MAY, Robert Gordon
(Service number 11991)
| First Rank | Lance Corporal | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 4 August 1885 | Place of Birth | Orari, Canterbury |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 11 January 1916 | Age | 30 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Carlton Terrace, Wanganui | ||
| Occupation | Telegraphist (Post & Telegraph Dept) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Married | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Grace E. MAY (wife), care of Post-office, Wanganui; [11 Jan 1916] later No. 2 Cavell Place, Gonville, Wanganui [9 Aug 1918] | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | New Zealand Postal Service | ||
| Date | 6 May 1916 | ||
| Transport | Mokoia or Navua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | Suez, Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
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 | 7 January 1965 | Age | 79 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | |||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Glenfield Cemetery, Auckland | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Robert Gordon May was born on 4 August 1885 at Orari, Canterbury, the third son of John and Elizabeth Ann (née Bennett) May. John and Elizabeth arrived in New Zealand from Cornwall in August 1874, with two daughters. Little John was born in November 1874 and died nearly four weeks after, in December. Robert married Grace Edwina Beauchamp on 27 May 1908 at Wanganui.
He was a telegraphist with the Post & Telegraph Department at Wanganui when he enlisted. He named his wife as next-of-kin - Mrs Grace E. May, care of Post-office, Wanganui. By August 1918, Grace was at No 2 Cavell Place, Gonville, Wanganui. Lance Corporal R. G. May embarked with the New Zealand Postal Service of the Expeditionary Force, leaving from Wellington for Suez, Egypt, on 6 May 1916. Corporal R. G. May returned to New Zealand per the “Willochra”, which was due at Wellington on 15 April 1919. Reaching Wanganui on 16 April, the local men were officially welcomed.
Robert Gordon May died on 7 January 1965, aged 79 years. He was buried at Glenfield Cemetery, Auckland, with Grace who had died in 1960. His brother, Frederick Cecil May enlisted for service.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [01 February 2022]; Evening Post, 4 April 1919, NZ Times, 4 April 1919, Wanganui Chronicle, 17 April 1919 (Papers Past) [03 February 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [31 January 2022]; Glenfield Cemetery records (Auckland Council) [03 February 2022]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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