WARRILOW, Claude Andrew
(Service number 6/2007)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 23 April 1887 | Place of Birth | London |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 7 January 1915 | Age | 27 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Grey Road, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Butcher (Timaru) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Belonged to 2nd South Canterbury Band, Timaru (previous service only at Band work) | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs HEALEY (sister), 65 Kennington Road, London, England | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 4th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 17 April 1915 | ||
| Transport | Willochra or Knight Templar or Waitomo | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Balkan (Gallipoli); Egyptian | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-15 Star; 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 | 18 March 1969 | Age | 81 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Wanganui Hospital | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Aramoho Cemetery, Whanganui | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Claude Andrew Warrilow was born on 23 April 1891 in London, England, the third son of William James and Mary Ann (née Marshall) Warrilow. He was baptised on 18 May 1887 at St Andrew’s, Plaistow, Essex. Claude was at home at East Ham, Essex with his parents and siblings in 1891, and with his widowed mother at Prittlewell, Essex in 1901, there too his eldest sister, Amelia Selina Healey. His father had died in 1896, and his mother was to die in 1902. It appears that Claude had come to New Zealand in about 1907-1908. Claude was a carter, residing with Mr Ferguson in Grey Road, Timaru in 1914. In December of that year he was playing cricket.
Claude enlisted on 7 January 1915 at Trentham. A butcher, his address Grey Road, Timaru, single and of Church of England affiliation, he named his sister as next-of-kin – Mrs Healey, 65 Kennington Road, London, England. He belonged to the 2nd South Canterbury Band, Timaru, having served only at Band work. Corporal C. A. Warrilow embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 4th Reinforcements, departing on 17 April 1915. But before long – on 7 August 1915, after serving in the Balkans and Egypt, he was invalided home per the “Tahiti”, permanently unfit. He was discharged on 26 September 1915, medically unfit for active service, fit for civil employment, and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. At the Band’s annual meeting in May 1917, C. Warrilow was included in a list read out giving the names of the members who had left for the front since the war.
A very pleasant evening was spent by the members of the 2nd (S.C.) Regimental Band, in the band room, on the night of 20 September 1915, the occasion being the welcoming home of Bandsman G. [sic] Warrilow, who has been fighting for King and Country on the Gallipoli Peninsula. Mr Schnack, tho conductor., presided, and speaking on behalf of the bandsmen said that he looked forward to the time when he would be able to welcome home other members who were reflecting such great credit on their country. Toasts proposed were: “The King,” and “Absent members of the Band.” Several bandsmen contributed musical items, which were much enjoyed. Mr Warrilow then narrated some interesting experiences of the war and was warmly applauded on resuming his seat. [Timaru Herald, 22 September 1915.] In February 1933, history of the Timaru Municipal Band was recalled. A Roll of Honour list of members of the band who served in the War included C. Warrilow.
Claude Andrew Warrilow married Elizabeth Campbell Dunbar on 7 August 1918 at Totaratahi, North Otago (Weston-Waiareka Presbyterian Parish). Elizabeth had been born at Waimate. Her brother, John David Dunbar was killed in action in 1918 at the Somme. Three sons and three daughters were born to Claude and Elizabath. The Wellington Land Board granted C. A. Warrilw’s application under the Discharged Soldiers’ Settlement Act for a soldier’s section in May 1916. He was allocated Section 11 in the Pouwhakarua block. A few months later he was advanced £15 for stock. So it was, Calude Warrilow took up farming at Maungaweka. Two sons of Claude and Elizabeth served in World War Two – the eldest William Dunbar Warrilow, and Douglas Claude Warrilow who lost his life in the Tangiwai disaster on 24 December 1953. Two brothers of Claude Andrew Warrilow served in World War One – Gunner Ernest Charles Warrilow with the Royal Field Artillery in France and Frederick James Warrilow with King’s Royal Rifle Corps. Claude Andrew Warrolow died at Wanganui Hospital on 18 March 1969, aged 81 years, and was buried at Aramoho Cemetery, Wanganui. Elizabeth died in January 1975 and was buried with him.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 April 2026]; Timaru Herald, 22 September 1915, 23 May 1917, 11 February 1933 (Papers Past) [20 & 21 April 2026]; Baptism record (ancestry.com.au) [21 April 2026]; Aramoho Cemetery, Wanganui headstone transcription.
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.