Lieutenant-Commander Phillip George Connelly, DSC VRD, (14/11/1899-13/2/1970). "somewhere at sea"

Operation "Pedestal" was a fifty ship convoy which was sent from Britain to Malta with badly needed supplies in August, 1942. Malta, when the convoy sailed, had only a few weeks' supply of aviation fuel, vital for defence of the island and also for the island's offensive operations - the sinking of enemy ships supplying German and Italian forces in North Africa.

The reaction to the convoy's appearance in the Mediterranean was violent, with attacks from warships, including submarines which sank one of the aircraft carriers, and from the air. German forces were worried that it was headed for a landing in North Africa but, whatever its destination, it represented a serious threat.

GALLANT END.

THREE CARGO SHIPS SUNK.

ECHO OF SIEGE OF MALTA. 

LONDON, Dec. 2S. 

“How three of the latest and fastest motor cargo vessels of the Shaw Savill fleet, the Waimarama, the Wairangi, and the Empire Hope, were lost while raising the siege of Malta in August, 1942, can now be told,” says “The Times.” 

“The Waimarama brought many thousands of tons of wheat, meat, and dairy produce from New Zealand and Australia to Britain before the war, and the loss of these large refrigerator-capacity vessels had its effect on the food situation in Britain. The Empire Hope was a new vessel, an exact sister ship of the Waimarama. 

“Malta was critically short of food and petrol for Spitfires when an armada of the Merchant Navy’s finest ships was dispatched for its succour. The convoy’s naval protection was acknowledged to be inadequate, particularly in air cover. 

“High-level bombers first attacked the Empire Hope, but she escaped unscathed, although H.M.S. Eagle, close astern, was torpedoed. The loss of the Eagle made it impossible for the convoy to pass through the Sicilian Narrows (‘Bomb Alley’) without heavy losses. Massed attacks concentrated on the Empire Hope the following evening, the enemy scoring 18 near misses in 30 minutes. These damaged the engines and made her a sitting target.

“The gun crews were blown out of the gun positions, and more than once crawled back to the guns. Some of the crew were blown overboard and swam back to the ship and their guns. Two direct hits set the ship, which was carrying kerosene and explosives, on fire. The destroyer Penn, towing a damaged tanker, picked up the survivors of the crew.

“The Wairangi became a casualty the following day about the same time as the Waimarama. After evading several aerial torpedo attacks she was hit and badly damaged by an enemy torpedo-boat. The crew scuttled the ship to deny the enemy the munitions she was carrying. The destroyer Eskimo picked up the entire crew. 

\“The Waimarama met a sudden and tragic end. The enemy scored three or four hits near the bridge, which disappeared completely with everybody on it. Petrol caught fire and she went down in less than four minutes. 

“H.M.S. Ledbury gallantly tried to rescue the crew, but the greater part were lost, including the commander, Captain Pearce. 

“The Ceramic, another well-known liner, was torpedoed in December. Only one survivor has been reported of the passengers and crew totalling 656.

“Captain G. Williams, commander of the Empire Hope, and the third officer, Mr G. V. Connolly, Captain H. Gordon (now Sir Henry), commander of the Waimarama, and the chief engineer, Mr A. Chalmers, were all awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.”  -Ashburton Guardian, 29/2/1944.

Many New Zealand papers reported that Phillip Connelly's experience in "Bomb Alley" was the reason for his being awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.  But he was being referred to as "Connelly DSC" before that Operation "Pedestal." 

Biographical Sketch 

Mr Philip George Connolly was born in Dunedin in 1899 and was educated at the Macandrew Road School, the Otago Boys’ High School, and the King Edward Technical College. He entered the Hillside Workshops as an apprentice, and on the completion of his apprenticeship joined the Union Steam Ship Company, Ltd., as a marine engineer. For several years he served in various coastal, inter-colonial, and foreign-going ships and was subsequently elected a member of the Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (N.Z.). 

During the past nine years he has been associated with numerous local organisations, on which he has served in presidential and executive positions. He was treasurer for a term of the Macandrew Road School Committee, secretary of the Caversham-Macandrew Road Dental Clinic Committee, and vice-president of the School Committees’ Association of Otago. He was chairman of the Hillside branch of the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants and is at present the secretary of that body. He is a past-president and past-secretary of the Otago Labour Representation Committee, the local governing body of the Labour Party. He has held commissioned rank in both the land and sea forces of the Dominion. In 1934, his name was added to the approved list of Parliamentary Labour candidates.  -ODT, 10/5/1939.

