Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Richard Herbert Barton, born at Timaru 19 February 1891, the only son of Edwin John and Mary Jane Barton nee Winchcombe of 9 Rhodes Street Timaru,

Prior to enlisting he was living at 110 Yarrow Street, Invercargill and working as a carpenter for P.C. Lee, builders, Invercargill. He joined up in Invercargill 12 August 1914 with the Otago Mounted Rifles, machine gun section, with the rank of Trooper. His enlistment forms state he had previous military service with the Canterbury Yeomanry for three years and had served in the NZ Ambulance Service for a year. He appeared to have still been serving with the Territorial Unit, the 7th Mounted Rifles. He is described as being aged 23, single, of dark complexion, chest 34 inches, 160 lbs in weight, 5 foot 8 ½ inches tall, eyes brown, hair brown and having artificial top teeth and good lower teeth. Richard served in NZ from 12 August to 14 October 1914 and embarked from Port Chalmers 16 October aboard the Hawkes Bay for Suez, Egypt arriving 4 December 1914.

In Egypt Richard would have undergone another round of training and conditioning after his long sea voyage. In late March he spent four days in hospital with tonsillitus, but prior to moving to the Dardanelles, and while recovering, he no doubt would have had an opportunity to take in the foreign sights of Egypt. Perhaps as a result he was admitted to the venereal hopsital at Alexandria on 25 April 1915 for a week. A month later, on 25 May 1915 he was taken on strneght at the base depot, Mustapha, before embarking for the Dardanelles. There he was killed in action barely two weeks later on 16 June, while serving at No.2 Outpost on Walker's Ridge.

Back home his parents learnt of his death in a most unfortunate way in October 1915. A swag was deposited at the door reading “Deceased R.H. Barton 9/548”. This was the first and only intimation that anything had happened to their son. The parcel contained a few personal belongings and letters from his mother and sisters. Considerable indignation was expressed by friends of the bereaved family when they heard of the tragic happening. Richard had been killed in action at the H2 outpost, Walker’s Ridge 16 June 1915 and was buried 17 June by Chaplain Bush King in the No.2 Outpost Cemetery.

Richard’s 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal were sent to his father along with a plaque and scroll after the war. Richard's name is on as "Burt" on the family headstone in Timaru Cemetery.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (October 2014); Military service record, Archives NZ; NZ War Graves Project; Poverty Bay Herald, 9 Oct 1915; Press, 9 Oct 1915; Timaru District Council cemeteries database

External Links

Related Documents

• Mountainview High School Roll of Honour (pdf, 809.5 KB updated 13-May-2016)

Researched and Written by

Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald; Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.