VIRTUE, Ronald
(Service number 24253)
| First Rank | Lance Corporal | Last Rank | Lance Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 13/04/1897 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 9 February 1916 | Age | 18 years 10 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Charles Street, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Bank clerk | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 2nd South Canterbury Regiment - serving | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | D. VIRTUE (father), Queen Street, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 13th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company | ||
| Date | 27 May 1916 | ||
| Transport | Willochra or Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Regiment | ||
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 | 17 November 1972 | Age | 75 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Grey Hospital, Greymouth | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Greymouth Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Ronald Farrell Virtue, known as Bill, was born on 13 April 1897 at Timaru, the second son of David Wilson and Sarah Elizabeth (née Farrell) Virtue. Sarah Elizabeth Virtue died at Timaru in 1903, when Ronald was not six years old. David Virtue was the town clerk of Timaru for many years. Ronald was educated at Sacred Heart School Timaru and the Marist Brothers School Timaru. Ronald Virtue enlisted on 9 February 1916, stating that he was 20 years and 8 months old, whereas he was only18 years and 10 months of age. He had given a birthdate of 4 April 1895. He was already serving with the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment. Lance Corporal Virtue embarked at Wellington on 27 May 1916 with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 13th Reinfocements. After more than three years overseas, R. Virtue returned to New Zealand (Timaru) by the “Somerset” which was due at Lyttelton about 12 August 1919. He married Winifred (Winnie) Coulthard on 26 February 1932 at Greymouth. He also saw service in World War Two. Ronald Farrell Virtue died on 17 November 1972 at Grey Hospital, Greymouth, aged 75 years. Winifred had died in 1961 and Ronald was buried with her in the Greymouth Cemetery. His oldest brother, Gerald David Virtue, was listed on the Reserve Rolls.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [18 March 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [18 March 2022]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [20 March 2022]; Greymouth Cemetery headstone transcription [20 March 2022]; Timaru Herald, 8 August 1919 (Papers Past) [16 March 2022]
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.
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