Profile

RICHARDS, Clarence Alexander
(Service number 16121)

Aliases Enlisted as Alexander RICHARDS
First Rank Trooper Last Rank

Birth

Date 10/10/1895 Place of Birth Rakaia

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment Waihao Downs
Occupation Farmer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status
Next of Kin Mrs E. RICHARDS (mother), Waihao Downs, South Canterbury
Religion Church of England
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 15th Reinforcements, New Zealand Mounted Rifles
Date 13 July 1916
Transport Manuka
Embarked From Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
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 10 October 1951 Age 56 years
Place of Death
Cause
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Archer Street Cemetery, Masterton
Memorial Reference Ex Servicemen Area, Plot ACR
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Clarence Alexander Richards, known as Alexander, was the fourth son of Edward and Elizabeth (née Harrison) Richards. He started at Dorie School in 1902 and transferred to Waimate School in 1903. Three of his four brothers also served in World War I - Albert Victor, Sidney Edward and Leslie Lawrence. Alexander married Ella Rosina Dickson in 1921. Alexander (A. Richards) was probably one of eleven men, along with his brother Sidney, who left Waimate by the first express on 8 March 1916. Before departing the men were treated to a send-off. They marched through the streets of Waimate, the Brass Band playing martial airs and a huge red ensign leading the way. The deputy-Mayor addressed them: “. . . . We are all glad and proud to be present and witness the beginning of the great sacrifice you are making – a sacrifice that means severing for a while the connection with the land you love so well. We recognise that nothing but the call of duty would cause men to give so much, as you are doing. We honour you for your readiness to sacrifice personal and business relationships in response to the call from the heart of the Empire for more men. . . . . . . The British have ever fought for the preservation of the rights of mankind. You all knew what your comrades, “Heroes of Anzac”, who have gone before, have done. . . . . .”

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [21 December 2017]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [21 December 2017]; School Admission record (Canterbury Branch NZSG) [21 December 2017]; Archer Street Cemetery, Masterton burial record (Masterton District Council) [21 December 2017]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 7 & 8 March 1916 (Papers Past) [30 June 2017]

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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