Brian Bentley Graves
Born 14 Jan 1918 - Died 29 Jul 1944
- Service number
- 1813 AWMM
- Also known as
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- Lieutenant/Military AWMM New Zealand Artillery, 4 Field Regiment, 26 Battery AWMM
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- Brian Bentley AWMM
- Surname
- Graves AWMM
- Ingoa
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- Also known as
- —
- Service number
- 1813 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 14 Jan 1918 AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- Unknown AWMM 47 Stanley Avenue, Palmerston North, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- —
- Next of kin
- Mr H.I. Graves (father), 60 Aurora Terrace, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Unknown AWMM Single AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
- Campaign
- Italy AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- 1813 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
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Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
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Training and Enlistment
- Military training
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- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- WW2 Unknown AWMM Clerk AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Gunner/Military AWMM New Zealand Artillery, 4 Field Regiment, 25 Battery AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Lieutenant/Military AWMM
New Zealand Artillery, 4 Field Regiment, 26 Battery AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Brian Graves was the son of Horace Ivatt Graves and Daisy Graves of Wellington, New Zealand.
Lieutenant Graves was killed on 29 July 1944 at San Michele, south of Florence. Graves was the newly-appointed commander of F Troop and was being taken by Major Carson forward to the OP when a shell struck the scout car and killed both Lieutenant Graves and Gunner I.H. Henry. (ref. 2nd Div. History, p. 623-4)
During July 1944 the New Zealand Artillery was part of the advance to Florence. After the fall of Rome troops rested by the Liri river, training and recreation taking up the days until 7 July when orders were received that the Division should concentrate near Lake Trasimene. After the taking of Rome by the Allies in June 1944 the Germans fell back to the Gothic Line.They needed time to consolidate this line. For their part the Allies aimed to reach the Northern Apennines before this consolidation could take place. The result was that as the Fifth Army advanced along the coast and the Eighth Army advanced further inland they found stiff resistance as the Germans sought to slow down Allied progress. From 5 July the Allies encountered resolute resistance in defence of positions just south of a line Ancona-Arezzo-Leghorn and in particular on both sides of the Chiana valley.The Allied attack along this line began on 14/15 July.Within a week it had taken all the strong points of the German defences and had gained the ports of Ancona and Leghorn.The Americans reached the Arno on 4 August and on the 13 August the 8th Indian Division crossed the river and occupied Florence. The first days of August saw the end of the campaign in central Italy. The next stage involved the Allied forces in the attack on the Gothic Line which the Germans had heavily fortified. The delaying tactics they had used at Lake Trasimene and near Arezzo had allowed time to complete this work. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 29 Jul 1944 AWMM
Age 26 AWMM - Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
- Killed in Action AWMM
- Death notes
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- Cemetery
- Florence War Cemetery, Italy AWMM VII. C. 8. AWMM
- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
- Memorial plaque, Karori Cemetery, Wellington AWMM
Sources
- External links
- Murphy, W. (1966). 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Arti.html
Sources Used - Murphy, W. (1966). 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Arti.html
Sources Used - Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2614148
Sources Used - Murphy, W. (1966). 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20210104000423/http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Arti.html
Further Reference
- Murphy, W. (1966). 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- References
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 1 (Embarkations to 31st March, 1940). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 1: WW2 69 - Murphy, W. (1966). 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
Map on page 618 of Official History of 2nd New Zealand Divisional Artillery by W.E. Murphy shows the positions of the troops on 29 July - Information kindly provided by family
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 1 (Embarkations to 31st March, 1940). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
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