Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

James Gregory Brosnahan, known as Gregory, was born on 25 May 1894 at Timaru, the younger son of Timothy (Timothy H. – son of Hugh) Brosnahan and his wife, Eliza (née Connor/O’Connor). He was baptised (Jas Gregory Brosnan) on 22 June 1894 at the Catholic Parish of Timaru. Timothy and Eliza who both hailed from Ireland married in 1872 at Temuka. They had five daughters and two sons, only two of whom married. Eliza died on 6 February 1907 when Gregory was only 12 years old. Gregory attended Sacred Heart School, Timaru, the family then living at Levels, and the Marist Brothers School in Timaru, then Seadown School from 1906. At school he was known as Gregory.

On 12 February 1914, a number of members of the training section of the Territorial forces were charged with failing to attend drills. James Gregory Brosnahan was fined 5s and costs. It was stated that he had only attended one parade out of six and had not applied for leave of absence. James Gregorgy Brosnahan, farm hand, Washdyke, Timaru was listed on the 1916 Reserve Rolls. He was called up in 1916, but he had already been recruited and left Timaru for Trentham on 15 December 1915, with the Mounted Rifles. James Gregory Brosnahan had been medically examined at Timaru on 17 November 1915. He was 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighed 123 pounds, and had a chest measurement of 30½-32½ inches, a fair complexion, brown hair and grey eyes. Sight in his right eye was good, not so in the left; his hearing and colour vision were correct; his limbs and chest well formed; and his heart and lungs normal. He had had no illnesses or diseases, was vaccinated, and was in good bodily and mental health. He did have a slight hesitation in his speech.

James G. Brosnahan, Washdyke, was one of the South Canterbury recruits for the Eleventh Reinforcements (Mounted Rifles), who left Timaru on 15 December 1915 for Trentham. There he enlisted that day or the next. He belonged to the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment. A farm hand for his father at Washdyke near Timaru, single and Roman Catholic, he named his father as next-of-kin – T. H. Brosnahan, Washdyke, Timaru. Private James Gregory Brosnahan was admitted to hospital at Featherston Camp on 3 February 1916, his disease not yet diagnosed. When he was discharged on 14 February 1916, a Medical Board was assembled at Featherston Military Camp for the purpose of examining and reporting the present state of health Pvt J. G. Brosnahan, C Sqdn 11th. The Board found that there was no evidence of any disease or deficiency which would have rendered him unfit for service. He was deemed fit for “general service”, and it was recommended that he carry on. Posted initially to C Squadron, 11th Reinforcements, he was transferred to the 2nd Reserves on 11 March 1916, then to the 12th Mounted Rifles on 5 April 1916, and to the Reserves Squadron on 28 April. Just nine days later he was again transferred, this time to the 16th Mounted Rifles, then on 20 August 1916 to the Mounted Details. Private Brosnahan had been again admitted to hospital at Featherston Military Camp on 14 May 1916, his disease again not yet diagnosed, and discharged on 18 May.

Trooper J. G. Brosnahan, Mounted Rifles Details, 16th Reinforcements, was a stowaway (reported in a cable from Fremantle on 2 September 1916), on Transport 61, “Aparima”, leaving from Wellington on 19 August 1916. Admitted to the Ship’s Hospital at Sea on 20 September 1916, with pain in his stomach, he returned to duty on 25 September. Disembarking at Devonport, England on 25 October 1916, he marched into Sling. Having marched into Tidworth from Sling on 2 November 1916, he was posted to the Otago Mounted Rifles. He marched out to the New Zealand Command Depot at Codford four weeks later [30 November 1916] and was taken on Strength.

He was admitted to the New Zealand General Hospital at Brockenhurst on 19 February 1917, suffering from partial obstruction of bowels which was operated on that day. He had been experiencing slight rigidity and great tenderness over the iliac region, and colicky pain since the appendicectomy. He had been admitted to the 3rd New Zealand General Hospital at Codford on 28 December 1916 and operated on for appendicitis on 6 January 1917. Suffering from chronic intestinal obstruction, he had a further operation on 24 February 1917 and got his stitches out on 3 March. As of mid-March, he was progressing favourably, and as of 23 March his condition was unchanged. His was reported as a not severe case. Seven weeks after the operation, his wound had healed well but he was experiencing difficult bowel problems. He was detailed On Command on 6 April 1917 and transferred to temporary duty at the 1st NZ General Hospital at Brockenhurst on 16 April 1917, only to be admitted to No. 1 New Zealand General Hospital at Brockenhurst from Staff again on 9 May, this time affected with nervous debility. On 8 May he felt giddy and fainted, unconscious for about a minute. He attributed the faint to the drops in his eye for an optical scan. There was nothing abnormal in his nervous system or circulation. A witness considered his “faint” may have been epileptic. On 17 May the patient was up and fit for return to his ward work. There was no return of symptoms or “turns”. He was again transferred for duty at Brockenhurst on 22 May 1917. While attached to the NZ General Hospital at Brockenhurst (Staff), he suffered an acute onset of abdominal pain and tenderness, with extreme nervousness and debility (abdominal colic) and was again admitted to hospital on 7 July 1917. The condition was probably due to the obstruction after the appendicectomy. After another transfer to duty (On Command) at Brockenhurst on 24 July 1917, he was admitted to the 1st NZ General Hospital at Brockenhurst yet again on 28 August 1917, suffering from debility and weak abdominal scar. On each occasion, his was listed as a not severe case.

