McHATTIE, Clarence John
(Service number 24/2511)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Staff Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 14/12/1892 | Place of Birth | Blenheim |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Tokomaru Bay | ||
| Occupation | Bank officer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | James McHATTIE (father), Timaru Post Office | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 5th Reinforcements, 2nd Battalion, F Company | ||
| Date | 1 April 1916 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Suez, Egypt | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
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 | 26 October 1951 | Age | 58 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Auckland | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated; ashes interred Waikumete Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Clarence John McHattie was born on 14 December 1892 at Blenheim, theson of James and Mary Elizabeth (née Mears) McHattie. When he enlisted, his father was employed in the Post Office at Timaru. C. J. McHattie was in a contingent of South Canterbury soldiers who came from Christchurch by a special train and were welcomed home on 9 May 1919. A great crowd gathered at the station and cheered loudly when they arrived. The soldiers expressed their appreciation to the ladies who gave them fruit and cigarettes. The Mayor congratulated the soldiers on their heroic achievements abroad, thanked them on behalf of the whole community and expressed the hope that they would soon regain their health, before calling for three hearty cheers for them. Mr Craigie, M.P., said that all were proud of what they had done in the struggle for liberty and freedom, and expressed the hope that “they would have many happy years in this prosperous land”. Clarence was appointed to the rank of Sergeant three months after enlisting. He reverted to ranks on 6 May 1916, after arriving in Egypt. He was later promoted to Lance Corporal in October 1916 at etaples, after being transferred to the Western Front, then again to Corporal late the follwoign moth. Finally he was promoted to Staff Sergeant on 19 April 1917 in France, a rank he held ntilreturnign to New Zealand and being discharged.
Clarence married Mary Ellen Oates in 1919. He died on 26 October 1951 at Auckland, aged 58 years, and was cremated, his ashes being interred in Waikumete Cemetery. His wife survived him by more than 38 years.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [23 June 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Depratment of Internal Affairs) [24 June 2020]; Waikumete Cemetery record (Auckland Council) [23 June 2020]; Timaru Herald, 10 May 1919 (Papers Past) [21 June 2020]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.