BLACK, Maxwell James
(Service number 22434)
| First Rank | Sergeant | Last Rank | Sergeant |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 24 June 1895 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | P.O. Ruarimu | ||
| Occupation | Contractor | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs BLACK (mother), Goldie's Brae, Wellington. Later P.O. Rangitata | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 16th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company | ||
| Date | 21 August 1916 | ||
| Transport | Mokoia | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Plymouth, Devon, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Infantry 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 | 24 May 1970 | Age | 84 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Rotorua | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated; ashes interred Rotorua Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Maxwell James Spens-Black was born on 24 June 1885 at Gleniti, Timaru, the son of Scottish-born Maxwell Spens-Black and his wife, Marie Vivienne (formerly Mrs Shield) MacDonell. Maxwell and Marie married in 1883 in Timaru , where three children were born before they moved to Silverstream in the Mackenzie Country, where three more were born, and where the family lived through the 1890s. It is likely that young Maxwell Black was educated at Silvertstream School, where his father was elected to the school committee in 1896 and again in 1897. Mr Black’s voice was “heard to advantage in ‘The Englishman’” at the Silverstream School Festival held in February 1897. The Black family was living in the Silverstream schoolhouse when it was required for a new master in mid 1899. Mrs Black resigned from the position of serwing mistress at Silverstream School in August 1899.
M. J. Spens-Black enlisted as Maxwell James Black and nominated his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs Black, Goldie’s Brae, Wellington. Private M. J. Black was wounded and admitted to hospital in September 1917. M. J. Black, 22434, returned to New Zealand with Draft 235 due at Wellington on 23 April 1919. His mother was then residing at Rangitata. Maxwell married Muriel Amy Buck on 23 September 1920 at St Stephen’s Church, Lewisham, London, England. Maxwell and Muriel were living at Rotorua when they celebrated their Silver Wedding anniversary. Maxwell died at Rotorua in 1970.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [09 April 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Deparment of Internal Affairs) [09 April 2020]; Timaru Herald, 4 May 1883; 2 July 1885, 4 May 1896, South Canterbury Times, 15 June 1899, Temuka Leader, 24 August 1899, Evening Post, 15 October 1917, New Zealand Times, 12 April 1919, New Zealand Herald, 26 September 1945 (Papers Past) [09 & 10 April 2020]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [98 April 2020]; Rotorua Cemetery record (Rotorua Lakes Council [09 April 2020]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
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