DAVIS, Albert Stephen
(Service number 8/2894)
| First Rank | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 4 November 1888 | Place of Birth | Oamaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 13 June 1915 | Age | 26 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 36 Driver Street, St Kilda, Dunedin | ||
| Occupation | Motor mechanic (Spillane Bros, Temuka) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mr R. T. DAVIS (father), Blacksmith, Temuka | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 7th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Otago Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | |||
| Transport | Aparima or Navua or Warrimoo | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Otago Infantry Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian; Egyptian Expeditionary Force; Western European (France) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 September 1967 | Age | 78 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | 47 Selwyn Street, Dunedin (residence) | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated, ashes interred Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Albert Stephen Davis was born on 4 November 1888 at Oamaru, the youngest son and youngest of the six children of Robert Thomas and Margaret (née Sutherland) Davis. In 1894 Mr and Mrs R. T. Davis moved to Timaru where some of the older children (Frank, Violet, Willie and Nellie) attended Waimataitai School briefly. Albert was educated at Union Street and George Street schools in Dunedin. By 1905 Robert Thomas Davis was plying his trade as a blacksmith at Temuka.
Albert was a motor mechanic for Spillane Brothers at Temuka when he enlisted in 1915, although he gave a Dunedin address. Single and Anglican, he named his father as next-of-kin – Mr R. T. Davis, Blacksmith, Temuka. Private A. S. Davis embarked with the Otago Infantry Battalion of the 7th Reinforcements. A. P. Davis was wounded on 14 July 1916. A photo of Private A. S. Davis (Temuka), wounded, was printed in the Otago Witness of 9 August 1916. His father had moved back to Dunedin by April 1918 when he received word that his son had been wound for a second time and admitted to hospital in France. He returned home by the “Hororata” which was due to arrive in New Zealand on 13 March 1919. He was discharged on 13 April 1919 and awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in Egypt and France.
Albert Stephen Davis married Olive Rose Elizabeth Bates in 1920. Elizabeth died in 1953 and was buried at Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin. When Albert died on 15 September 1967 at his Dunedin residence, aged 78 years, his ashes were interred with Olive at Andersons Bay Cemetery. A services plaque marks his grave. His son, Rae Stephen Davis, who served in World War Two, was also cremated, his ashes interred in the same plot.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [16 July 2023]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [16 July 2023]; School Admission records (Dunedin Branch NZSG) [16 July 2023]; Andersons Bay cremation record & headstone image (Dunedin City Council) [16 July 2023]; Otago Witness, 9 August 1916, Evening Star, 20 April 1918 (Papers Past) [13 & 16 July 2023]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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