BLISSETT, Robert John
(Service number 47187)
| First Rank | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 28 October 1892 | Place of Birth | Cave |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 25 January 1917 | Age | 24 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Makikihi | ||
| Occupation | Blacksmith | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mr H. BLISSETT (father), Glenhope, Nelson | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | |||
| Date | |||
| Transport | |||
| Embarked From | 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 | 20 July 1918 | Age | 25 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Timaru Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Robert John Blissett was born on 28 October 1892 at Cave, the second son and third of fourteen children of Henry George and Eliza (née Burgess) Blissett. He was educated at Cave, Sutherlands and Orari schools.
He was listed on the Reserve Rolls at Cave. When he enlisted on 25 January 1917 at Timaru, he was at Makikihi, working as a blacksmith for Mr Hayman at Morven. He had served with the NZEF Main Body for three weeks but had been rejected on account of a bad back. He named his father as next-of-kin – Mr H. Blissett, Glenhope, Nelson. R. J. Blissett was one of the men who left Waimate by the first express, en route for Trentham, on 13 February 1917. His time in camp was short-lived, however.
Robert died on 20 July 1918 at Timaru (probably at the hospital), aged 25 years, and was buried in the Timaru Cemetery. His older brother Harry served in World War One, losing his right leg.
Sources
NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [23 April 2019]; School Admission records [15 December 2024]; Timaru Cemetery burial record (Timaru District Council) [15 December 2024]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 12 February 1917 (Papers Past) 04 March 2021]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
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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