Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

George Gray Russell was the second of the three sons of Philip Henderson Russell and his wife Margaret Douglas née Le Cren. Named after his uncle, he was baptised on 2 February 1880 at St Mary’s Timaru, the sponsors being George Gray Russell, a paternal uncle, Henry Arthur Le Cren, a maternal uncle, and Catherine Mary Le Cren, an aunt. His father, Philip, a long-time invalid, died at Otipua nine weeks before the youngest was born and when George was only fourteen months old. Their mother remarried in 1886 in London, to George Row. She died in 1935 in Kensington, London. Probate was granted to her son George and his wife (who was Margaret’s niece). George and his brothers may have been educated at Taita School before going on to Wanganui Collegiate, George from 1895 till 1898. In 1901 George was an undergraduate boarding in London. Ten years later he was a barrister at Elvet, Durham. George excelled at Wanganui Collegiate, in his law studies at Cambridge University, and then in his war service.

He served with distinction in King Edward’s Horse of the British Army, being three times mentioned in despatches and, on 4 February 1918, Major Russell was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). The citation read “For Conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty when in command of two squadrons attached to an infantry brigade during an advance. He frequently moved about in the foremost line directing reconnaissance work under heavy machine-gun fire, and when the right flank of the brigade was dangerously exposed he conducted a valuable reconnaissance with great skill and resource and cleared up the situation.” George married his cousin, Mary Le Cren Michie, in 1923 in London. His brother, Philip Durham Le Cren Russell, served with the New Zealand Forces in World War I, and his older brother, Henry Hastings Le Cren Russell, was listed in the Reserves, was called up and enlisted, but served in new Zealand only.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [09 March 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [08 March 2020]; Britsih Army Medal Rolls (The National Archives) [09 March 2020]; King Edward’s Horse – Honours & Awards (kingedwardshorse.net/honours_awards) [09 March 2020]; 1901, 1911 census returns (ancestry.com.au) [09 March 2020]

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Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG

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