WILSON, James Gordon
(Service number 7/1014)
| First Rank | Corporal | Last Rank | Corporal |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 3 September 1893 | Place of Birth | Innerleithen, Peeblesshire, Scotland (or Edinburgh, Scotland) |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 17 December 1914 | Age | 21 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Pleasant Point | ||
| Occupation | Baker | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Highland & South Canterbury Mounted Rifles | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs Elizabeth WILSON (mother), Pleasant Point, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 4th Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Mounted Rifles | ||
| Date | 17 April 1915 | ||
| Transport | Willochra or Knight Templar or Waitomo | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Canterbury Mounted Rifles | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Balkan; Egyptian | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star; British War Medal; Victory Medal | ||
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 September 1960 | Age | 67 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Temuka | ||
| Cause | Due to service with the Forces | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Temuka Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
James Gordon Wilson was born on 3 September 1893 at Innerleithen, Scotland (as recorded in his personnel file). He was residing at Pleasant Point when he first enlisted. A baker, single, and of Church of England affiliation, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs Elizabeth Wilson, Pleasant Point, Timaru. He had served with the Highland and South Canterbury Mounted Rifles, being discharged when he changed his address. He enlisted on 17 December 1914.
Corporal J. G. Wilson embarked with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles of the 4th Reinforcements on 17 April 1915 at Wellington. On 27 August 1915 at the Dardanelles he suffered gunshot wounds to the scalp and left wrist. He returned to New Zealand per the “Arawa”, invalided, arriving on 17 March 1916 and was discharged on 21 September 1916, being no longer fit for War Service on account of wounds received in action. On his return he was admitted to Chalmers Military Hospital, Christchurch. He had served in the Balkans and Egypt, and was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1914-1915 Star was, however, returned in July 1927, by which time Mrs Wilson had gone from Pleasant Point and had left no address.
James Gordon Wilson married Louisa Charlotte Goodall in 1923. He died on 23 September 1960 at Temuka. On the first notification of death, his widow presented a Discharge Certificate with incorrect details. He enlisted again on 1 July 1919, giving marked variations in some personal details. He was deemed Fit for Home Service. This action may have also led to an incorrect age on death. Although his widow was his next-of-kin at death, they had been living apart for some time. He registered on electoral rolls simply as Gordon Wilson. His death is registered as Gordon James McDonald Wilson and the services stone in the Temuka Cemetery is inscribed G. J. McD. Wilson
“From 7 October 1960, the War Pensions Board decided that his death was due to his service with the Forces.”
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [21 May 2022]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [20 & 21 May 2022]; Temuka Cemetery headstone image & burial records (Timaru District Council) [21 May 2022]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 21 September 1915, Timaru Herald, 21 September 1915 (Papers Past) [21 May 2022]
External Links
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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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