FORTUNATE ESCAPE

LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER CONNOLLY 

SHIP ATTACKED DURING ABSENCE 

While Lieutenant-commander P. G. Connolly, D.S.C., was on leave in London his ship was attacked by enemy planes, and his cabin was badly damaged. The incident is mentioned in a letter to the Mayor, Mr A. H. Allen, dated May 29, in which Commander Connolly comments on his good fortune in being absent from the ship at the time. He also expresses his thanks to all who supported his candidature in the recent local body elections, and congratulates other successful councillors.

Mr Connolly states that he had lately been very busy, and had been "somewhere at sea." "I did, however," he says, "manage to obtain leave to attend the Anzac service at St. Martins-in-the-Fields, and this historic church, which has suffered from enemy bombings, was filled to capacity. At the service I saw Lord Galway, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, and Sir Charles Portal, of the R.A.F. They occupied seats immediately in front of the four New Zealand R.N.V.R. officers who attended — Commander Newman, of Christchurch; Lieutenant-commander J. Hilliard, of Auckland; Lieutenant Palmer, of Auckland; and the writer. Mr Menzies (Prime Minister of Australia) and Mr Jordan read the lessons, and Padre Les. Groves, late of Dunedin, delivered the address. The service was most impressive, and there is no need to say how one's thoughts drifted back to past Anzac Days spent at home, parading with the Otago Division and later attending the service at our own Town Hall and St. Paul's.

Attacked by Messerschmitt

"Next afternoon I returned to our base, and there learned that in my absence my ship had been divebombed, and although the bombs missed by a couple of hundred yards, a Messerschmitt also came in firing cannon shells, and one officer and one rating were wounded. My cabin came in for more than its share, so I was perhaps a trifle lucky in obtaining leave to attend the Anzac service. 

"The weather here now is really grand, and with two hours of 'summer time' it is daylight until 11 o'clock. The countryside is looking lovely, too. Oh, how really beautiful the English countryside is. and with all the trees in full blossom — especially in Kent — the sight is one which will always remain in my memory. The white cliffs of the Channel as seen with the setting sun give one quite a thrill, for here is the 'Home' to which all colonials refer and which to-day we are proud to have the opportunity of defending against the invader.

Delivery of Mail

"Our mail has been arriving regularly lately, and although newspapers are often some months old, ordinary mail has been received seven to eight weeks after posting. I have had Clipper air mail 15 days after posting in Dunedin, which is most satisfactory. Parcels, too, are coming through well, and yesterday we received our sixth parcel from Mrs Wardell, of the Columba Old Girls' Association. Of course, it is difficult to check on all which is forwarded, but our losses from enemy action have not been very heavy so far as we can ascertain.... 

"I read in one of the New Zealand papers that criticism was being levelled at the powers that be about the delivery of cablegrams to the troops over the Christmas period. The difficulty was due to the fact that the second echelon left these shores some time in December, and hundreds of cablegrams arrived just after their departure, which had to be kept secret. Then, due to the heavy demand of official messages for the three services, it was found impossible to cable personal messages to their new destination, and they had to be forwarded by a different method. When one considers the huge volume of cablegrams and mail which have to be handled, for the services and the fact that post offices are not immune from bombings, I believe we have little to grumble about. 

Appreciation of Comforts

"What a splendid response there has been to the various war funds back home, and the people of Otago are to be congratulated." the letter concludes. "I quite appreciate the position concerning the supplying of comforts to the men of my command, and the work of the Columba Old Girls' Association and the Hillside Socks Club will always live in my mind. I was desperate for a time as there was great difficulty in obtaining sufficient articles here, and the severity of the winter and the work we were doing demanded that the men be adequately protected if we were to maintain them in good health."  -Otago Daily Times, 15/7/1941.

Philip Connolly was in command of the HMNZS Moa from August 12, 1941, to 1943 when the Moa was sent to the Pacific. The Moa was a minesweeper which, in 1943 under the command of another officer and in concert with the HMNZS Kiwi, took on and sank a large Japanese submarine.

