ADAMSON, John Quinn
(Service number 8/1)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 10 April 1894 | Place of Birth | Albury, South Canterbury |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | (1) 18 August 1914; (2) 16 October 1916 | Age | (1) 20 years; (2) 22 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Alexandra South | ||
| Occupation | (1) Labourer; (2) Blacksmith | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Territorial Forces - 3 years; Alexandra D.H.S. Cadets | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | (1) John ADAMSON (father), Alexandra South; (2) Nora ADAMSON (mother), Alexandra South, Otago Central | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | (1) Main Body; (2) New Zealand Expeditionary orce | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | (1) Otago Infantry Battalion; (2) 22nd Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Regiment | ||
| Date | (1) 16 October 1914; (2) 16 February 1917 | ||
| Transport | (1) Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay; (2) Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | (1) Port Chalmers, Dunedin | Destination | (1) Suez, Egypt; (2) Plymouth, Devon, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian; Balkan - Gallipoli, Mudros, Lemnos | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
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 | 10 September 1956 | Age | 62 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Dunedin | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Quinn Adamson, known as Jack, was born on 10 April 1894 at Albury, South Canterbury, the oldest of the four children of John ((Jack) and Honora (Nora, née Quinn) Adamson. John Adamson who was born at Temuka of Scottish parents and Nora Quinn who hailed from County Kerry, Scotland married in 1893 at Albury. Jack Adamson was an alpine guide at Mount Cook for some years, moving to Central Otago in about 1902 and then to Palmerston South in 1904. Young John started his schooling at Fairlie, then transferred to Millers Flat School, Central Otago, and from there to Palmerston in April 1904. Five years later he left for Alexandra.
John enlisted on the outbreak of war – on 18 August 1914 at Oamaru, the first to volunteer for active service. He had served for three years with the Territorial Forces and with the Alexandra D.H.S. Cadets. A labourer, single and Roman Catholic, he named his father as next-of-kin – John Adamson, Alexandra South. Private J. Q. Adamson embarked with the Main Body, Otago Infantry Battalion, leaving from Port Chalmers, Dunedin, for Suez, Egypt, on 16 October 1914. Wounded at the Dardanelles, he was admitted to the First Southern General Hospital at Birmingham and moved from there to a convalescent home. On 26 December 1915 he disembarked at Malta, slightly sick. Returning invalided to New Zealand by the troopship “Tahiti, he reached Dunedin on 15 March 1916 and was discharged on 13 June 1916, having served in Egypt, and at Gallipoli, Mudros and Lemnos.
After re-enlisting on 16 October 1916 at Alexandra, he served in the UK only. He was a blacksmith and named his mother as next-f-kin – Nora Adamson, Alexandra South, Otago South. Corporal J. Q. Adamson embarked with the Otago Infantry Regiment of the 22nd Reinforcements per the “Aparima”, leaving on 16 February 1917 for Plymouth, England. John Quinn Adamson married Rosa May Hiscock on 28 January 1919 at Salisbury, England. He returned to New Zealand per the “Athenic”, leaving on 14 July 1919 and arriving about 1 September. He was finally discharged on 14 October 1919, having given 4 years 299 days of service. He was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
John and Rosa had five sons and one daughter. One son was named Aidan, the religious name of John’s sister Ellen Jeanie Adamson. Jack served with the home Service in World War Two. John Quinn Adamson died on 10 September 1956 at Dunedin, aged 62 years. He was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin, Rosa with him in 1978. Henry (Harry) Adamson who was killed in action at the Somme in 1916 was a cousin of Jack Adamson. Another cousin, Francis John Mallett, also served in World War One.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [02 July 2023]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [02 July 2023]; School Admission records (South Canterbury & Dunedin branches NZSG) [02 July 2023]; Andersons Bay Cemetery burial record (Dunedin City Council) [02 July 2023]; Andersons Bay Cemetery headstone image (Find A Grave) [02 July 2023]; Otago Daily Times, North Otago Times, 23 June 1915 (Papers Past) [02 July 2023]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, South Canterbruy Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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