Smallfield Family

William was born on the 8th June 1895, in the warden’s house at St John’s College, Tamaki. His father became headmaster of St John’s Collegiate School in 1891, and in 1896 when the theological students came back from a house in Gladstone Rd, Parnell, was appointed warden and tutor of the theological department.

In January 1902, Percy Scott Smallfield and his family left St John’s College Tamaki, as General Synod had decided that St John’s was to be only a theological college.

P.S.Smallfield obtained the beautiful old Willamson Mansion on Parr Rd, now an Auckland City Council Park, for St John’s Collegiate School. There his three sons, Eric, William and Walton were educated.

In 1914 the First World War started. William joined the army when he was 20 years old . His training started at Trentham Military Camp in March 1916.

After the war William returned to Auckland and stayed with his parents and two sisters, Winifred and Ruth, at 8 Liverpool St, Epsom. He had learnt the art of printing at St John’s College and had done an apprenticeship at an Auckland printing firm before he joined the army.

Early in 1920 he left his position as manager of the Jobbing Department of the Taranaki Daily News in New Plymouth and went to Whakatane and had a stationers’ shop and printing works behind it. It was a successful business.

In the library he first met Eva Millicent Law, the Town Clerk’s assistant. They were married in St Peter’s Church Onehunga, by the Rev Canon P.S.Smallfield on 26th December 1921.

William served as a member of the Whakatane Borough Council. He studied for a law degree. He was made a Justice of the Peace on the 29th March 1923. I was told he was then the youngest Justice of the Peace in New Zealand.

In 1922 he purchased a half-acre of land in James St where he had a nice house built. My brother Percy and I remember it very well. From 3rd July 1929 he served as a Lay Reader at the Anglican Church. He realized that he was called to the Ministry of the Church. William and Millicent sold their house and business and moved to a rented house in Fifth Avenue, Tauranga. On the 20th September 1931, William was made a deacon in the Church of Holy Trinity, Tauranga, by the Bishop of Waiapu, the Rt. Rev. W.H. Williams. In 1932 he moved to the Waikato Diocese. The bishop there was the Rt. Rev. C.A. Cherrington. He was ordained a priest in 1932. His father came down from Epsom, Auckland, and was one of those who laid his hands on his head when he was being ordained a priest in St Peter’s Cathedral, Hamilton. The laying on of hands has come down from Bishop Selwyn to Bishop Cowie, to my Grandfather Percy, to my Father, and to myself in old St Paul’s Wellington. He served in parishes in Tauranga, Hamilton, Wanganui, Taihape and Trentham. He was made a Canon of St Paul’s Cathedral, Wellington in 1952. He was chaplain to the Forces from1935-48.

It was a coincidence that in 1947, 31 years after being in Trentham Military Camp, he became vicar of Trentham. The parish church was called St John’s Church. He was educated at St John’s Collegiate School and he started in the army at the Trentham Military Camp.

The Rev Canon W. M.Smallfield retired as Vicar of Trentham in 1964 at the age of 69 years. With his wife he lived in Papatoetoe. He helped as assistant priest at St George’s Papatoetoe.

He died on the 28th November 1969. He is buried with his wife at Purewa Anglican Cemetery not far from where he was born over 74years before.