KEMPTHORNE, Lawrence Neville
(Service number 27308)
| First Rank | Lance-Corporal | Last Rank | Lance-Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 11 December 1883 | Place of Birth | Hawera, Taranaki |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | St Andrews | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | E. KEMPTHORNE (father), Beverley Road, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 17th Reinforcements, J Company | ||
| Date | 25 September 1916 | ||
| Transport | Devon | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Regiment | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
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 |
Death
| Date | 23 August 1950 | Age | 66 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Christchurch | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Christchurch | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Lawrence Neville Kempthorne was the younger surviving son of Edward and Adeline Euphemia (née Caldwell) Kempthorne. Lawrence wa seducated at Christ's College, Christchurch. Lance-Corporal L. Kempthorne arrived at Port Chalmers per the “Tofua” in May 1919, the South Canterbury men reaching Timaru by special train on 29 May. There was a very large and enthusiastic crowd on the station platform to welcome the men when they arrived at 7.40 pm. Loud cheers erupted, which were “followed by the usual rush of overjoyed relatives and friends to unearth their respective soldier heroes.” The Mayor welcomed them back on behalf of the citizens of Timaru, assisted by members of the Timaru Soldiers’ Reception Committee and ladies of the Patriotic Society. “All ranks were very cheerful, and looked in the pink of condition, and were evidently pleased at their return home.” (Timaru Herald). Lawrence married Mary Elizabeth Buckhurst in 1924.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [20 August 2019]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [20 August 2019]; Ruru Cemetery, Christchurch, record [21 August 2019] Timaru Herald, 30 May 1919 (Papers Past) [12 August 2019]
External Links
Related Documents
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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