Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

John Emmerson, known as Jack, was the second son of Malcolm and Martha Catherine (née Anderson) Emmerson, who had married in 1892. He was born on 29 July 1895 at Timaru. At the 1905 presentation of prizes at the Waimate District High School, Jack Emmerson was rewarded for Standard III Attendance. His mother died on 4 May 1915 at her Waimate residence and was buried in the local cemetery. John had one elder brother - Duncan, three younger brothers – Charles Malcolm, Frederick and Francis (Frank), and one sister – Martha Catherine.

Come October 1915, and John Emmerson was among the Waimate enlisters who passed the medical examination for the Ninth Reinforcements and Lord Liverpool’s Regiment, having done so on 30 June 1915. He was 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighed 143 pounds, and had a chest measurement of 32½-35½ inches. His complexion was medium, his eyes blue-grey, and is hair medium brown. His sight, hearing, colour vision, heart and lungs were all normal, his limbs and chest well formed, and his teeth satisfactory. He was free from diseases, vaccinated, in good bodily and mental health, had never been ill or had a fit.

The men from the South Canterbury military district left Timaru on 13 October for the training camp at Trentham. Some hundreds of people assembled at the Waimate railway station to witness the departure of a small batch of men for the 9th reinforcements. The men marched from the Drill Shed through the main street to the railway station, headed by the Brass and Pipe Bands and escorted by the 8th (South Canterbury) Mounted Regiment, who were at present in camp there. The Deputy-Mayor said that the whole community admired the patriotism of the men who were starting out with the 9th reinforcements to do battle for their King and Empire. “They were going forth to fight the most brutal and tyrannical foe in the whole world, a foe that had no respect for the things that the British people held so dear.” He wished them God-speed and a safe return and called for cheers for the men. The Rev. A. S. Morrison also wished the men God-speed and a safe return to their homes, after which more cheers were given for the men and one for the mothers. With the Waimate men who were given a hearty farewell was J. Emmerson.

Posted to the 4th Battalion of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, he enlisted on 14 October 1915 at Trentham. A plumber, single, residing at home, and of Church of England affiliation, he named his father as next-of kin – M. Emmerson, Parsonage Road, Waimate, and care of P.O. St Andrews, Timaru. He belonged to the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment. Rifleman J. Emmerson embarked with the 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, at Wellington on 5 February 1916 and disembarked at Suez on 15 March. He embarked at Alexandria for France on 7 April 1916.

He was reported wounded on 23 February 1917. Admitted firstly to the No. 3 New Zealand Field Ambulance, he was then admitted to the 2nd Casualty Clearing Station at Bailleul, France, dangerously ill from gunshot wounds to the chest and leg and penetrating his elbow. On 28 February he was admitted to the 13th General Hospital at Boulogne with multiple gunshot wounds, a severe case. An attempt was made to save the arm. His right arm was amputated on 5 March 1917. He was left with a stump of right upper arm 8 inches in length. By early March he was reported as still dangerously ill but progressing favourably.

“By the latest mail Private Jack Emmerson informs his father that he has had to say good-bye to his right arm, the doctors not being able to save it. Otherwise he was in splendid health, and. he was just leaving for England.

Private Len. Cameron, writing by the same mail, tells how Jack Emmerson got his injuries. During the bombardment Jack had one arm broken, and when the Huns came into our trench they took him prisoner — or thought they did. After being taken more than half-way across No Man’s Land he bolted from his captor towards our lines, only to be met by another party of Huns returning, and in dodging these he was shot through the other hand, but managed to reach our front line. A mate who saw him pass to the dressing-station said that altho’ he was badly shaken he was quite cheery.” [Waimate Daily Advertiser. 30 April 1917.]

On 12 March he embarked for England by the Hospital Ship “Newhaven” and was admitted to No. 2 New Zealand Hospital at Walton on Thames – shrapnel wound, right elbow severed. There traction was applied. A week later he was removed from the dangerously ill list. On 4 April the extension flaps were removed, and the wound was looking healthy. He was transferred to Oatlands at the beginning of June then readmitted to Walton. On 5 July a further operation was performed, dealing with flaps, sinuses and scar tissue. The bulbous end of a nerve was removed, and the wound was closed with silk. He was again transferred to Oatlands on 25 July.

