LOPER, Malcolm Joseph
(Service number N/N)
| First Rank | Gunner | Last Rank | Gunner |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 8 August 1893 | Place of Birth | Waimate |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | (1) 17 April 1915; (2) 7 May 1917 | Age | (1) 21 years; (2) 23 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | (1) Oamaru; (2) 43 Maude Street, Waimate | ||
| Occupation | (1) Gardener; (2) Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mr G. LOPER (father), Ward 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 | |||
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 | 26 October 1961 | Age | 68 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Waimate Hospital | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Waimate Lawn Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
Malcolm Joseph Loper was born on 8 August 1893 at Waimate, the second son of George and Nicholine (née Richmond) Loper.
Malcolm Loper first enlisted as a gunner with the on 17 April 1915 at Trentham. A gardener working at Oamaru, single and Presbyterian, he named his father as next-of-kin – Mr G. Loper, Ward Street, Waimate. He had, however, an old gunshot scar in the left pectoral region. Consequently, he was discharged on 22 June 1915, being medically unfit. Drawn in the ballot in April 1917, he again enlisted – on 7 May 1917 at Waimate, stating that he had been wounded in the shoulder while serving with the NZEF and had been rejected as medically unfit on account of a gunshot wound in the shoulder. He was now a labourer with the Telegraph Department of the Post Officer, residing at 43 Maude Street, Waimate. Because of the stiffness of his left arm (caused by the old gunshot wound), he was classified C2.
Malcolm Joseph Loper died on 26 October 1961 at Waimate Hospital, aged 68 years, and was buried in the Waimate Lawn Cemetery with his first wife. His brothers Thomas George Loper and Robert Samuel Loper served overseas with the New Zealand Forces, both being invalided home.
Sources
NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [10 November 2024]; Waimate Cemetery record (Waimate Distict Council) [10 November 2024]
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
Tell us more
Do you have information that could be added to this story? Or related images that you are happy to share? Submit them here!