AUSTIN, Arthur Allan
(Service number 12721)
| First Rank | Driver | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 24 January 1895 | Place of Birth | Dunedin |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | C/o NZ Shipping Co., Dunedin | ||
| Occupation | Shipping clerk | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs A. AUSTIN (mother), 25 Rutherford Street, Dunedin; later 32 Catherine Street, Timaru; then 55 Hassall 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, New Zealand Field Artillery | ||
| Date | 27 May 1916 | ||
| Transport | Willochra or Tofua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
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 | 22 December 1959 | Age | 64 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Christchurch | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Crematorium Christchurch | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Arthur Allan Austin, known as Allan, was the older son of Arthur Augustin and Mary Ann (née Watson) Austin. He was born on 24 January 1895 at Dunedin and educated at Caversham School, going on to the Boys’ High School in 1910 and then to Technical Classes in 1912.
He named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs A. Austin, 15 Rutherford Street, Dunedin. She was later at 32 Catherine Street, Timaru, and then at 55 Hassell Street, Timaru, which was Allan’s intended address on return. His sister Grace married at Chalmers Church, Timaru, on 14 November 1917. Arthur A. and Mary A. (née Watkins) Austin were at 32 Catherine Street, Timaru, when they celebrated their Silver Wedding Anniversary on 23 November 1917. Allan was a shipping clerk with the New Zealand Shipping Company, giving his address as C/o NZ Shipping Co., Dunedin. He was probably with the Wellington office when he went into camp with the artillery of the 13th Reinforcements on 7 February 1916. He was presented with a handsome wristlet watch by his work colleagues on 31 March.
Driver A. A. Austin embarked with the New Zealand Field Artillery of the 13th Reinforcements at Wellington on 27 May 1916. Corporal Arthur Allan Austin was reported wounded on 18 September 1918 and admitted to hospital, but not a severe case. Sergeant A. A. Austin, of Timaru, returned to New Zealand by the “Arawa” which was expected at Lyttelton on 12 May 1919. There in the draft of soldiers who arrived at Timaru by special troop train on the morning of 15 May 1919 and were welcomed by an enthusiastic, cheering crowd, was Sergeant A. A. Austin. The mayor congratulated them on their gallant deeds abroad and expressed the hope that they would soon settle down again to their civil occupations, and that they would be as successful in them as they had been at the war. Mr Craigie, M.P., thanked them for the noble work they had done, hoping they would live long and enjoy many prosperous and happy days.
The following month, Mr A. A. Austin (senior) was inducted as an elder at Chalmers Presbyterian Church, Timaru. Arthur Allan Austin married Christina Munro Thomson in 1922. He died on 22 December 1959 at Christchurch, aged 64 years, and was cremated. He was survived by his wife and daughter Jean.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [7 April 2023]; NZ BDM (Department of Internal Affairs) [07 April 2023]; Evening Post, 7 February 1916, 1 April 1916, Otago Daily Times, 23 November 1917, Otago Witness, 28 November 1917, Timaru Herald, 1 October 1918, 1 & 16 May 1919, 17 June 1919, Dominion, 1 October 1918, Sun, 29 April 1919, Press, 23 December 1959 (Papers Past) [23 May 2016; 26 May 2023]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogical Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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