It was 27 September 1917 when he was discharged to sick leave from Walton. An artificial right arm had been supplied in September in England. The artificial limb was passed on both 5 September and 25 September. But on 25 October 1917 he was again admitted to the New Zealand Hospital at Walton, suffering from the old gunshot wound to his right elbow. Early in November while at Walton, he forfeited two days’ pay for being absent without leave. As of 13 November, his general condition was only fair. He was transferred to the New Zealand Discharge Depot at Torquay on 14 November 1917. He was classified unfit by the Medical Board because of the gunshot wound to his right elbow then amputation of his right arm and placed on the NZ Roll on 28 November 1917. Discharge on paid leave was recommended. “Private Jack Emmerson, the Waimate boy who had a rather sensational escape from the enemy after being wounded a year ago, has entered the ranks of the benedicts and is remaining in England till February when he expects to embark for New Zealand, where he will receive his discharge. He is minus an arm.” [Waimate Daily Advertiser. 24 November 1917.]

Rifleman John Emmerson had been mentioned in Sir Douglas Haig’s Despatches on 9 April 1917, the advice being supplied to the London Gazette on 1 June 1917. At the Kingston Baths (England), in early September 1917, the N.Z. Mechanical Transport Swimming club held a carnival in aid of St Dunstan’s hostel for blind soldiers and sailors, 20 Maoris from Hornchurch were able to perform a haka. Among the competitors was J. Emmerson (N.Z.F.A.) who finished first on the 60 Yards Scratch (military, open) and was a member of the winning water polo side (M.Z.M.T. Depot). Jack had married Elizabeth Livingstone on 22 October 1917 in the St Giles district of Edinburgh, while on leave. Thereafter she became his next-of-kin – Mrs E. Emmerson, 4 Ingall Road, Plaistow, England. Rifleman Emmerson returned to New Zealand per the “Remuera”, embarking at Plymouth on 14 March 1918 and arriving on 9 May 1918. The Medical Board assembled on the “Remuera” on 3 April 1918 endorsed the earlier report. Progress was stationary. He was fit for light civil employment. His capacity for earning had been lessened at that time by three quarters. Private Jack Emmerson returned to Waimate minus an arm but plus an English wife.

He was discharged on 6 June 1918, being no longer physically fit for War Service on account of wounds received in Action. He was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his service in Egypt and Western Europe. From October 1916 his name was included in Waimate’s Roll of Honour, under Answered the Call, which was published regularly by the Waimate Daily Advertiser. He and his new wife headed to Waimate. An In Memoriam notice published in the Waimate Daily Advertiser of 2 May 1919 read – “EMMERSON. — ln affectionate memory of my dear mother, who departed this life May 2nd, 1915. The flowers we lay upon her grave may wither and decay, But love for her that lies beneath, will never fade away. — lnserted by her loving son and daughter-in-law, John and Elizabeth Emmerson.” All that is known is that Elizabeth returned to England. John Emmerson struck up a relationship with Alice Batchelor. Four children (registered Batchelor) were born to them from 1925 to 1928. In October 1925 John applied to the Timaru Borough Council for the transfer of the City Billiard Room licence to himself. The police report was satisfactory, and it was recommended that the application be granted. Trouble struck in February 1927, a meeting of creditors in the bankrupt estate of John Emmerson, billiard saloon proprietor of Timaru and formerly of Waimate, being held at the Timaru Courthouse. He had received £332.16s from the Pensions Office, in advance of his war pension, to purchase his saloon. There were, however, difficulties in attracting patronage and paying his debts. There being some support for Mr Emmerson, the meeting was adjourned sine die. The adjourned meeting was called for 4 April 1928 but lapsed for want of a quorum.

