Profile

MAY, Frederick Cecil
(Service number 88163)

Aliases
First Rank Last Rank

Birth

Date 02/12/1882 Place of Birth Orari, South Canterbury

Enlistment Information

Date 14 June 1918 Age 35 years
Address at Enlistment Rakaia, Canterbury
Occupation Auctioneer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Married. One child
Next of Kin Ethelfreda Gwendolyn MAY (wife), Rakaia, Canterbury
Religion Church of England
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

Auctioneer

Death

Date 18 February 1937 Age 54 years
Place of Death Timaru
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Timaru Cemetery
Memorial Reference General Section, Row 44, Plot 708
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Frederick Cecil May was born on 2 December 1882 at Orari, South Canterbury, the second son of John and Elizabeth Ann (née Bennett) May. John and Elizabeth arrived in New Zealand from Cornwall in August 1874, with two daughters. Little John was born in November 1874 and died nearly four weeks after, in December. Frederick married Ethelfreda Gwendolyn Cordner on 24 November 1913 at St Mary’s, Merivale, Christchurch. Their son, Terence Cecil May, was born on 6 November 1916. Frederick was an auctioner for Loan & Mercantile Ltd at Rakaia when he enlisted on 14 June 1918 at Ashburton. He named his wife as next-of-kin - Mrs Ethelfreda Gwendolyn May, Rakaia, Canterbury. 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. F. C. May did not serve overseas. He died on 18 February 1937 at his Timaru residence, aged 54 years. He was buried in the Timaru Cemetery, his wife and son with him. Frederick’s brother, Robert Gordon May, also served in World War One. See attachment for obituary.

Sources

Timaru Herald, 21 May 1918, 20 February 1937 (Papers Past) [08 October 2021; 03 February 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [31 January 2022]; Timaru Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [01 February 2022]

External Links

Related Documents

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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