Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Bertha Shaw was born on 10 February 1887 at Dunedin, the eldest daughter of Charles Reginald Shaw and his second wife, Sarah née Maude. Charles’ first wife, Louisa Elizabeth née Jeffery, by whom he had ten children, died in March 1882 at Timaru. While Charles married Sarah Maude in 1888 and had four more children, there were three born in the intervening period, one of them Bertha, who appear to be children of Sarah. Charles Shaw who was a surveyor for the Canterbury Provincial Government, later took up land at Totara Valley and farmed there (“Sterndale”) for some years, retiring to Timaru in 1898 and dying in 1906. Bertha was educated at Union Street School, Dunedin, transferring to Totara Valley School for about 14 months when her surveyor father farmed in the area. She then spent three years at Timaru South School before going on to High School. In her last year at South, she received a Standard VI attendance award.

In 1911 and 1914 Bertha was at the Mental Hospital at Seacliff, probably in a nursing capacity. In 1914 she moved to the Hospital at Nelson, where she undertook her nursing training, passing the State examination in mid-1916. She may have been engaged in private nursing when she enlisted on 14 July 1918. Staff Nurse Bertha Shaw and eleven others of the New Zealand Army Nursing Service Corps embarked per the “Riverina” on 24 January 1918 for service in Egypt. Arriving in Egypt she was taken on strength and posted to the 27th General Hospital at Cairo. Staff Nurse B. Shaw returned to New Zealand per the “Devon”, embarking at Suez on 5 April 1919. She was discharged on 2 July 1919, being struck off the strength of the New Zealand Forces and placed on the Reserve of the NZ Army Nursing Service. Called up for duty from the Reserve on 4 September 1919, Sister Shaw was appointed to Queen Mary Military Hospital at Hanmer Springs. She was promoted to Sister on 16 March 1920. It was on 1 October 1921 that she was again moved to the Reserve from the Active List.

Bertha Shaw married Kenneth Ray, a bank clerk/accountant, on 4 March 1921 at St Mary’s Church, Timaru. In 1902 at the same church, Bertha had been a witness to the marriage of her eldest hal-brother, Goeffrey Shaw. Bertha and Kenneth lived in Welington and had two daughters and one son. The journals of Charles Reginald Shaw passed into the hands of his second [surviving?] daughter, Bertha Shaw, and were place in the Turnbull Library by her son, Mr K. J. Ray, at her request. Bertha Ray died on 15 May 1972, aged 85 years, and was cremated at Karori, Wellington. Her husband Kenneth predeceased her. She was survived by daughters Joan and Joyce and son Kenneth. Her mother Sarah, who was about 32 years younger than her father, died at her Timaru residence in 1951. Bertha’s brother Frederick Shaw, of Timaru, also served in World War One, returning home invalided with TB of the lung. Another brother, Francis Shaw, a clerk in Wellington, was called up in 1916. Two sons of her half-sister, Annie Jeffery Shaw, served in World War I – Guy Jeffery Mander and Lionel John Mander, and a third enlisted – Reginald Waterland Mander; two sons of her sister Maud Marion Shaw, served in World War Two – Clifford Frederick Calcott and Trevor Francis Calcott.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [11 August 2025]; Kai Tiaki: the journal of NZ nurses, 1 July 1916, 1 January 1918, 1 July 1919, 1 January 1920, Lyttelton Times, 2 May 1919 (Papers Past) [11 & 12 August 2025]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [10 March 2020; 11 August 2025]; School Admission records (Dunedin & South Canterbury branches NZSG) [19 June 2020]; Karori Cremation record (Wellington City Council) [11 August 2025]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Geneaology Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.