ANDERSON, Ernest Edward
(Service number 27193)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 16/03/1895 | Place of Birth | Pleasant Point |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | C/o W. J. Wills, Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Coach builder | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Edith ANDERSON (mother), P.O., Outram | ||
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, J Company | ||
| Date | 25 September 1916 | ||
| Transport | Devon | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 1 Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Western European 1916-1917 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 15 January 1977 | Age | 81 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Christchurch | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Harewood Crematorium | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Ernest Edward Anderson was born on 16 March 1895 at Pleasant Point, Canterbury. He was the fourth child (and third son) of Robert Augustus Anderson and Edyth Alice Anderson (nee Box). The family migrated to New Zealand on board the Echunga, arriving in Timaru on 24 December 1862. Ernest came from a family of eight in all: William (Bill) Robert Anderson (1887-1963); Henry/Harry Leslie Anderson (1889-1975); Gladys Emma Berry Anderson (1892-1975); Ernest Edward Anderson (1895-1977); Robert Anderson (1896-1898); Dorothy Joyce Anderson (1900-1971); Edythe Marjorie Anderson (1902-1978); and Lily Anderson (1905-1972). Ernest was enrolled at Pleasant Point School on 6 February 1905, where he received his education.
Ernest, a coachbuilder for WJ Wills of Waimate, enlisted in the army in 1916 (service number 27193), with the 17th Reinforcements, J Company, NZ Expeditionary Force, before being assigned to 1 Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment, serving in the in Western European campaign in 1916 and 1917. On 13 August 1917 he became sick and was admitted to No.1 Australian Casualty Clearing Station (CCS).
In March 1918 Ernest returned to New Zealand on board the ‘Tahiti’, no longer physically fit for service on account of illness contracted while on active service. He was finally being discharged on 17 April 1918. He had served overseas for one year and 177 days, plus another 144 days in New Zealand. For his service he was awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.
After his war service he lived in Waimate and was a motor body builder by trade. He married Mary Ellen Cordner (1899-1982) in 1922. The couple had two children: Desmond Alexander Robert Anderson (1914-1997) and John Raymond (Barny) Anderson. They moved to Christchurch in the 1930s and lived there until his death on 13 January 1977 while living in Fendalton. His wife Mary Ellen died in 1982. Both were cremated at the Harewood Crematorium in Christchurch.
Ernest’s brother Henry Leslie Anderson also served overseas in World War One, while his oldest brother William Robert Anderson enlisted for home service.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [04 April 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [April 2020]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [07 April 2020]; SCRoll web submission by J Dunbar, 11 April 2024
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