunedin branches NZSG) [04 July 2021]; Eveening Star, 17 December 1902, 20 December 1905, 20 December 1906, 18 December 1907, 18 December 1908, 19 January 1909, 15 November 1910, Press, 7 June 1918, 1 January 1919, Otago Daily Times, 21 June 1919, Hawera Star, 24 August 1932 (Papers Past) [04 July 2021]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• ACTON Arthur - newspaper clippings (pdf, 12.0 KB updated 23-Aug-2021)

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.