BATE, Laurence Frank
(Service number 55578)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank | Lance-corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 24 October 1893 | Place of Birth | Kaiapoi |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Orari, South Canterbury | ||
| Occupation | Railway porter (NZ Railways) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single on enlistment; married before embarkation | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Annie BATE (wife), care of Mrs E. B. Jones, Rosewarne Street, Papanui, Christchurch | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 34th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Regiment, D Company | ||
| Date | 8 February 1918 | ||
| Transport | Ulimaroa | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Liverpool, Merseyside, England | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Rifle Brigade | ||
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 1988 | Age | 94 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Levin | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Laurence Frank Bate was born on 24 October 1893 at Kaiapo, the second son of Peter and Euphemia Davidson (née Rinaldi) Bate. Laurence Bate was a railway porter at Orari when his name was drawn in the fourth ballot in February 1917, and he was called up. He had already enlisted voluntarily. As of May 1917, a big number of railway men had been selected, which was reducing the services of the railways. Laurence Bate married Annie Young on 10 September 1917. Annie was to be his next-of-kin.
Among the recruits for the South Canterbury quota of the 30th Reinforcement was L. F. Bate. The men from the Temuka and Geraldine districts going into camp to join the 30th Reinforcements were given one of the “send-offs” from Temuka, which have now become famous. (Temuka Leader, 29 May 1917.) They were entertained at luncheon – “a splendid spread”. After a few addresses, all assembled, with the exception of those going into camp, rose and sang “For they arc jolly good fellows”. “They were going to face dangers, some might perhaps lose their lives, but as one of the boys had said here a few nights ago there was no more glorious death than to die fighting for the right.” On behalf of the district, the Mayor of Geraldine wished them “God speed,” a good time as soldiers, and a safe return to their native land and their district; if it should be their luck to go to “Blighty” they would get a good time there. The men were lined up in the street, and, headed by the Temuka Brass Band, a procession was formed and marched to the station. “Mr Torepe’s Maori singing company sang several farewell songs and the Band played a number of appropriate airs. The men were cheered again and again, and as the train left the station the soldiers on board were cheered, and they warmly responded.”
Corporal L. F. Bate actually embarked with the Otgao Infantry Regiment of the 34th Reinforcements, leaving for Liverpool by the Ulimaroa on 8 February 1918. The Somerset’s Draft which was due at Lyttelton on 18 August 1919, brought home Lance-Corporal L. F. Bate, 55578. Laurence Frank Bate died on 24 May 1988 at Levin, aged 94 years. Annie had died many years before. His brother, Orthus Edward Bate who was also a railway employee, was called up.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [05 April 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) 12 October 2021]; Timaru Herald, 14 February 1917, 29 May 1917, Temuka Leader, 29 May 1917, NZ Times, 11 May 1917, 6 August 1919 (Papers Past) [04 & 12 October 2021]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
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Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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