Further difficulties arose in June 1929, when an application was made for affiliation and maintenance orders against John Emmerson in respect of three illegitimate children under the care of the State. These were presumably the three eldest children. “Emmerson admitted being the father of the children. In the box, he said he was married, living apart from his wife. He was earning £3 a week, and had no other means besides this. In 15 months he would be drawing a pension. It took £3 a week to keep his house, and he could make no offer. There was nothing wrong with the children when they were taken away. The Magistrate made an order declaring Emmerson the father of the children, and made an order for 5/- per week for each child in the meantime.” In early August, John’s father, Malcolm Emmerson, was caught up in the troubles. “Malcolm Emmerson was charged that, being a near relative, to wit, grandfather, of three Batchelor children who are committed to the Child Welfare Department, he is of sufficient ability to contribute to their maintenance. The police stated that Emmerson had consented to pay 5/- per week for each child. The Magistrate said the father should be forced to pay to the utmost before the grandfather was called upon to pay. A variance of any order made could be applied for at any time. An order was made for the payment of 5/- a week for each child.”

What eventuated in the days following resulted in the maintenance order against John Emmerson (deceased) being cancelled and the arrears remitted on 3 September 1929. John Emmerson died on 13 August 1929 at his Waimate residence, aged 34 years. He was found dead at his residence, a gas tube lying alongside. Giving evidence of identification, his father Malcolm Emmerson stated that deceased was married, his wife residing in England. “He last saw him alive last Monday, but he gave no indication that he was going to take his life. The only worry he had had, as far as witness knew, was the taking of the two children from him by the State. Witness did not think his son had been drinking to excess of late.” Alice Batchelor, a single woman, said she had been living with the deceased in Leonard Street. She had four children of whom the deceased was the father. Three of the children had been taken care of by the State and she had the baby. On the morning of 13th August she left the house and went to Timaru by bus; Emmerson said he was too busy to come with her. Deceased seemed all right when she left, saying “Goodbye, have a good time.” She returned from Timaru about 5.45 p.m., and on opening the front door she smelt gas. Going through to the kitchen she discovered deceased lying face downwards on the floor close to the range. Over deceased’s head was an old sack and billiard cloth, and the gas was turned full on with the tube near deceased’s face. There was a note on the table, which concluded “Ta Ta darling, time’s up. —Jack.” There was also a letter – “Dear Alice, . . . . . Well, cheerio, dear, don’t forget 1 love you. Yours lovingly, Jack.” The message explained his thoughts and actions. He had been worrying on account of having to pay maintenance for the children under the care of the state, but he had given no indication of intention to take his life. In response to the coroner, Duncan Emmerson, brother of deceased, stated that deceased had surrendered his pension for three years. There were still ten months to go. The three-years’ pension which deceased drew he put into a billiard saloon in Timaru. The business turned out to be a failure as far as he was concerned, and he filed in bankruptcy. In April deceased stated that it would not be long before he got his pension back and remarked “They might have left the kids with us till then, anyway.” The following verdict was returned: “That the deceased, John Emmerson, died from the voluntary inhalation of coal gas while suffering severe depression from financial worries caused by an unsuccessful business venture and from the worry caused by the removal to the care of the State of three of his children.”

John Emmerson was accorded a military funeral when he was buried in the Waimate Old Cemetery. The cortege was headed by a firing party, and the Waimate Silver Band, and following were sixteen cars containing relatives and many returned soldiers. A large number attended at the graveside where the service was conducted by the Rev. Canon Cocks. Volleys were fired by the firing party, and the Last Post was sounded by Bugler V. Brenton. His estate – furniture and effects £20 and life policy £370 – was administered by the Public Trustee.