NAVAL DECORATIONS

DUNEDIN MEN HONOURED 

D.S.C. TO LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER CONNOLLY 

Two Dunedin men are included in awards to members of the New Zealand Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve for distinguished services abroad, these being Lieutenant-commander Philip George Connolly, who was. awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and Telegraphist James L. Leckie, who was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal. Lieutenant-commander Connolly, who was a member of the Otago Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, until he left for service overseas, is a member of the Dunedin City Council, to which he was elected in 1938, He left New Zealand in April, 1940. Born in Dunedin in 1899, he entered the Hillside Workshops as an apprentice fitter, and on the completion of his apprenticeship joined the sea-going staff of the Union Steam Shipping Company as a junior engineer, being subsequently elected a member of the Institute of Marine and Power Engineers (N.Z.). In 1918 Mr Connolly left Dunedin with the last reinforcement draft to undergo a special n.c.o. course, but, the war terminating,' he returned to Dunedin. He was shortly afterwards gazetted as a second lieutenant in the Territorial Forces. In 1928, when the Otago Division of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve was farmed, he was one of the original officers, and rose to the rank of lieutenant-commander, He is also vice-president of the wardroom officers and chairman of the Small-bore Rifle Club. In 1938 he contested a by-election as a Labour candidate for a seat on the City Council, and was returned. He was employed at the Hillside Workshops at the time of his departure for overseas service.  -Evening Star, 24/3/1941.

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.

The "Hon." reflects his political status as a Member of Parliament after the war, the "VRD" stands for "Volunteer Reserve Decoration."

25888 Private William Kearney, (17/12/1892-7/6/1917). "no trace of him"

At 3.10 a.m. there was a shaking of the earth, a column of leaping flame quickly obscured by smoke and debris, and then a muffled roar. The mines had gone up. A brief pause. the sudden rattle of thousands of machine-guns, a flash round the horizon, and then with a thunderblast of sound the great barrage fell on the German line. The long roll of the heavy guns and the quick, stabbing, bang-snap-bang of the eighteenpounder blended into one tremendous volume of sound. Up from the enemy posts went the signals of distress and warning, but their urgent appeal met with small response, for the Hun artillery had been overwhelmed by the weight of the British counter-battery work. For hours their field guns were out of action, and the only reply they could make was with long-range guns of heavy calibre.

Behind the moving wall of steel and flame the infantry flung themselves on the demoralised enemy. With little opposition and light casualties the N.Z.R.B. and the 2/Brigade took the Blue, Brown and Yellow lines. A few scattered groups of Germans made a show of resistance, but little more than a show; by far the greater number were too dazed and shaken to think of anything but immediate surrender.  

Up in the front posts men ran greater risks from the short bursts of our own artillery than from the German fire. One battery of four big guns was continually firing short, and inflicted many casualties. For some reason or another, despite our complete control of the air and the large number of observation 'planes continually flying overhead, no message was got through to this battery. Its continued activity page 149caused considerable loss and the slight withdrawal of two posts. -Official History of the Auckland Infantry Regiment.

William Kearney was a victim of that four-gun battery.  His Army record includes statements from the Court of Enquiry which established the circumstances of his death:

Private C Maddock states: On the morning of 7th June my coy (company) was working in a c t  (communication trench) behind Messines. Private Kearney was working about 2 yards behind me. One of our own heave howitzer shells landed in the sap where I had just previously seen Private Kearney working. After the explosion no trace of him could be found. I believe he was blown to pieces.

Cpl Maynard states: On the morning of 7th June I set Pvt Kearney in his task in digging the C T. Later it was reported that a man had been blown up by one of our own shells landing amongst those working in the sap. When I took the roll at about 5.30 pm in the evening, Kearney was missing. There had been other casualties during the day. (low)

 

Andersons Bay Cemetery, Dunedin. DCC photo.

Joseph Davies, (1837-1/5/1891). "of the Albion Hotel"

MAYOR'S COURT.

Thursday, 23rd November,

(Before His Worship the Mayor and G. Brodie, Esq., J.P.)

Drunkenness. — Elizabeth George, brought up for being drunk in Maclaggan street at 9 o'clock on the night of the 22nd, was fined 10s, with the alternative of being sent to gaol for 48 hours.

Assault. — John C. Hughes was charged with assaulting Joseph Davies in his licensed house, the Albion Hotel, by striking him in the face. Hughes was fined 20s, getting the option of going to gaol for 48 hours.   -Otago Daily Times, 24/11/1871.

 DETANINg PRIVATE PROPERTY.

