Profile

CHARTERIS, Malcolm Maxwell McInnes
(Service number 12/874)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 29 January 1886 Place of Birth Temuka

Enlistment Information

Date 7 September 1914 Age 28
Address at Enlistment Whangarei
Occupation Farmer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Single
Next of Kin D. Charteris (father), New Plymouth, Taranaki
Religion Church of England
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship Auckland Infantry Battalion
Date 16 October 1914
Transport Star of India or Waimana
Embarked From Auckland Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Auckland Infantry Battalion, 16th (Waikato) Co

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Military Awards

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

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 25 April 1915 Age 28
Place of Death Gallipoli, Turkey
Cause Killed in action
Notices Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 143, 16 June 1915, Page 5
Memorial or Cemetery Lone Pine Memorial, Lone Pine Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey
Memorial Reference 72
New Zealand Memorials On Memorial wall, Timaru; Temuka RSA Roll of Honour; Temuka War Memorial

Biographical Notes

Son of David and Esther Bertha Charteris of Glenalmond, New Plymouth. Malcolm was one of eight children. Another of which also served, William Francis (no.44253).

Malcolm Attended school in Temuka, starting in 1893 and finishing in 1896 when the family moved to the North Island. There his father, David, was a stock & station agent based in Devon St, New Plymouth.

Malcolm landed at Gallipoli on 25 April with the Auckland Infantry, who suffered heavy casualties during the landing. He was initially reported as “missing believed dead” until a Court of Enquiry confirmed his death. Local newspapers reported his fate back home:

New Zealand Herald, Volume LII, Issue 15947, 18 June 1915: “Private Malcolm Charteris, reported today amongst the missing, is a son of Mr.D Charteris, of New Plymouth. For many years he worked at Messrs. Ellis and Burnand's sawmill at Mangapehi, King Country. There He was extremely popular in sporting circles, being a fine Rugby football player. He represented the Maniapoto Rugby Union on more than one occasion, and played wing-forward for South Auckland against Auckland. Of splendid physique, he was typical of the colonial Scotchman. He left New Zealand with the Auckland Infantry Battalion in the main force.”

Malcolm’s wider family suffered a number of losses. His death was amongst those referred to by the Taranaki Daily News , 27 June 1917, Page 4:

“Mr David Charteris, Fitzroy, received word on Saturday that one of his grandsons had been seriously wounded at Messines. This makes the seventh case of a casualty among the near relatives of Mr Charteris. Three members of the family have been killed, a son and a grandson, at Gallipoli, and a nephew in France, while four have been wounded, two nephews in France, a son-in-law at Gallipoli, and the grandson already mentioned. In addition to these Mr Charteris has a son in training in England, three nephews fighting in France, and a grandson holding a position as masseur at the institution in Rotorua for the treatment of wounded soldiers.”

Sources

Cenotaph Jan 2014; http://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/malcolm-maxwell-mcinnes-charteris; Paperspast http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/ ; Births, Deaths & Marriages online www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz

External Links

Related Documents

Researched and Written by

Carol Bell, SC branch NZSG & Timaru Herald; Liz Shea, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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