Reginald Gillon Christophers

Ngā ingoa tuatahi

Reginald Gillon AWMM

Ingoa whānau

Christophers AWMM

Ingoa kārangaranga

Reg AWMM

Nama Hōia

WWI 60286 AWMM

Ira tangata

Male AWMM

Pono

Church of England, Christian AWMM

Whānautanga mai

8 Aug 1882 AWMM

Uri kiritahi

WW1 Mrs R.G. Christophers (wife), care of J.C. Woodward' Westbourne Road, Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM

Mēnā he hoa rangatira tōna

8 Aug 1907 AWMM Married AWMM
Alice Mildred Vyner (married in Monterey California) AWMM

Pakanga

World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM

Te Ope o Tū / te peka

Army AWMM

Nama Hōia

WWI 60286 AWMM

Te urunga

WW1 11 Jun 1917 AWMM
Age  34 AWMM
Civil Engineer/Civilian AWMM

Taipitopito ekenga waka

WW1 05 Jun 1918-31 Jul 1918 AWMM
HMNZT 105 AWMM Vessel was Remuera AWMM Second Lieutenant AWMM 38th Reinforcements, Specialists Company AWMM New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM

Tuhinga hauora

• Died of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM
• Height, WWI AWMM
  5 feet 11 1/2 inches AWMM
• Chest measurement, WWI AWMM
  34 1/2 inches AWMM
• Chest, WWI AWMM
  37 1/2 inches AWMM
• Weight, WWI AWMM
  160 lbs AWMM
• Complexion, WWI AWMM
  Medium AWMM
• Hair colour, WWI AWMM
  Brown grey AWMM

Te tūnga whakamutunga

WW1 Second Lieutenant AWMM
Otago Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion AWMM

Matenga

13 Oct 1918 AWMM
Age  36 AWMM

Wāhi Mate

New Zealanders were just over the Cambrai St Quentin Canal near the village of Crevecouer. 8th Oct.

Public - Herb - Direct descendant - 6 October 2018 - Family papers
Extract from Rev Ronald Watson's letters. Presbyterian Pastor.

Te momo matenga

Died of wounds AWMM

Tuhipoka mō te matenga

• At about 4.30am the attack started and very shortly afterwards I saw your son brought in badly wounded carried by 4 German prisoners, on a stretcher
  Extract from Rev Ronald S Watson's letter Presbyterian Pastor
  Public - Herb - Direct descendant - 6 October 2018 - Extract from Rev Ronald S Watson's letter Presbyterian Pastor
• Extract from Rev Ronald Watson's letters. Presbyterian Pastor.
  "....On the 8th of October, at about 4.30 am, the attack started and very shortly afterwards I saw your son brought in badly wounded carried by four German prisoners, on a stretcher.
  Sunday 13th October 1918
  Buried near Beaulencourt in the British Cemetery Bapaume District France. Plot 1 Row B Grave No 40"
  Public - Herb - Direct descendant - 6 October 2018 - Family papers

Urupā

Beaulencourt British Cemetery, Ligny-Thilloy, Pas-de-Calais, France AWMM I. B. 1. AWMM

Pānui Matenga

Yes I was awfully sorry to hear that poor Reg Christophers died. He went through the class with me at Sling Camp & when our training was only partially finished he applied to be sent to France as he could not be bothered with the continual training.
Once, while we were having a spell during a hard days training he said to me “What do you think of all this tommy rot Spear?” and I agreed with him that it was tommy rot for we were doing slow march & turnings work that we had already done in NZ.
He replied that he would get out of it “go out to France” which he did a few days later. Some weeks afterwards while I was at Bapaume I met an officer I knew & he told me he had just been up to see the last of Christophers. He died the following day & the officer who told me of it was blown to pieces about 3 weeks later.
Christophers was waiting an opportunity to hop over the top with his men one day, & while a lull in the bombardment occurred he said “Righto boys into them” & over they went & shortly afterwards he was shot in the throat. He lingered for some days before death relieved him of his sufferings.

H.W. Spears
38th Reinforcements

Public - Herb - Direct descendant - 6 October 2018 - H.W. Spears
38th Reinforcements
Holly was posted to the 38th Reinforcements of the New Zealand Division Ist NZEF in 1917. He sailed to England aboard the RMS Remuera (Troopship 105) and served in France on the Somme. Following the armistice he signed on with the British Army of Occupation in Germany. He was finally discharged in 1919.

Transcribed and compiled by:
W O (Bill) Harrington
Christchurch NZ
March 2013
woharrington@xtra.co.nz

Ingoa maumaharatanga

• Roll of Honour, Northern Wairoa RSA, Dargaville AWMM
• Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
• Invercargill War Memorial
  Southland Boys High School
  Public - Herb - Direct descendant - 6 October 2018 - Site visits

Mea e whai hononga ai

Tangata Ope Tauā

Hononga ki waho

• Military personnel file
  https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R21894160
  Further Reference
• Other military personnel file
  https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R7879734
  Further Reference
• A Street Near You record
  https://astreetnearyou.org/person/564560/-
  Further Reference
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty record
  https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/564560
  Further Reference
• New Zealand War Graves Trust
  https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/
  Further Reference

Ngā tuhinga

• New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume IV. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
  83: 13
• Dear, L. (2010). Poppy boys : an interpretation. Invercargill, N.Z.: Craigs.
• Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications
  Vol. 4: Includes portrait
• The Fields of Remembrance Trust: Brothers Field, Auckland Museum (Armistice, 2018)
• Scadden, J. (2018). Broken branches : New Zealand families who lost three or more children in the Great War.
• Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2.
• Byrne, A. E. Official History of the Otago Regiment, NZEF in the Great War, 1914–1918. Dunedin: J. Wilkie, 1921.
• HMNZT 105 - The Remuerian : being a record of the voyage en route of the 38th Reinforcements. Cardston, Owen, editor. Whitlock, W.A. (William Arthur), editor. Robinson, A.C. (Alwyn Clifford), editor. Croll, Donald George, artist. -- At sea : [Magazine Staff] Engraved and printed at Halifax, Canada by the Royal Print & Litho Limited : 1918.