Charlotte Levy summoned Joseph Davies, proprietor of tHe Albion Hotel, with keeping a box, her property, containing wearing apparel. Plaintiff stated that she went to the defendant's hotel to lodge, about Six weeks ago, and remained there a month. Before leaving she paid defendant £3/10s; she had also taken part in the household duties, which, she considered, would be more than adequate to the amount of her board. She did not remember giviNg £5 to Mrs Davies and receiving £4 18s in changes. In answer to defendant, she said she remembered saying she would pay him 2s with other money, afterwards if he would allow her to stay a fortnight longer, as she was expecting some money from a man up-country. The complainant valued her clothes at £18 or £20.

The defendant said the plaintiff came to his public-house in company with a man named Thomas Murphy, on the 3rd June last. She was not sober at the time, but he accommodated her. About five o'clock the same evening, she called his wife and Murphy, where she treated them to a glass, as also the defendant. She then gave Mrs Davis £5, and received £4 18s in return. She afterwards gave her £4, telling her to keep it for her board and expenses. On the 4th June she received £1 back, and went to the Circus in the evening, not returning till about twenty minutes past twelve, then the worse for drink. I told her she could go, as she owed me for two weeks. A fortnight afterwards she came for the box, which he retained in lieu of the payment of board and lodging due to him.

Thomas Murphy corroborated the statement of defendant with regard to the plaintiff paying for the drinks, and the indebtedness of plaintiff for a fortnight's board. 

His Worship: I think the evidence in this case discloses the fact that the plaintiff is indebted to the defendant for £2 1s. The law allows any hotelkeeper to retain his lodgers' goods for board and lodging and also for drink supplied to the boarder. The order of the Court is that the box of clothes be delivered-up to plaintiff for £2 ls.    -Otago Daily Times, 2/8/1872.

TENDERS. 

TENDERS Wanted for the Erection of a Three-roomed House. Apply Mr Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.  -Evening Star, 16/7/1874.

TO LET, a 4-roomed HOUSE, newly finished. Apply Joseph Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.   -Otago Daily Times, 3/10/1874.

Voluntary Imprisonment. — Henry Young was charged by John Davies, proprietor of the Albion Hotel, with breaking one of his windows. Prisoner pleaded guilty. — Inspector Mallard said there appeared to be some method in prisoner’s act. He gave himself into custody on Monday evening, saying he had no place to go, and was let off next day. — Accused admitted having broken the window, so as to be sent to gaol. The Bench gratified his desire by sentencing him to the full term of two months’ imprisonment.  -Evening Star, 25/8/1875.

SUICIDE.

The City Coroner (Dr Hocken) held an inquest at the Hospital yesterday, touching the death of Joseph Leamon, who died by selfinflicted injuries on Sunday evening.

The Coroner: This, gentlemen, is a case, with the particulars of which I dare say you are acquainted. It is that of a man named Joseph Leamon, who shot himself on Sunday night. The pistol was fired in his right ear, and death took place almost instantaneously. It appears that he was in very distressed circumstances since his arrival here from Sydney. The question for you to consider is whether the man committed this act whilst in his full senses, or whether he was labouring under what is called temporary insanity. It is quite possible, of course, that great depression of spirits, induced by want of work and means, might induce insanity sufficient for the purposes of the law; at the same time you should not lend yourselves too readily to verdicts of this sort, as I have long been of opinion that verdicts of temporary insanity are too frequently returned when there is not sufficient evidence to warrant them in doing so. I think it quite possible that a verdict of that sort is likely occasionally to prevent other would-be suicides from committing self-destruction. You will have to gather from the evidence the state of mind deceased was in when he shot himself.

The Jury having viewed the body, the following evidence was given: —  

Joseph Davies deposed: I am proprietor of the Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street. Deceased came to lodge with me on the 15th of last June, stating that he had that day arrived from Sydney. He said he was a weaver, and enquired if there were any factories where he could get employment. He could not get anything at the Mosgiel Factory, and said he was too old to work at pick and shovel. He informed me that he had lived most of his time in America, but had gone to Sydney to see if his daughter was married. As soon as he could raise money, he intended to go back to America; but of late he had been in a melancholy condition. He wrote to his daughters for assistance, but they did not reply to his letters, and he told me he would shoot himself. After that he was confined to his room fur a time, and did not eat anything. He had a revolver in his possession at this time, but I was not aware of it then. When I saw him with the pistol, I wanted him to give it to me, but he said he had carried it with him for many years and would continue to do so. Last Sunday evening, about twenty minutes to ten, he was sitting in the sitting-room, talking with some of the boarders, and then walked into the billiard-room. About two minutes after we heard the report of the revolver. On entering the room I found him sitting on the form, with his legs hanging over it. The revolver was in his right hand, and, though speechless, he was not dead. He lingered about ten minutes, and then expired. Deceased told me that he was 75 years of age, a widower, weaver by occupation, and a native of Yorkshire. He had no religion whatever. He was a man of very sober habits.

