LAW, George
(Service number 48877)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 24 March 1893 | Place of Birth | Forgue, Aberdeenshire, Scotland |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 29 January 1917 | Age | 23 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Merry Street, Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Motor lorry driver | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 2nd South Canterbury Regiment | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs M. LAW (mother), Merry Street, Waimate | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | |||
| Date | |||
| Transport | |||
| Embarked From | Destination | ||
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | 28 Special Unit | ||
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 | 18 April 1962 | Age | 68 years 11 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Waimate | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Waimate Lawn Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
George Law was born on 24 April 1893 at Forgue, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, the second son of George and Mary (née Nicol) Law. In 1901 George was a scholar, at home with his family at Forgue, where his father was a blacksmith. In the 1900s the family, except the two eldest daughters who remained in Scotland, came to New Zealand. They may not have all come together. By 1914 George junior was a carter, like his father, living at home at Waimate. He was a motor lorry driver for the C.F.C.A. at Waimate when he enlisted on 29 January 1917 at Timaru. Single and Presbyterian, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs M. Law, Merry Street, Waimate. He had served with the 2nd South Canterbury Regiment until his time expired.
G. Law was one of 19 recruits who left from the Waimate Railway Station on 16 November 1915. They paraded, accompanied by bands, and were addressed by the deputy mayor – “They have heard the call of duty, and have responded to it nobly. They are going to fight for truth and justice.. . . Over 2000 of our lads have laid down their lives on Gallipoli. Are we going to allow their sacrifices to be in vain? . . . . trust you will return covered with honour and glory.” The Rev. Stockwell said “we were sending men of the right stamp. . . . They were going to fight in a noble cause – the cause of liberty, freedom, righteousness, honour and truth.”
While at Trentham Camp he was admitted to Wairarapa Ward suffering with influenza. George had pre-existing medical conditions which resulted in his being recommended for Home Service. Private G. Law gave 4½ months of service with the 28 Special Unit. The name of G. Law appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of Answered the Call.
George Law married Charlotte Mavers Kenn Dempster in 1919 at Waimate. George and Charlotte lived at Waimate. George died on 18 April 1962 at Waimate, just two days before his 69th birthday. He was buried at the Waimate Lawn Cemetery. Charlotte lived on to 1986, dying at the age of 93. George’s older brother, John Nicol Law, served overseas during the war. Their mother died in 1929 and their father in 1944.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [04 July 2022]; 1901 Scotland census returns (ancestry.com.au) [23 July 2022]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [23 July 2022]; Waimate Cemetery headstone & burial record (Waimate District City Council) [23 July 2022]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 16 November 1915, 30 May 1918 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 23 July 2022]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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