Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

James Turnbull, born on 14 March 1894 at Chirnside, Berwickshire, Scotland, the son of Agnes Turnbull, of Gateshead, Durham, England. Between 1894 and 1897 Agnes Turnbull married Thomas Thompson of Northumberland. Together they had five sons, the two eldest born in Berwickshire and the three youngest (including twins) in County Durham. In 1901, Agnes and Thomas and family were at Whickham, County Durham. Agnes, now widowed, was at 10 Ellisons Building, Low Fell, Lamesley (Gateshead), County Durham, with her five Thompson sons in 1911. Meanwhile, young James Turnbull, a 7-year-old scholar, was at Chirnside in 1901, with his maternal grandparents – James Turnbull, a tailor, and Agnes née Utterson (who had married in 1861 at Chirnside). Yes, the funeral record for James Turnbull, who died in 1970 at Timaru, names James Turnbull, tailor, and Agnes Utterson as his parents. James Turnbull had come to New Zealand in about 1910. In the mid-1920s, his mother Agnes Thompson and her five sons arrived. In 1928 they were at Gleniti with James (Turnbull).

J. Turnbull was one of the men who, having volunteered and been accepted for service in the New Zealand forces, were given a very hearty send-off on 12 June 1915 before they left Timaru for Trentham. After assembling at the Drill Shed, they were entertained to afternoon tea. Following the roll call, they marched to the station, headed by the Band of the 8th South Canterbury Mounted Rifles. The Mayor congratulated the men and expressed gratitude for the sacrifices they were making. “He hoped they would be truthful, honest, fair and square to one another wherever they went, . . . .” James enlisted at Trentham on 14 June 1915, not too long after he would have come to New Zealand. He had been medically examined at Timaru on 29 May 1915. He was a well-built young man, standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing in at 169 pounds, with a chest measurement of 35-38 inches. He had a fresh complexion, grey eyes and dark brown hair. His sight and hearing were both good; his limbs and chest well formed; his heart and lungs normal; and his teeth fairly good. He was free from diseases, vaccinated, and in good bodily and mental health. At the time he was a ploughman for Mr John Frazer at Pleasant Point, single and Presbyterian, he named his Mother as next-of-kin – Mrs Agnes Turnbull [sic], 10 Ellison’s Buildings, Lowfell, Gateshead, County Durham, England. (Note Mrs Agnes Thompson’s 1911 address.)

At Trentham James joined C Company of the 7th Reinforcements. However, because of the overcrowding at Trentham, they sent the 700 men of the 7th Reinforcements to Waikanae on 13 July 1915 and set up camp at the racecourse. Wet conditions caused the land to become a bog which resulted some recruits being relocated to another part of the racecourse while other soldiers were billeted in the township. This new camp also had to be abandoned, and they relocated to the old river bed on 23rd July. Even this final camp became unfit for habitation because of the wet weather and eventually on 7th August the men were sent on a weeks leave before having to report back to Trentham. The camp was closed on the 19 August.

Private J. Turnbull embarked with the Canterbury Infantry Battalion of the 7th Reinforcements, departing from Wellington on 9 October 1915 and disembarking at Suez, Egypt on 18 November 1915. He joined his Battalion at Ismailia on 4 February 1916, before embarking at Port Said for France on 6 April 1916 per the “Franconia”. Wounded in action on 17 September 1916, he was admitted to No. 4 General Hospital in France on 19 September. He had suffered a gunshot wound to his right shoulder. Embarking for England per Hospital Ship “Salta” on 23 September 1916, he was admitted to No. 3 General Hospital at Oxford on 25 September 1916. He was transferred from Oxford to Hornchurch on 24 October, then discharged from Hornchurch to the Command Depot at Codford on 3 November 1916 and, after leave till 18 November, was taken on Strength. He was next admitted to No. 3 New Zealand General Hospital at Codford on 10 December, suffering from slight laryngitis. As of 19 December 1916, he was at the Command Depot at Codford. He had forfeited 1 day’s pay under Royal Warrant for absence on 18 November 1916.

Having been admitted to the Venereal Ward at the NZ Convalescent Hospital at Codford on 8 January 1917, he was discharged from there to the Command Depot on 3 March and was temporarily attached to the Anzac Provost Corps as from 14 March 1917. He left Codford for the Reserve Group at Sling on 21 September 1917. Having marched out from Sling to the Infantry Reserve Group on 25 September 1917, he was transferred to the New Zealand Section of the Anzac Provost Corps on 25 October 1917 and appointed Lance Corporal. As of 1 February 1918, he was at Sling. Three weeks later he was transferred from B Company to C Company. On 5 June 1918, he was transferred from Sling to the Assistant Provost Marshall [Section] of the N.Z.E.F. in London. Turnbull embarked at Folkestone on 4 December 1918 to join the NZEF BEF in France and marched into the NZ Infantry and General Base Depot at Etaples, France. He was posted to Divisional Headquarters on 28 December. Having been appointed Temporary Corporal on 26 December 1918, he was promoted to Corporal on 15 January 1919. He was posted to the UK on duty from France on 18 March 1919 and transferred to the NZ V. (? Veterinary) Corps in London on 24 March. He marched in with B Group at Codford from Headquarters in London on 9 April 1919. Marching out from Codford to A.P.M. (Assistant Provost Marshall) in London on 17 June 1919, he was transferred from Codford to the NZ Provost Corps in London the next day.

