Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Ebenezer Hislop Jamieson, who may have been known as Hislop, was born on 7 April 1872 at Leith, Midlothian, Scotland, the first-born of Robert Guthrie and Elizabeth Jane (née Gale) Jamieson. The family came to New Zealand in the late 1870s. Ebenezer’s early education in New Zealand was at Lower Moutere in the Motueka area. His parents died in Dunedin, his mother in 1894 and his father in 1898. Ebenezer started his working life with the Railways, as a shunter. He married Robina Macintosh Winter in 1895. Robina was the daughter of John Winton who arrived at Port Chalmers in 1848 in the “Philip Laing”. Their first child, Robert Guthrie Jamieson, who was named for his paternal grandfather, was born in 1896 at Lawrence, Otago. Robert, too, saw service in World War One. For some years the family lived at Oamaru, where four more children were born – Ruby in 1902, John in 1905, Nellie in 1906 and Dougal in 1911. In about 1913 they moved to Waimate, where their two youngest children attended Waimate Main School. It appears that he may have been contracted to oversee a number of new buildings, alterations and additions in the town.

At Waimate Mr E. H. Jamieson was involved with the Waimate Highland Pipe Band and served as secretary. He was also a member of the Rifle Club and the Waimate Racing Club, and he sang at entertainments. He had served with the Dunedin Highland Rifles for three years, resigning when he left the district. Ebenezer Jamieson enlisted on 30 March 1916. The Waimate Daily Advertiser of 19 April 1916 relayed from the Trentham Camp Courier - “E. Hislop Jamieson, late secretary of the Waimate Pipe Band and ex-Pipe-Major of the Oamaru Pipe Band, and now a member of the 14th Engineers, was among Celtic visitors on Sunday last to Hut 113, “The Pipers’ Rest,” where . . . . .” On the evening of 6 June 1916, the members of the Pipe Band gathered in the Bandroom to bid farewell to Sergt. E. H. Jamieson, late secretary of the Band. After the toasts, “eulogistic speeches about the guest’s many good qualities shown in the Band and in other public bodies were made . . . . All God-speed and a safe return. “Mr Jamieson replied and in doing so gave a very interesting account of the camp life from the time of leaving Waimate up to the present and gave many amusing anecdotes.” After cheers were given for the departing men (another band member was soon to depart), the gathering closed with the singing of “God Save the King” and “Auld Lang Syne.” On 8 June, it was the turn of the Waimate Rifle Club to tender a send-off social to their secretary, Sergeant E. H. Jamieson. The toast of the Navy and Army was replied to by Sergt. Jamieson. “The Guest of the Evening” was spoken to by J. H White, who had known Sergeant Jamieson years ago, when he was a guard on the railway in Central Otago. “All complimented him on his good work as the first secretary of the Rifle Club and wished him God-speed in his campaigning and a safe return.” He was presented with a wristlet watch with illuminated face. “The recipient’s response was of an interesting nature, mainly descriptive of camp life at Trentham.” Sergt. Jamieson, accompanied by Mrs Jamieson, left for Wellington on 9 June.

At the annual meeting of the Waimate Scottish Association held in June 1916, the report read, in part – “Our ranks have been further depleted by the departure of many of our younger members for the front and the Society is proud that so many of its younger members have responded to the call of duty. On the Roll of Honour we have to record the names of Lieut. H, E. McGowan, Sergt. Robert Jamieson, Private J. Sutherland, Rifleman W. White, Thomas Mitchell, Privates W. Campbell, J. Campbell, H. L. Cameron, Robert Cameron, David Cameron, R. R. G. Rattray, J. Borthwick, E. H. Jamieson — all members or sons of members. We miss them from our gatherings but congratulate them on having answered the call and we trust to see them safely return.”

A set of Highland war pipes, full ivory mounted, several sets of reeds, and case inscribed: “Presented by the Salvation Army,” were presented for the use of the ten pipers in the 14th Reinforcements. It was desired that, if practicable, the instrument should be carried into the firing line by the 14th Engineers. The pipes were entrusted to Pipe-Major E. H. Jamieson, one of the corporals of the company, with instructions “to defend them with his life.”

A married man with five children, the youngest just five years old, Ebenezer named his wife as next-of-kin – Mrs Robina Jamieson, High Street, Waimate. Lance Corporal E. B. Jamieson embarked with the New Zealand Engineers of the 14th Reinforcements, departing from Wellington on 26 June 1916. 26417 T.-S.M. E. H. Jamieson, of Waimate, returned to New Zealand by the “Rimutaka” (Draft 248) which was expected to arrive at Wellington on 17 May 1919. He had been instructing in building construction to the educational department in the army. He was discharged on 5 August 1919 and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The name of E. Hislop Jamieson appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of Answered the Call. His name also appeared on the Oamaru Fire Brigade Roll of Honour.

After the war, Ebenezer and Robina moved to Palmerston North, where he continued to practise as an architect. “After being embedded in the flesh of the palm of the hand of Mr E. Hislop Jamieson for nearly seven years, a piece of a Mills bomb, with which he was struck a quarter of an hour before the Armistice, has worked out in natural fashion. The small piece of cast iron was shown to a “Standard” reporter this morning by Mr Jamieson, who stated that, when the bomb exploded, several pieces were embedded in his hand, all but one being extracted. That fragment was left in as it was near the joint of the first finger and could not be removed without the loss of the digit. The only discomfort which its presence occasioned was a slight ache, and the fact that no form of poisoning resulted, the former soldier states, hears out the contention that the Mills bomb was the most humane article of war of its type, inasmuch as it was claimed for it that its material did not occasion any poisoning when it entered the flesh. Mr Jamieson served with the New Zealand Engineers . . . .” [Manawatu Standard. 31 August 1925.] He died on 28 September 1958 at Rotorua, aged 86 years, and was buried at Kelvin Grove Cemetery, Palmerston North, with Robina who had died in 1954.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [06 July 2022]; Kelvin Grove Cemetery headstone image & burial record (Palmerston Noth City Council) [21 July 2022]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [21 July 2022]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 19 April 1916, 7, 9, 27 & 29 June 1916, 30 May 1918, NZ Times, 2 May 1919, Timaru Herald, 7 April 1919, 5 May 1919, Manawatu Standard, 31 August 1925 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 21 July 2022]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file
• Other military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.