PATERSON, Douglas Halbertson
(Service number 16332)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank | Sapper |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 25 February 1890 | Place of Birth | Winchester, Canterbury, New Zealand |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Hilton | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Janet PATERSON (mother), Kurunui, Winchester | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 17th Reinforcements, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, Mounted Rifles Signal Section | ||
| Date | 5 October 1916 | ||
| Transport | Manuka | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Suez, Egypt | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | NZ Mounted Signalling Troop | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Egyptian Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 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 | 6 July 1933 | Age | 43 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Mowai Home, Wellington (of Titirangi, Pelorus Sound) | ||
| Cause | Pernicious anaemia & terminal pneumonia. | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Karori Cemetery, Wellington | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Douglas Halbertson Paterson was born on 25 February 1890 at Winchester, South Canterbury, New Zealand, the youngest son of James and Janet Steele Dunlop (Jessie, née Hay) Paterson. Halbertson was Douglas’ paternal grandmother’s maiden name. James and Janet (both born in New Zealand of very early settlers) married in 1881 in New Zealand. James died on 7 April 1908 at Winchester. Along with his sister and two brothers, Douglas was educated at Winchester School, where his father was a member of the school committee.
Douglas H. Paterson, a farmer at Barbarafield, Temuka and his brother, John Andrew Paterson, a farmer at Winchester, were both listed on the Reserve Rolls. Having enlisted at Geraldine in December 1915, Mr D. H. Paterson was to go into camp as a non-commissioned officer in the Mounted Rifles. Douglas was a farmer at Hilton when he enlisted. Single and Presbyterian, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs Janet Paterson, Kurunui, Winchester. Corporal D. H. Paterson embarked with the Mounted Rifles Signal Section, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, 17th Reinforcements, departing for Suez, Egypt per the “Manuka” on 5 October 1916.
The ”Wiltshire” (Returning Draft No. 210) departed at Suez and arrived on 2 February 1919, a large proportion of its number from Canterbury, including D. H. Paterson, Winchester. There was a large gathering at the railway station, when Douglas and two comrades arrived at Winchester on 3 February and they got a splendid reception. They were immediately driven to the school, where speeches of welcome were made, Trooper Paterson replying on behalf of his comrades and himself. Sapper D. H. Paterson was discharged on 2 March 1919, no longer physically fit for War Service. All his overseas service was in Egypt, for which he was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
Douglas H. Paterson of Barbarafield, Temuka married Ellen Castilla Wyley (Nellie) on 3 January 1924 at St John’s Church, Matarawa. They had two sons – Andrew Halbertson Paterson born in 1925 and William Harry Paterson born in 1928. In 1928, Douglas and Nellie were at Temuka; by 1931 they were farming at Titirangi, Pelorus Sound. John Andrew Paterson married Nellie’s sister, Adelaide Alice Wyley (Alice) in 1925. Douglas Halbertson Paterson, of Titirangi, Pelorus Sound and late of Barbarafield, Temuka, died at the Mowai Home, Wellington on 6 July 1933, aged 43 years. His death was the result of pernicious anaemia and terminal pneumonia.
James Hay Paterson, a brother of Douglas, also served in World War One; John Andrew Hay, the oldest brother, who had been called up in 1917, appealed, saying that he owned 122 acres, his only two brothers were on active service, and his mother and sister were entirely dependent on him. His appeal was adjourned. Harold Stuart Pearpoint, who was born to Adelaide Paterson and Robert Henry Pearpoint, and was a cousin of John, James and Douglas Paterson, was killed in action in France on 1 October 1916. Another cousin, Hugh Halbertson MacKay, also served in World War One, while Hugh’s brother, John Paterson MacKay, was called up and appealed. Marion Halbertson Inwood, another cousin, may well have served with the New Zealand Voluntary Aid Detachment in World War One. William Harold Hay who was killed in action at Gallipoli on 15 May 1915 was a second cousin of Janet Steele Dunlop Paterson (née Hay), the mother of James Hay Paterson (beneficiary of Harold’s estate) and Douglas Halbertson Paterson.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [19 May 2025]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [19 May 2025]; School Admission indexes (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [19 May 2025]; Timaru Herald, 20 December 1915, 7 July 1933, Temuka Leader, 4 February 1919, Wanganui Chronicle, 5 January 1924, 8 July 19333, Press, 7 July 1933, Dominion, 7 July 1933 (Papers Past) [19 & 21 May 2025]; Karori Cemetery headstone transcription [19 May 2025]; Karori Cemetery headstone image (Find A Grave) [19 May 2025]; Karori Cemetery burial record (Wellington City Council) [20 May 2025]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC 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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