Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Thomas Wade, known as Tom, was born on 29 July 1888 at Kurow, North Otago, the fourth son of John Edward and Catherine (née Dawson) Wade, both of whom were born in County Cavan, Ireland. His oldest brother, William, attended Papakaio School from August 1883 until May 1885 when he went out to herd cows at the age of 6½. As of 1887 John Edward Wade was a farmer at Kurow, North Otago. He also held a coal licence in the area. As of 1893, still a farmer at Kurow, he filed in bankruptcy. In 1897 he was accused of alleged fraudulent bankruptcy, mainly concealment of property. When 40-year-old Wade did appear in court, he pleaded guilty to several charges of breaches of the Bankruptcy Act, having voluntarily admitted to the breaches. He had suffered from refusal of work, imprisonment for debt and criminal blackmail. A sentence of three months’ hard labour was imposed in November. The sale of his assets was completed in early 1898. It appears that Mrs Wade owned the lignite licence, it being on the property where she lived under a grazing right. By late 1898 the Wade family was at Upper Waitohi, South Canterbury. It was in 1910 that John Edward Wade applied for discharge from bankruptcy.

Thomas’s oldest brother, William Wade who had been a farmer at Hilton in the early 1900s, committed suicide in his hut at his farm at Airedale near Oamaru in January 1910. It was understood that William hailed “from the neighbourhood of Temuka, where his parents are said to reside.” The workman who found Wade said that he (Wade) seemed to worry as to how he would get his crop harvested.

T. Wade, a resident of Rangitata Island, gave 2/6 to the Heroes of the Navy fund in July 1916. The Opihi-Rangitata Committee received 5 shillings from T. Wade towards the Prisoners of War Appeal. Thomas Wade, farmer, Orton via Temuka, was one of the men “deemed to have been selected from the First Division of the Expeditionary Force Reserve by ballot”, as gazetted in early November 1917. Thomas appealed, saying that “he carried on a farm of about 600 acres, belonging to his father.” His case was adjourned sine die. In mid-May 1918, Thomas Wade, a farmer at Rangitata Island, was allowed till August 12th by the Appeal Board. Thomas Wade did enlist on 26 November 1917, aged 29 years 4 months, and he was medically examined at Timaru on that date. He stood at 5 feet 9½ inches, weighed 171 pounds, and had a chest measurement of 37-40 inches. His complexion was fresh, his eyes blue and his hair brown. His sight, hearing, colour vision and lungs were all normal. His limbs and chest well formed. He had never had any diseases, slight defects sufficient to cause rejection, fits, notification for consumption, treatment in a sanatorium or mental institution. He had been absent from work for 2 days, re heart, 5 months ago. In good bodily and mental health, he was classified A.

Single and Presbyterian, he named his father as next-of-kin – John Edward Wade, Winchester Road, Temuka. The send-off to the Temuka and district members of the 46th Reinforcements took place on 6 September 1918 the Dominion Theatre. Rain was pouring down all the evening and prevented many people from attending, especially those who lived in the country. Because of the rain the men did not march from Gunnion’s corner to the theatre, and instead the Juvenile Brass Band played at the entrance to the theatre. The chairman of the Patriotic Committee reminded those gathered that “the soldiers had to be in the trenches in all kinds of weather”. He assured the men that they were all proud of them. “They were going away as men and he knew they would be true to their manhood; he could give them no higher praise.” All items of entertainment – selections by the Patriotic Orchestra, a dance by the wee Rainbows, solos, a quartette - were well given and encores were frequent. The excellent programme ended with the National Anthem. As the soldiers were presented with “holdalls” from the Temuka ladies, the audience cheered them sang “For they are Jolly Good Fellows.” T. Wade was one of thirteen Temuka members of the draft. The Temuka and Geraldine draft of the 46th Reinforcements were entertained in the Temuka Drill Hall on 9 September 1918 by the ladies of the local Patriotic Entertainment Committee. During luncheon selections were played by the Temuka Patriotic Orchestra, and addresses given by Messrs T. Gunnion and B. McDonald (Mayor of Geraldine), and others. Afterwards the men marched to the station, headed by the Temuka Brass Band and Pipe Band, where more speeches were delivered, and cheers given as the train pulled out. Among the Temuka men who went north was T. Wade.