A distressing consequence – and probably a precursor – of John Emerson’s death was the heartless proceedings against his elderly father for maintenance of his children. Malcolm Emmerson appeared on default of maintenance, being £9 15s in arrears, in the Waimate Magistrate’s Court on 5 November 1929. Emmerson was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended as long as he paid the amount of the order and 2/6 per week off arrears. Malcolm Emmerson had married again in 1929. The R.S.A. did make moves to enquire into the situation, although the Waimate committee seemed reluctant to become publicly involved in the fiasco. Three years after the maintenance order against John Emmerson was cancelled, Malcom Emmerson was still held liable. At the sitting of the Waimate Magistrate’s Court on 1 September 1931, Malcolm Emmerson applied for the variation of a maintenance order of 15/- per week made in respect to his three grandchildren in the charge of the State. After complainant and his wife had given evidence in regard to earnings and expenditure, the Magistrate said that it appeared to be a case in which relief was warranted, and he made an order for the cancellation of arrears and reduced the order to 7/6 per week for 6 months. Another application for variation was made in April 1932. From 1 March 1932 the rate of 2/6 per week in respect of each child was to be paid.

A very sad and tragic end for a man who had distinguished himself in the war and had been mentioned in despatches for bravery at Messines, where he lost an arm. The incident, arising out of which his right arm was amputated above the elbow, is related in Col. Stewart’s Official History of the N.Z. Division. The Germans had raided the Ploegsteert Wood sector, in Belgium, which the New Zealanders had just taken over, and our forces suffered considerably. The book goes on: — “When our men on the flanks, penetrating the box barrage, got in touch with them (the Germans) they withdrew without offering resistance, leaving behind them some mobile charges, and stick grenades. Our rifle fire and bombs had killed and wounded some of the enemy, and these, except for one dead man, they took with them, together with their prisoners. One of these, Rifleman J. Emmerson, who had been wounded, escaped, but was again recaptured by a second party, some 80 strong, of the returning raiders. Near the enemy wire, Emmerson saw another chance of making a bid for freedom. He tripped up his burly guardian, wrenched himself free, and in a flash, despite his wound, dashed back for our lines. The Germans opened fire and hit him in two fresh places, but struggling on, he finally succeeded in reaching our lines in extreme exhaustion.” Rifleman Emmerson’s bravery in making his escape against such odds was commended in official despatches at the time.

In the late 1930s Malcolm and Beatrice Emmerson moved from Waimate to Christchurch, where Malcolm died in May 1942. In 1939 Alice Batchelor married Robert Henry Ellen, the widower of John Emmerson’s sister, Martha Catherine (Ruth) Emmerson who had died in 1918. Malcom Emmerson, a baker, Waimate, with four or more children, was actually listed on the World War One Reserve Rolls. The three youngest children were still quite young. Robert Henry Ellen (Bob), a nephew of John Emmerson, served in World War Two and was a prisoner of war in Italy.

A photograph of John Emmerson was printed in the NZ Truth of 29 August 1929.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [09 August 2016]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5537 0037977) [09 August 2016]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [09 August 2016]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 5 & 13 October 1915, 16 December 1905, 4 May 1915, 5 & 13 October 1915, 2 October 1916, 30 April 1917, 14 May 1917, 24 November 1917, 12 February 1927, 4 June 1929, 6, 14, 15 & 17 August 1929, 3 September 1929, 3 & 19 December 1929, Timaru Herald, 14 October 1915, 7 & 9 March 1917, 28 October 1925, 11 February 1927, 15 August 1929, 2 September 1931, 6 April 1932, Oamaru Mail, 14 October 1915, Otago Daily Times, 2 March 1917, 12 November 1917, NZ Herald, 2, 8 & 17 March 1917, Evening Post, 2 & 7 March 1917, 15 August 1929, Evening Star, 8 March 1917, Ashburton Guardian, , Press, 14 May 1918, 5 April 1927, 28 May 1942, NZ Truth, 29 August 1929, 12 December 1929, 2 January 1930 (Papers Past) [05, 09, 14 & 15 August 2016; 05 & 11 April 2022; 04 & 05 October 2023]; Timaru Herald, 15 August 1929 (Timaru District Library) [09 August 2016]; Probate record (Archives NZ/Family Search) [09 August 2016]; Waimate Cemetery burial record (Waimate District Council) [10 August 2016]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [11 April 2022; 03 October 2023]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• EMMERSON John - newspaper clippings (pdf, 491.9 KB updated 10-Nov-2023)

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