James Young Wilson, (6/9/1872-19/6/1910). "well-known and respected"

A SUDDEN DEATH. 

James Young Wilson, a well-known and respected resident of Mornington, died at his residence, Gladstone street, yesterday. Mr Wilson carried on business in Lower Rattray street as a wool and hide merchant. On Wednesday last he complained of feeling unwell, and remained in bed for three days. On Saturday he went to business, and returned home about five o’clock. He retired to bed about midnight, and yesterday had his breakfast brought to him by his brother-in-law, Mr William Norman. An hour later he was found dead. Dr Moore was called in, but from an external examination was not prepared to state the cause of death. The coroner therefore ordered that a post mortem should be held. Deceased, who was thirtysix years of age, was married, with one child. His wife is at present absent from the Dominion. An inquest was to be held on the body at five o’clock this evening.  -Evening Star, 2/6/1910.

Mr H. Y. Widdowson, coroner, held an inquest last evening into the circumstances attending the death at Mornington of James Young Wilson. The evidence adduced corresponded with the particulars published yesterday morning. In addition, Dr Stuart Moore stated that he had made a post mortem examination, which showed that the cause of death was acute oedema of the lungs. A verdict in accordance with the medical testimony was returned.   -Otago Daily Times, 21/6/1910.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.

Captain Frederick Neville Houston, MC, (2/3/1890-1/7/1916). "has done remarkably well"

NEW ZEALANDERS ABROAD

A young New Zealander, who has done remarkably well in the Army since he obtained his commission in the York and Lancaster Regiment last January, is Mr Frederick Neville Houston, son of Mr W. D. Houston, of Wellington. Mr Houston was promoted full lieutenant on March 3, and has since been appointed assistant adjutant to his regiment, which is stationed at Limerick.  -Sun, 3/6/1914.

A ST. CLAIR BOY WINS THE MILITARY CROSS.

A supplement to the ‘London Gazette’ on the 14th January contains the list of promotions, etc., ordered by the King, following on the mention in despatches by General French. In this list we find the name of Lieut. Frederick Neville Houston, of the York and Lancaster Regiment. “Neville,” who is the elder son of Mr W. H. Houston, formerly of Dunedin, now residing in Wellington, has been awarded the Military Cross. He received his primary education at the St. Clair School, and went Home to study for the Army.  -Evening Star, 28/2/1916.

Lieut. Frederick Neville Houston, York and Lancashire Regiment, who received his education at the Waitaki Boys' High School, has been awarded the Military Cross. Lieut. Houston as been twice wounded in action on the Flanders front. He was mentioned in despatches by Sir John French.   -Oamaru Mail, 2/3/1916.

Captain Frederick Neville Houston, of the York and Lancaster regiment. who was killed in action on the 1st of July, was the eldest son of W. D. Houston, formerly of Dunedin. and now of Oriental Bay, Wellington. The deceased was twice wounded previously. He studied in England and joined the army there. — Press Association.  -Hawkes Bay Tribune, 29/9/1916.

The first of July, 1916, was the beginning of the Battle of the Somme.  British troops were told they would march over no-man's-land to occupy demolished German trenches with little resistance after continued heavy bombardment from British artillery. Instead, they found German soldiers who had climbed out of their deep bunkers to set up machine guns.  Losses were heavy.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.

63705 Sergeant William McKinlay, (24/1/1914-8/5/1944). "the worst damage"

William McKinlay was employed as a clerk in Napier when he joined the army in 1942.  He slogged up the Italian peninsula with the 18th Armoured Regiment and participated in the grueling Battle of Monte Cassino.

The road forward to the station was terrible. The only way up was along the narrow railway embankment and across the Rapido by a shrapnel-riddled bridge, an impossible trip in daylight and next to impossible even at night, the tanks pitching blindly nose down and then nose up through shell-holes, every spare inch of inside room crammed full of ammunition. The men had been prepared for a few fireworks when they drove up in their great noisy Shermans, and they certainly got what they expected. Spandaus from straight ahead, their tracer streaking through the dark like a swarm of falling stars, mortars bursting thick round the tanks as they drove up and edged in behind their wall.

This performance was turned on every time the tanks changed over. As soon as Jerry heard them moving, down came the fire. As long as the engines kept running the metal kept flying. But, as Captain Stan Edmonds says, ‘it usually quietened down when tanks ceased to move and there was no offensive action on our part’. Even then there were still mortars landing every few minutes, and almost continuous Spandau fire which zipped across the tanks' front and past the end of their wall, and rifle grenades fired from the waste land ahead.

Life at Cassino station was about as bad as it could be. The whole place stank of death. The bomb-holes were full of brackish water covered with green slime. During the daytime, even when no mortars were falling, our own smoke canisters were constantly whistling down all around. Everybody was filthy, unshaven, perpetually on edge for whatever might happen the next second. Almost underneath the tanks, in holes under the sheltering wall, lived the British infantry. The tankies had a dugout only a few feet away and trenches under the tanks. Everyone had a rifle or a Tommy gun, and all the Browning machine guns were taken out of the tanks and mounted on the ground, some of them pointing out through little holes in the wall, which also served as peepholes through which you peered out into Jerry's territory as far as the foot of Montecassino. Not that you could see anything, for Jerry was as careful as we were not to show himself in daylight.

‘This was the only time,’ says Reynolds, ‘when I felt sure I wouldn't see my home again.’ Everyone was certain that Jerry knew just where the tanks were, and nobody could forget that some night he might take it into his head to knock the wall down and leave them exposed. But he didn't do this. The worst damage was one night when a mortar salvo fell right on the spot during a changeover, killing Sergeant Bill McKinlay and wounding three others. -Official History of the 18th Regiment.

FOR THE EMPIRE’S CAUSE

McKINLAY. — Killed in action in Italy, William David, elder son of Joanna McKinlay, Lancaster street, Lawrence, and the late James McKinlay, of Miller’s Flat and Queenstown; aged 20. Deeply mourned.  -Otago Daily Times, 16/5/1944.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.