Witness enquired of the Coroner where it was intended to bury deceased. 

The Coroner said that was a question he was not prepared to answer. 

Joseph Kendall, a boarder at the Albion Hotel, had frequently seen deceased. He was very taciturn, and would not enter upon conversation; sitting brooding by the fire for hours together without making any remark. His other evidence was similar to that given by the last witness.

The Coroner directed the Jury that they would have to consider whether the nature of the evidence was indicative of insanity or not. If they returned a verdict of felo de se the law directed that the goods of deceased should be confiscated, denied him Christian burial, and cast a stigma on his memory. As far as the evidence went, it seemed to show that deceased was in a despondent state of mind. 

A verdict of "temporary insanity" was returned.  -ODT, 13/9/1876.

CITY IMPROVEMENTS.

The new Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street, which has been built for Mr J. Davies, contrasts very strikingly with the wood structure which previously occupied the same site, and shows in a marked degree the rapid and extensive improvement in the architecture of the city. The building, which will be finished in the course of a few weeks, is of a substantial character, and in appearance is neat and attractive. Although built upon a small area, it is very commodious. This is, indeed, the feature of the building upon which the ingenuity of the architect, Mr L. Boldini, was exercised. The ground is only 40ft by 41ft, and the building, a threestorey one, contains no less than forty apartments. On the ground-floor there are a large billiard room, 24ft by 18ft, a bar, two sitting rooms, a dining room, kitchen, passage, pantry, and two staircases — one for the boarders and a private one. On the first floor there are ten bedrooms for lodgers, two store rooms, and four large rooms comprising the private apartments for the proprietor of the hotel and his family. The last floor contains 20 comfortable bedrooms. The building is a mixture of the French and Italian styles of architecture. Its front elevation to Maclaggan street presents a very respectable appearance. It is not highly ornamental; but the central part of the building is made to contrast with the plain wings in a pleasing and effective manner. The building has been designed to the entire satisfaction of the proprietor, and its appearance will add still more to the importance of Maclaggan street, in which a number of very respectable shops and stores have recently been erected.  -Otago Daily Times, 11/12/1877.

FOR SALE, Billiard Table, with contents, in good order. Apply Joseph Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.  -Evening Star, 17/7/1880.

WANTED, a female Cook (sober). Apply Joseph Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.  -Evening Star, 27/7/1880.

TO LET, Market Garden, near town. Apply Joseph Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.  -Evening Star, 28/8/1880.

Mr Davies, of the Albion Hotel, Maclaggan Street states in another column that the rate of board and lodging will in future be 18s per week.  -Otago Daily Times, 5/5/1881.

LOST, Cockatoo; finder rewarded. J. Davies, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street, Dunedin.  -Evening Star, 24/2/1888.

FOR SALE, the LEASE and GOODWILL of the ALBION HOTEL, Dunedin; 30 years to run; ground rent, 35s per week. — Apply J. Davies.   -Otago Daily Times, 30/10/1889.

ALBION HOTEL, Maclaggan street; no extra charge during Exhibition; by the day 3s, or 18s per week; plenty of accommodation for visitors; night porter in attendance. — J. Davies proprietor.  -Otago Daily Times, 31/12/1889.

WANTED Known — Alice Davies, accidentally poisoned herself, is not Mrs Davies of Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street.  -Evening Star, 20/8/1890.

Deaths.

Davies. — On the 1st Inst., at his residence, Albion Hotel, Maclaggan street, Joseph Davies; aged 56 years.  -Evening Star, 1/5/1891.

I, CATHERINE DAVIES, of Dunedin, Widow, do hereby give notice that I desire to obtain, and will, at the next Licensing Meeting to be holden at Dunedin on the 5th day of June 1891, apply for a Certificate authorising the renewal and issue of a PUBLICAN'S LICENSE and of an ELEVEN O'CLOCK LICENSE for a house situate at Maclaggan street, Dunedin, and known as the "Albion Hotel," containing 40 rooms, exclusive of those required for the use of the family. 

Dated the 5th day of May 1891. CATHERINE DAVIES.  -Otago Daily Times, 11/5/1891.

Catherine Davies ran the Albion for 12 years, until 1893. She died and was buried beside Joseph on 1905.

In Memoriam.

In loving memory of our dear mother, Catherine Davies, who departed this life June 3rd, 1905.