The Christchurch, North Canterbury, and South Canterbury quotas of the 46th Reinforcements were to have left for Trentham on 9 September, but owing to the eleventh hour changes in the ferry-boat service the military officials decided that the local men (Christchurch) should postpone their departure until the 10th and consequently only the North and South Canterbury men left for Trentham on 9th. Having left home on 9 September 1918, Private Wade was posted to A Company, 47th Reinforcements. He was transferred as trooper to the N.Z.M.R., 45th Reinforcements a few days later. He was granted Leave without Pay on 29 November 1918 until further orders on Demobilisation, which occurred on 20 February 1919. He was found to be in good health and was described as of good character. His final Certificate of Discharge was posted on 10 October 1919.

After the war Tom continued to farm at Rangitata Island. In July 1919 Thomas Wade, a settler on the Island, farming 310 acres, gave evidence before the Rivers Commission which was sitting at Rangitata. He “deposed that on his farm 15 acres had been washed away from one section, and five from another. He corroborated what the other witnesses had said, and did not think the north stream could carry all the water. He favoured the County Council being the controlling body, and thought the County Council engineer would have time to design protective works. If there was no danger of flood the value of his land would be considerably enhanced.” In 1926 he married Ivy Rainey, by whom he had six sons and three daughters, one son dying in 1958.

On 1 February 1931 a body was found buried in the sand not far from the mouth of the Rangitata River. It was while Thomas Wade was riding along the river bank that he found the badly decomposed body. He immediately informed the police. There was insufficient evidence to determine when, where and in what manner the deceased had met his death. Just three weeks later Mr Thomas Wade and his employee had a narrow escape from drowning in the Rangitata river when they attempted to cross it in a gig. “The horse was swept off its feet, and the two men were thrown into a very rough river, from which they eventually made a safe escape.” In July of the same year, Mr Thomas Wade, Rangitata Island, applied to the River Board for river protection work. Thomas and Ivy lived at Rangitata Island until their retirement to Temuka in about 1970.

Thomas Wade died at Temuka on 17 May 1975, aged 86 years, and was buried at Temuka. Ivy died in 1992 at Christchurch where she had gone to live after Tom’s death. Thomas left his property to his wife, and, if she should have predeceased him, to his five surviving sons and to one daughter. Three of Thomas’ brothers enlisted for service. John died in hospital in England in 1918 after a lengthy and serious illness. Samuel served in New Zealand only, while Robert did not see any service. Their mother died at her Winchester Road home in April 1932 and their father died at Timaru in July 1937. John Edward Wade made specific bequests to his daughters Kathleen Wade and Maria Gibson and the children of his son Thomas Wade. When Kathleen Wade died in 1963, she made provision for her sister Marie Gibson or Marie’s grandchildren, and she also left a bequest to her brother Robert Wade and provided an annuity (free of tax) for Robert during his lifetime. On Robert’s death, the children of her brother Thomas Wade were to benefit.

Sources

NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5557 0117618) [07 September 2021]; Temuka Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [07 September 2021]; North Otago Times, 18 January 1910, Oamaru Mail, 18 January 1910, Timaru Herald, 11 July 1916, 7 November 1917, 13 December 1917, 16 May 1918, 4 July 1918, 7 September 1918, 3, 18 & 26 February 1931, 7 July 1931, 21 April 1932, Temuka Leader, 8 November 1917, 15 December 1917, 7 September 1918, 12 July 1919, 3 & 19 February 1931, Press, 10 September 1918 (Papers Past) [22 August 2020; 07 & 09 September 2021]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [07 September 2021]; Probate record (Archives NZ – Archway) [09 September 2021]

External Links

• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• WADE Thomas - newspaper clippings (pdf, 122.3 KB updated 13-Sep-2021)

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

TS