Meanwhile, on 19 August 1917 at Bournemouth, Gregory had forfeited 4 days’ pay by award and had been confined to barracks for 10 days for refusing to obey orders of Superior Officers. A Medical Report was compiled on 3 September 1917 at No. 1 NZ General Hospital, Brockenhurst, with regard to the Disability of Trooper J. G. Brosnahan. Reference was again made to his 2 months in hospital in Egypt in May 1916 for enteric fever, that being the origin of his disability. But Trooper Brosnahan did not leave New Zealand until August 1916, reaching England in October 1916. Had he perhaps served earlier under a different name? Or perhaps he had delusions? Since his hospital discharge on 24 July 1917, he had been very neurotic and at times behaved “strangely”. The cause of his disability was considered to be enteric fever on military service. “Patient has very nervous disposition – stuttering speech – fine tremor in hands – often has attacks of faintness and giddiness. Easily excited. Generally undersized. Static scoliosis – pot belly – poorly developed chest. Large abdominal pararectal scar – no tenderness. Irritable heart. Weight 118 lbs [pounds]. Chest measurement Exp. 30. Insp. 31½.” Two operations had been performed. It was recommended that he be sent to New Zealand for discharge as permanently unfit for active service.

Classified as unfit on 10 September 1917, he returned from “On Command” and was discharged from Brockenhurst to the New Zealand Discharge Depot at Torquay on 21 September. He embarked at Plymouth on 2 November 1917 per the “Tainui” to return to New Zealand. Mr T. H. Brosnahan, of Washdyke, received word in December 1917 that his son, Gregory Brosnahan, who had been with the Forces for a considerable time, was returning home, and would arrive at Lyttelton at an early date. 16270 Private James G. Brosnahan was one of 442 wounded and invalid soldiers who returned on Draft No. 130, arriving at Auckland on a hospital ship and reaching Lyttelton by ferry steamer on 5 January 1918. There were no serious cases, and the men were said to have benefitted by the trip. James had been in English hospitals for a lengthy period and was now returning to New Zealand for final discharge. A Medical Board which had been assembled at Auckland (on board the Troopship “Tainui”) on 3 January 1918 endorsed the finding of Debility as Brosnahan’s original disability

and caused by enteric fever, and recommended discharge. He was now improving. Gregory and John Edward O’Connor, also of Seadown, were in a small group of South Canterbury men who had returned home invalided and were given a hearty reception. The Mayor congratulated them on the service they had rendered their country, thanked them on behalf of the people of South Canterbury, and expressed the hope that they would soon be restored to normal health again. He was discharged on 31 January 1918, no longer physically fit for war service on account of illness contracted on Active Service. He was awarded the British War Medal, having not got beyond England. After his discharge, it was found that 5 pounds 19 shillings was to be credited to him.

Gregory returned to Washdyke and resumed farming. James Gregory Brosnahan was charged in the Timaru Magistrate’s Court in late May 1922 with having stolen a horse valued at £l6, trap £40, harness £l2, rug and whip £2, the property of Henry Forward, livery stableman, Temuka. The accused had hired the turnout from Mr Forward, and as it was not returned to him, he made enquiries and found that it had been sold to Gordon Bros., of Waimate. Accused was subsequently arrested at Waihaorunga, and pleaded guilty in the Court, and was remanded. “James Gregory Brosnahan appeared for sentence for having stolen a horse and cart at Temuka. Mr J. Elmslie, in asking for probation, stated that the prisoner was in some respects mentally and physically deficient, which weaknesses had been aggravated by wounds received while on active service. The present offence appeared to have been due to a drinking bout. Mr A. T. Donnelly, Crown Prosecutor, agreed that the facts as stated by counsel were correct. His Honour said that the case was one of a type that was familiar, the prisoner having given way to drink, and done something that he would not have done had he been sober. Prisoner would be admitted to probation for three years on condition that he took out a prohibition order, and made complete restitution.” [Press, 17 June 1922.] Gregory’s father, Timothy Brosnahan, died at his Washdyke residence on 26 June 1922 and was buried at Temuka with Eliza. Gregory and his eldest sister Deborah stayed on at Washdyke, Levels, Gregory retiring after Deborah’s death in 1953. It was to Deborah that allotments had been paid while Gregory was overseas.

James Gregory Brosnahan had another lapse on 23 July 1936 at Timaru, stealing a woman’s bicycle in what was described as a particularly mean theft. There was no necessity for him to steal the bicycle, for he could have afforded to buy a machine much better than the person from whom it was taken, said the prosecuting Sergeant Hewitt in the Magistrate’s Court. Brosnahan pleaded guilty to stealing a bicycle valued at £8. He had “taken the bicycle while under the influence of liquor, and therefore did not weigh up the advantages to himself and disadvantages to the girl. The fact that he appropriated the woman’s machine showed he did not know what he was doing.” Counsel suggested that accused, who had gone straight for 11 years, should be admitted to probation. A fine of £5 was imposed, the accused being allowed one week in which to pay the fine.

