Profile

FENTON, Wallace Wood
(Service number 88126)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Corporal

Birth

Date 10 December 1877 Place of Birth Leeds, Yorkshire, England

Enlistment Information

Date 7 July 1918 Age 49 years
Address at Enlistment Timaru
Occupation Storeman
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Married. One child
Next of Kin Mrs Hilda Evans FENTON (wife), Newman Street, Timaru
Religion Roman Catholic
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation
Unit, Squadron, or Ship
Date
Transport
Embarked From Destination
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
Military Awards

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

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 29 Marxh 1966 Age 88 years
Place of Death Auckland
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Purewa Cemetery, Auckland
Memorial Reference Block H, Row 016, Plot 032
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Wallace Wood Fenton was born on 10 December 1877 at Leeds, Yorkshire, England, the son of Charles and Mary (née Brooks) Fenton. He was at home at Leeds in 1881, 1891 and 1901. He married Hilda Evans Potts on 15 April 1903 at Leeds. Their daughter, Mabel Edna Fenton, was born on 8 November 1906 at Leeds. By 1911 Wallace and Hilda were at Timau, New Zealand, where Mabel attended South School, Waimataitai School and Timaru Girls’ High School.

It was at Timaru that Wallace enlisted on 7 June 1918 after his name had been drawn in the ballot. He was a member of the South Canterbury quota of the Forty-sixth Reinforcements which left Timaru by the north express on 9 September 1918 after parading at the drill hall. A storeman for the Canterbury Farmers at Timaru, he named his wife as next-of-kin - - Mrs Hilda Evans Fenton, Newman Street, Timaru.

“Mr W. W. Fenton, who left for camp last Monday was the recipient of many useful and beautiful presents from the employees of the C.F.C.A. and also from friends. By the staff a radium dialled wristlet watch was presented to him with all gcod wishes for a speedy and safe return.” [Timaru Herald, 14 September 1918.] Before long, Private W. W. Fenton was transferred from Trentham to Awapuni Camp, Palmerstn North, to the Medical Army Service Corps. W. W. Fenton did not leave for overseas service.

Mrs Fenton was killed in a fatal accident at an Auckland railway crossing on 1 December 1944. Wallace Wood Fenton died on 29 March 1966 at Auckland, aged 88 years, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery.

Sources

Timaru Herald, 7, 14 & 24 September 1918, Auckland Star, 21 August 1945 (Papers Past) [08 October 2021; 01 & 02 February 2022]; NZ Cemetery records (fiche, held by South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [31 January 2022]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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