WATTERS, John
(Service number 47378)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 17/10/1887 | Place of Birth | Scotland |
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Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | |||
| Occupation | Farm hand | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | |||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
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Embarkation Information
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| Date | |||
| Transport | |||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
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| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
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| 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 | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
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| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Watters was born on 17 October 1887 in Scotland, the son of Thomas and Isabella Watters [source – Personnel file]. John stated that his parents were both deceased and he had been in New Zealand for six years when he enlisted. John Watters, a farm labourer of Clandeboye, was called up in 1917. He had handed in his name at the Timaru Defence Office in March 1916 and had been medically examined at Temuka but rejected because of bad feet. He did have a flat foot but was able to plough and work horses all day. He was assessed as Fit Class A. John Duncan Watters, a farmer labourer at Factory Road, Temuka, was registered on the 1914 and 1919 Temuka electoral rolls. A “send-off” for the Temuka, Geraldine, and districts’ representatives for the 25th Reinforcements was held on 20 February 1917. The men, their relatives and friends were entertained at afternoon tea by the Ladies’ Patriotic Entertainment Committee. The men were bade farewell with best wishes. “Everyone knew they would do their duty, and when they came back they would get a hearty welcome.” Captain Hawkes (S.A.) said, “The men were going on a journey they never made before; on a journey it was not often given to a man to take. . . . . . . They were going to the front to stand for truth, liberty and righteousness, . . . . .” The men marched in procession to the railway station, headed by the Brass Band, along crowded streets. There the Mayor called for three hearty cheers. Major Kennedy reiterated that the men going away were leaving the civilian life that day to take up the life of a soldier, and that they were going to fight for the freedom of the whole human race. When the men took their seats in the train and left, they were cheered again and again, the Band playing “Soldiers of the King”. One of those who left was John Watters, of Clandeboye, one of about 90 South Canterbury men on the train. Private Watters was a guest at a farewell social in Clandeboye Hall on 13 April 1917.
Sources
Timaru Herald, 29 March 1916, 3 April 1916, 20 February 1917, Temuka Leader, 17 & 22 February 1917, 10 April 1917 (Papers Past) [24, 27 & 28 August 2020]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [27 August 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.