SOMMERVILLE, Robert Taylor
(Service number 78917)
| First Rank | Gunner | Last Rank | Gunner |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 3 November 1890 | Place of Birth | Dunedin |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 14 November 1917 | Age | 27 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Conon Street, Invercargill | ||
| Occupation | Joiner | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Daisy H. SOMMERVILLE (wife), Conon Street, Invercargill; then care of Mrs M. J. Boyce, 70 Mary Street East, Invercargill | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 43rd Reinforcements, New Zealand Field Artillery | ||
| Date | 2 October 1918 | ||
| Transport | Matatua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | London, England |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Field Artillery | ||
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 | 9 March 1969 | Age | 78 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Invercargill | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Robert Taylor Sommerville was born at Dunedin on 3 November 1890, the second son of Robert and Sarah (née Prentice) Sommerville, who had married in 1886 and come out to New Zealand from Scotland by 1888 with their first-born (William Prentice Sommerville). Others of the Prentice family also settled in New Zealand, including her parents. By 1895, Robert (a chemist) and Sarah (a nurse) were residing at Timaru. Young Robert started at Timaru Main School well before his fifth birthday. He also had time at a Private School, then in October 1903 transferred with his younger brother and his two surviving sisters to Waimataitai School, leaving there for High School at the end of 1904. In mid-1908, the family moved to Invercargill, Robert and Sarah parting company a few years after.
Robert Taylor Sommerville married Daisy Hannah Boyce on 1 January 1913 at Invercargill. They had no children. Robert was a joiner at Invercargill where he enlisted on 14 November 1917. He named his wife as next-of-kin – Mrs Daisy H. Sommerville, Conon Street, Invercargill, and later care of Mrs M. J. Boyce, 70 Mary Street East, Invercargill. Gunner R. T. Sommerville embarked with the New Zealand Field Artillery of the 43rd Reinforcements, departing from Wellington on 2 October 1918 per the “Matatua” and disembarking at London, England on 5 December. He embarked per the “Somerset” on 2 July 1919 at Liverpool to return to New Zealand and arrived on 20 August 1919. He was discharged on 19 September 1919 and awarded the British War Medal.
On 29 August 1940, Robert attested for service in World War Two. After Daisy died on 16 May 1964 and was buried at the Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill. Robert married Edna Wilkinson née Hulme, a widow. He died on 9 March 1969 at Invercargill, aged 78 years, and was buried with Daisy, the headstone inscribed with his service number. Edna died in 1986 and was buried at St John’s Cemetery, Invercargill, with her first husband. His mother Sarah, who was a highly qualified and much-respected district nurse at Stewart Island and Tuatapere, died on 18 April 1934 at the Invercargill residence of a daughter and was buried at the Eastern Cemetery. His father Robert died on 23 January 1944 at the Oreti residence of another daughter and was buried at Winton Cemetery. The death notices for both noted that they were late of Timaru. His older brother, William Prentice Sommerfield, was a dentist in Wellington when he was listed on the Reserve Rolls. His younger brother, Gavin Gordon Sommerville, attested in 1918.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [03 January 2025]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of internal Affairs) [03 January 2025]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [03 January 2025]; Eastern Cemetery, Invercargill burial record and headstone transcription (Invercargill City Council) [03 January 2025]
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