Sleep on, dear mother, thy labor is o'er, 

Thy willing hands will toil no more; 

God called you home — He knoweth best — 

We miss you most who loved you best. 

— Inserted by her loving daughter Fanny Morris. -Evening Star, 3/6/1907.

Leslie Edward Sargent, (1902-10/1/1930). "integrity and ability"

DEATHS

SARGENT. — On January 10', 1930, at the residence, Harris street. Waimate, Leslie Edward, dearly beloved second son of Adela Kate Sargent and the late J. B. Sargent; in his twenty-ninth year (after a short illness). Private Interment at Dunedin.  -Otago Daily Times, 13/1/1930.

WAIMATE.

OBITUARY. 

Profound regret was expressed in Waimate on Saturday, when news was received of the death of Mr Leslie Edward Sargent. The late Mr Sargent concluded his education at the Waimate District High School in 1917, and was appointed to a position on the staff of the “Advertiser,” assuming the responsibilities of business manager and head of the publishing department of the paper before reaching the age of 21 years. In business spheres all with whom he came in contact honoured him for his integrity and ability. The deceased was unmarried, and was not quite 29 years of age at the time of his death. The sympathy of the residents of the whole district goes out to his mother, Mrs A. K. Sargent, his brother, Mr Austin Sargent, and sister, Mrs R. J. Murphy, all of whom reside in Waimate, in their bereavement. The remains will be interred in Dunedin on Tuesday, at a private funeral.  -Timaru Herald, 13/1/1930.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin. DCC photo.

8/3956 Private Herbert Morley, (6/4/1899-7/6/1917). "somewhere in France"

 

Herbert Morley joined the 2nd Battalion of the Otago Infantry Regiment in France on April 24, 1916.  The following September he and his Battalion were waiting in the trenches to take their part in the "Big Push," the eventually failed and costly Battle of the Somme. On September 14, the day before the scheduled attack, he was wounded by German shrapnel in a shoulder and hospitalised. His wound may have been a well-disguised blessing, keeping him in hospital for three weeks and keeping him from joining the roughly 1200 New Zealanders who died in the fighting, many with no known graves. Herbert's Company, the 8th, was "seriously depleted in strength under the blasts of machine-gun fire which swept their ranks" on the morning of October 1st, according to the Otagos' Official History.

The 2nd Battalion went into battle at Messines on June 7, 1917, numbering 798  men. Nineteen mines were exploded under German positions to open the battle and the New Zealanders climbed out of their trenches and marched towards the devastation.  Seventy seven Otago men died on that first day. Herbert Morley was one of them.

FOR THE EMPIRE'S CAUSE

DEATHS

MORLEY. — On June 7, killed while in action "Somewhere in France," Herbert Morley (10th Reinforcements).  -Otago Daily Times, 23/6/1917.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.

37616 Private Thomas Robert Horne, (26/5/1915-23/11/1941). "at great cost"

By nightfall part of Point 175 had been captured at great cost. The casualties exceeded 400 and included more than 350 — about 100 of them killed or mortally wounded — in 25 Battalion alone. Eleven men were missing from 9 Platoon, and of these at least six (Daly, Ralfe, Lee, Horne, Johnston and Taylor) were dead.  -Official History of 27 Battalion.

Point 175 was one of the many otherwise anonymous places in North Africa, taken after unexpectedly high numbers of troops defending it were overcome.  Thomas Horne was reported as missing after the fight, eventually reported "killed in action" in February 1942.

Timaru Cemetery.

William J Urch, (1841-7/5/1868). "had not undressed"

 

William J. Urch, who for some years has been in the employment of Messrs Whittingham Brothers, was found dead in his bed at his lodgings, the Spanish Restaurant, on Saturday morning last. He had gone to bed at half-past seven o'clock on the previous evening, but had not undressed. An inquest will be held to-day.  -Otago Daily Times, 11/5/1868.

An inquest was held yesterday, at the Imperial Hotel, Princes street, on the body of William J. Urch, who had been found dead in his bed on the previous Saturday. The evidence of witnesses who had known the deceased was that lately he had been much addicted to drink. Dr Alexander detailed the result of a post mortem examination of the body, and stated that he believed the cause of death to have been chronic disease, produced by the habitual and excessive use of alcohol, and exhaustion consequent of want of nourishment. A verdict in accordance with the medical testimony was returned.  -Otago Daily Times, 12/5/1868.

Southern Cemetery, Dunedin.