LOPER, Thomas George
(Service number 40709)
| First Rank | Rifleman | Last Rank | Rifleman |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 15 May 1891 | Place of Birth | Waimate |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 1 November 1916 | Age | 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Naylor Street, Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs M. LOPER (wife), Naylor Street, Waimate | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Reinforcements, G Company | ||
| Date | 5 April 1917 | ||
| Transport | Devon | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Devonport, Devon, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Rifle Brigade | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | British War 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 | 13 July 1969 | Age | 78 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Waimate Hospital | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Waimate Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Thomas George Loper, known as George, was born on 15 May 1891 at Waimate, the eldest son of George and Nicholine (née Richmond) Loper. He married Margaret Ferguson Lindsay on 27 February 1914 at Waimate.
Thomas was a labourer at Waimate when he enlisted on there on 1 November 1916. Married with no children and affiliated to the Salvation Army, he named his wife as next-of-kin – Mrs M. Loper, Naylor Street, Waimate. A daughter, Margaret Ferguson Lindsay Loper, was born at Waimate on 15 June 1917, twelve weeks after Rifleman T. G. Loper embarked for Devonport, England with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade on 5 April 1917 per the “Devon”. After only a short time overseas, Rifleman Loper embarked on 8 August 1917 at Avonmouth per the “Maheno” for return to New Zealand. It seems after he marched into Sling Camp in June, he had become unwell with tubercolousis ("tubercule of lung") and was classified as unfit for service by the end ioof July.
Despite the prognosis Thomas lived for many years longer, and died on 13 July 1969 at Waimate Hospital, aged 78 years. His funeral service was conducted by the Salvation Army Captain. He was buried in the Waimate Cemetery with his first wife. He had remarried, some years after Margaret died in 1923, to Ethel Welch.
His brother Robert Samuel Loper also served overseas with the New Zealand Forces and was invalided home. Another brother Joseph Malcolm Loper who was drawn in the ballot in April 1917, had already enlisted in 1915, then re-enlisted in 1917, but was found unfit on both occasions because of an old wound.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [10 November 2024]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [10 November 2024]; Waimate Cemetery record (Waimate Distict Council) [10 November 2024]
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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