Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Charles William James Berry, known as Bill, was the eldest son of James and Sarah Ann (née Champion) Berry. He was born on 23 February 1885 at Waimate, the second of nine children (two dying in infancy). James Berry who arrived in New Zealand in 1875 went almost immediately to Waimate where he was a contractor for 29 years before taking up a farm in the Norton Settlement in 1904. He was the refuse removal contractor to the Waimate Borough Council. Sarah Ann Champion was the first white child to be born in Waimate (1862), her father having landed at Timaru from the “Strathallan”. James and Sarah married in 1884. Charles married Alma Florence Hosking in 1910. Their only child, Irene Elma Berry was born in 1917. In December 1910, Charles W. Berry acquired a ¼-acre section, with 4-roomcd dwelling, in Edward Street, Waimate.

A farm labourer at Waimate, he enlisted on 7 June 1918 at Timaru, having been called up from the Reserve Rolls, Second Division (married men with one child) in May. A Medical Board which commenced sittings at Timaru on 6 June 1918 passed C. W. J. Berry and others Fit A. Standing at 5 feet 7 inches and weighing 149 pounds, with a chest measurement of 37-39 inches, he had a fair complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. blue. His sight, hearing, colour vision, heart and lungs were all normal, his limbs and chest well formed. He was free from diseases, had never had a fit, or notification for consumption, had never been under treatment in a sanatorium or a mental institution, and was in good bodily and mental health. He had been absent from work for three weeks 2 years prior with a broken rib. Charles was among the Waimate men who paraded at the Waimate Drillshed at 12.15pm, then a member of the South Canterbury quota of the Forty-sixth Reinforcements which left Timaru by the north express on 9 September 1918 after parading at the drill hall. Hi next-of-kin was his wife – Mrs A. F. Berry, 5 Edward Street, Waimate.

At Featherston on 16 October 1918, after just 5 weeks of service, Private C. W. J. Berry complained of rupture of 12 months duration. A Medical Board was assembled at Featherston on 22 October 1918. The board found that Private Berry was suffering from a right inguinal hernia, the external ring considerably enlarged. It was due to causes existing prior to enlistment. As a consequence, he was unable to do heavy work without danger. His progress was stationary. His disability was permanent until operated on. He was fit for both Home Service and civil employment with light duties. The Board recommended that he be discharged from the Expeditionary Force and classified C2. He was granted Leave Without Pay on 25 October 1918. Bill never left New Zealand.

Charles and Alma spent most of, if not practically all, their married life at Waimate. In March 1921, C. W. J. Berry made a contribution to the Waimate Soldiers’ Memorial Fund. In November 1926 at Waimate, he was listed among the unsecured creditors of a bankrupt estate. Charles and his wife Alma must have moved to Blenheim shortly before Alma's death in 1963, followed by Bill’s death in 1965. Their daughter was then married and living in Blenheim. Alma Florence Berry died suddenly at Wairau Hospital, Blenheim on 1 June 1963, aged 72 years, and was interred at the Omaka Cemetery, Blenheim. Charles William James Berry died at Blenheim on 9 February 1966, two weeks before his 81st birthday. He too was buried at Omaka Cemetery. Although not buried together, they have matching headstones.

His brother Arthur Edwin Berry was killed in action in 1917. Another brother, George Edward Berry, who was listed on the Reserve Rolls was a railway surfaceman in Christchurch, married with a child. Ronald George Andrew Smith who served in World War Two was a nephew of Charles and Arthur, being the son of their eldest sister Emily. James Berry died on 21 August 1926 at the Waimate Hospital and Sarah Ann Berry on 7 October 1926 at her Norton Reserve residence. Both had been prominent members of the Salvation Army for many years. They were survived by three daughters and three sons.

Sources

NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives New Zealand ref. AABK 18805 W5562 0127656) [14 July 2015]; NZ BDM historical records indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [14 July 2015]; Omaka Cemetery Blenheim headstone transcription (South Canterbury Branch NZSG cemetery records microfiche) [20 July 2015]; Omaka Cemetery burial records (Marlborough District Council) [20 July 2015]; Omaka Cemetery headstone images (Find A Grave) [05 July 2025]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [20 July 2015; 05 July 2025]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 23 December 1910, 21 May 1918, 6 September 1918, 24 March 1921, 21 August 1926, 9 & 14 October 1926, 22 November 1926, Timaru Herald, 22 May 1918, 8 June 1918, 7 September 1918, Press, 3 June 1963 (Papers Past) [08 October 2021; 03 February 2022; 05 July 2025]

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