James Gregory Brosnahan, a resident of Levels, died at the Timaru Public Hospital on 28 November 1958, aged 64 years. Following a Requiem Mass at St Joseph’s Church, Timaru, he was buried in the Soldiers’ section of Temuka Cemetery, a Services stone marking his grave. His brother, Mr H. P. Brosnahan (Hugh), Seadown, was his next-of-kin at his death. By his Will, James Gregory Brosnahan bequeathed £50 to the Roman Catholic priest for the purpose of celebrating masses for the repose of his soul, and he bequeathed his estate to his nieces, the daughters of his brother Hugh Patrick Brosnahan. He appointed his nephew John Thomas O’Connor as sole executor and trustee of his Will. (John Thomas O’Connor married Ita Christina Brosnahan, daughter of Hugh and niece of Gregory).

Pte. [sic] G. Brosnahan is one of the Returned Soldiers whose names are inscribed on an oaken honours board, which was unveiled in a ceremony at the Seadown School in August 1920. A large gathering of Seadown residents and visitors from neighbouring districts took part in the unveiling and the accompanying musical service, which concluded with the sounding of the “Last Post”. Below the names is the inscription: “Their names shall remain for ever, and their glory shall not be blotted out.” Many relatives (cousins among them) served in World War One, so intertwined were the Kerrytown families – Timothy John Brosnahan was killed in action in 1916 in France, son of Hugh (“The Pub”) Brosnahan; Louis Brosnahan and Patrick Joseph Brosnahan, sons of Hugh (“The Pub”) Brosnahan; Daniel Joseph Brosnahan, son of John Hugh Brosnahan; Hugh Hoare, son of Mary Brosnahan; James Francis Poff, Francis (Frank) Patrick Joseph Poff and Leo John Aloysius Poff, sons of Johannah Brosnahan; Michael Brosnan/Brosnahan and James Timothy Brosnahan, sons of Timothy Michael (ThadyMick) Brosnahan; Michael (Mick) Anthony Spring died of wounds in 1915 at Gallipoli, son of Margaret Brosnahan; Thomas Leonard, son of Johannah (Hannah) Brosnahan; Timothy Gregory Breen, son of Norah Brosnahan; Daniel Scannell and Christopher Patrick Scannell, sons of Mary Brosnahan; Timothy Joseph Perry was killed in action in 1917 in Belgium, son of Catherine (Kate) Brosnahan; Timothy Joseph Brosnahan was killed in action in 1918 in France, son of Hugh Brosnahan. And in World War Two – Hugh Patrick Brosnahan, son of Hugh Francis Brosnahan; Cecil Patrick McEvedy served in the Navy, son of Emma Brosnahan; Timothy John McGrath served in the Air Force, son of Nora Brosnahan; Beatrice Mary Brosnahan served in the Air Force, daughter of Louis Brosnahan; Cecil Patrick Hoare, grandson of Mary Brosnahan; Fergus Patrick Brosnan, son of Timothy Michael (Thady Mick) Brosnan; Michael James Sullivan, son of Lucy Bridget Brosnan and grandson of Timothy Michael (Thady Mick) Brosnan; Eugene Augustus Breen, grandson of Norah Brosnahan; Hugh Brosnahan was killed in action in 1942 in North Africa, and Patrick Francis Brosnahan was killed in action in 1943 in North Africa, sons of Hugh Brosnahan and brothers of Timothy Joseph killed in action in 1918; Daniel Peter Brosnahan, son of Cornelius Brosnahan; in addition, Joseph Patrick Brosnahan, son of Joseph Patrick Brosnahan served in Malaya from 1948 to 1964.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [29 July 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5530 0018535) [27 August 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Collections – Record number 0128235) [23 February 2026]; Temuka Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [28 August 2013]; Timaru Herald, 29 November 1958 (Timaru District Library) [11 April 2014]; Baptism record (Christchurch Catholic Diocese Baptisms Index CD - held by South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [19 July 2015]; Timaru Herald, 7 February 1907, 13 February 1914, 9 December 1915, 17 September 1917, 24 December 1917, 5 & 7 January 1918, 21 August 1920, 29 & 30 May 1922, 27 June 1922, 5 August 1936, Evening Post, 28 February 1917, 25 July 1917, 3 January 1918, Press, 28 February 1917, 25 July 1917, 4 January 1918, 31 May 1922, 17 June 1922, Mataura Ensign, 28 February 1917, Sun, 28 February 1917, 25 July 1917, 3 January 1918, Dominion, 7 April 1917, 13 September 1917, Lyttelton Times, 25 July 1917, Temuka Leader, 24 August 1920 (Papers Past) [01 September 2014; 10, 11 & 13 February 2016; 09 February 2018; 31 March 2018; 09 October 2018; 25 March 2020; 04 January 2021; 01 August 2022; 07 & 22 February 2026]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG); NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au); Probate record (Archives NZ/Family Search) [15 June 2014]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

TS