Profile

WALL, Michael
(Service number 9/99)

Waimate War Memorial, pictured in 2011 — (South Canterbury Museum 2013/155.33 #01)

Waimate War Memorial (right panel), pictured in 2011 — (South Canterbury Museum 2013/155.33 #02)

Aliases
First Rank	Trooper	Last Rank	Driver or Gunner

Birth

Date	09/10/1883	Place of Birth	Waimate

Enlistment Information

Date	17 August 1914	Age	30 yrs
Address at Enlistment	Care's Bay, Port Chalmers
Occupation	Engineer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	Mrs Fanny WALL (mother), care of R. T. Leatham, Solicitor, 213 Lichfield Street, Christchurch. Later of 813 Lichfield Street, Sydenham, Christchurch. Later next-of-kin - Miss Nellie WALL (sister), Fruiterer, Waimate
Religion	Roman Catholic
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 8 inches. Weight 113 lbs. Chest measurement 34-36 inches. Complexion fair. eyes blue. Hair blue. Eyes both 6/6. Hearing normal. Colour vision correct. Limbs and chest well formed. Full movement of joints. Heart and lungs normal. Teeth fair. Free from hernia, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated. Good bodily and mental health. No slight defects. Declared Fit.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Otago Mounted Rifles
Date	16 October 1914
Transport	Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay
Embarked From	Port Chalmers	Destination	Suez, Egypt

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	New Zealand Field Artillery

Military Awards

Campaigns	Gallipoli; Balkans; Egypt; Western Europe
Service Medals	1914-1915 Star; British War medal; Victory Medal
Military Awards

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

Discharge

Date	13 December 1918	Reason	Termination of period of engagement

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

31 May 1915 wounded in action (slightly). 9 August 1915 admitted to Base Hospital. 29 August 1915 slightly sick. 16 September 1915 transferred from Malta to England, suffering from cardiac dilation. October 1915 admitted to Fifth Northern General Hospital, Leicester. 11 January 1916 returned to active service. 28 December 1916 admitted to 17 Canada General Hospital - whitlow of finger (slight). 21 March 1917 admitted to N.Z. General Hospital at Brockenhurst (hernia). 10 June 1918 sent to hospital - sick. 21 July 1918 admitted to N.Z. General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames (multiple boils).

Post-war Occupations

Engineer; labourer

Death

Date	29 March 1932	Age	47 yrs
Place of Death	Christchurch
Cause	Angina pectoris; valvular disease of heart
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch
Memorial Reference	Block 24, Plot 25
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Michael WALL was born in Waimate, the eldest son of Nicholas and Fanny (nee McGOVERN) WALL. He served an apprenticeship in engineering, then joined his brother in an auctioneering business in Timaru and Waimate. When the war broke out he was in Dunedin, where he immediately enlisted. Why did Michael give his birth year as 1887 (instead of 1883) on enlistment? His brother Matthew WALL (23/984), died of wounds in 1916 - this is noted in Michael's Personnel Record; another brother, Nicholas WALL, also served in WWI and is buried with Michael. There appears to have been difficulty in tracing next-of-kin for Michael. In time Miss Monica WALL (sister) was traced in an elctoral roll at 852 Colombo Street, Christchurch. One must wonder at Michael's condition on return to New Zealand, after he was hospitalized several times during his service overseas. On more than one occasion he returned to the trenches after being wounded or sick. In February 1917 he was transferred to special duty at the Artillery Camp at Aldershot. Michael gave 4 years 119 days of service (from 17 August 1914 till 13 December 1918), all but 126 days on active service overseas. On his return home (per "Ionic"), he resided initially at the Soldiers' Hostel, Vivian Street, Wellington. His medals were handed to him in 1927.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [15 August 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5557 0118272 [25 June 2014]; Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch burial record (Christchurch City Council) [15 August 2013]; Headstone transcript Bromley Cemetery (South Canterbury Branch NZSG cemetery records microfiche) [13 August 2014]; Timaru Herald, 8 July 1915, Otago Daily Times, 8 July 1915, Press, 9 July 1915, 20 September 1915 (Papers Past) [24 June 2014]

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