Corporal J. Turnbull, 6/3185, returned to New Zealand by a small draft which was on the ex-German Liner Adolf Woermann, leaving from Plymouth on 14 August 1919 and disembarking at Wellington on 1 October 1919. On 28 August 1919, on board ship, Turnbull had been sentenced by Regimental Court Martial to one month’s loss of seniority, as if his appointment to rank of Corporal bore date 15 February 1919 in place of 2 January 1919, for refusing to obey an order. Arriving by the south-bound express, James Turnbull and a comrade detrained at Temuka on 3 October 1919, to a welcoming air played by the Municipal Brass Band. They were motored to the post office square, where a large crowd had gathered to welcome them. The Mayor extended to them a hearty welcome on behalf of town and district. “They had been away and done their duty, and now that they had returned, they were deserving of all honour and all were proud of them.” On behalf of Temuka he thanked them for the services they had rendered to their country. The men having been heartily cheered, Sergeant Cullinane, returned thanks for the welcome on behalf of his comrade and himself. Corpl. Turnbull also expressed his thanks, and after further cheers, the men were motored to their homes. In all James gave 4 years 142 days of service, almost 4 years overseas in Egypt, Western Europe and England. He was discharged on 31 October 1919, on the termination of his period of engagement, and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

When James applied on 13 October 1919 for Overseas War Service Gratuity, his address was C/o Mrs Scott, 10 Allnatt Street, Temuka. It was at Temuka that he had a Post Office Savings Bank account. In late 1919, James Turnbull was a labourer at Cannington, near Cave. By 1928 he was a war pensioner at Gleniti where his widowed mother, Agnes Thompson, and three of his Thompson half-brothers were residing. Sydney Thompson, one of his twin brothers, died at Timaru Hospital in June 1930 and was buried at Timaru. James Turnbull married Ethel May McGuire in 1935. For many years, James and Ethel lived in Christchurch, where he engaged in farming, and it wasn’t until 1949 when he retired that they moved back to Timaru. In time, all the Thompson men, but Jock (William John White Thompson) moved away from the district, but Agnes remained, all the while at “Chirnside”, Gleniti. Agnes Thompson died on 28 May 1959, aged 89 years, and was buried at Timaru with her son Sydney. She bequeathed the whole of her estate in equal shares to her five sons – James Turnbull Thompson [sic], Charles Thompson, John William White Thompson, Joseph Middlemiss Thompson and Norman Thompson.

James Turnbull died at his residence, 7a Jackson Street, Timaru on 1 October 1970, aged 76 years. He was laid to rest in the Timaru Cemetery with his wife Ethel who had died on 22 June 1966. Members of the South Canterbury Returned Services Association assembled at Betts and Sons Chapel to attend the funeral of their late comrade James Turnbull, No. 6/3185, Canterbury Infantry, 1st N.Z.E.F. James and Ethel had no family of their own. His next-of-kin at death was Mrs J. Howard, 21 Centaurus Road, Christchurch. James had signed his last Will just two days before his death. He bequeathed several chattels – furniture and furnishings – Gladys Hyland of Waitotara. Gladys Hyland who was born Gladys Reid and had married twice, was a granddaughter of Catherine Coker, a sister of Ethel McGuire’s mother. James bequeathed all his real property and the balance of his personal property upon trust for Mrs June Howard of Christchurch, she being his next-of-kin. June Howard was a daughter of Henry George Coker, a brother of Ethel May McGuire, the late wife of James. Frederick William Coker who was killed in action in April 1915 at the Dardanelles, was a brother of Ethel May McGuire.

The Cave, Cannington, Motukaika War Memorial was officially unveiled on Sunday afternoon, 29 April 1928, on the summit of Cave Hill. Proceedings opened with the “Dead March” in Saul, played by the Temuka Municipal Band, after which a Scripture reading was given and the Lord’s Prayer was recited, followed by the hymn “O Valiant Hearts”, a prayer and another Scripture reading. The ceremony was held to show “appreciation of those who left the shop, forge, plough, shearing sheds, musterers’ camps, or the harvest field, offering their all so that justice and right may be preserved on the earth.” The memorial was then unveiled by a very old resident of the district, and the school children laid floral tributes at the base. One minute’s silence was reverently kept, this being followed by Kipling’s “Recessional”. “The Last Post” was played by the Temuka Municipal Band, the Benediction pronounced, and the National Anthem concluded a very impressive ceremony. The very fine memorial which is in the form of a huge rough block of Timaru bluestone, honours the men who went out from the district to fight in the Great War and is symbolic of the rugged and heroic nature of those men. The stone bears the following inscription: — “So long as the rocks endure, and grass grows, and water runs, so long will this stone hear witness that through this low pass in the hills, men from the Cave, Cannington, and Motukaika districts rode and walked on their way to the Great European War, 1914-1918. Some of them have not returned, but have left their mortal remains in foreign lands and strange seas, that our British way of living may continue, but their immortal souls have risen from the Grave.” The names of those who gave their lives are inscribed first, followed by the names of those who offered their lives by serving overseas, among them J. Turnbull.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [18 February 2015]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref, AABK 18805 W5557 0116264) [4 November 2016]; Timaru Herald, 2 October 1970 (Timaru District Library) [09 January 2017]; Timaru Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [09 January 2017]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [10 January 2017; 03 December 2024]; Timaru Herald, 14 June 1915, 4 October 1919, 30 April 1928, NZ Times, 8 September 1919, 2 June 1930, Temuka Leader, 4 October 1919, 1 May 1928, Press, 23 June 1966, 2 October 1970 (Papers Past) [09 February 2018; 30 January 2020; 6 October 2022; 06 December 2022; 23 May 2023; 29 September 2023; 05 December 2024]; Scotland & England census returns (ancestry.com.au) [3 December 2024]; Probate record (Archives NZ Collections – Record number TU502/1970) [03 December 2024]; Probate record (Family Search/Archives NZ) [03 December 2024]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

• TURNBULL James - newspaper clippings (pdf, 91.7 KB updated 12-Dec-2024)

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