Joseph Blair was the son of George and Margaret (also known as Mary, née Stewart) Blair, and a brother of George Turnell and Robert Stewart Blair. The father of the family died when the children were young, and thereafter they were cared for by various people. Joseph, under the guardianship of George Boddye, was educated at the Fairlie and Albury schools. His mother, who was reported in ill health when his brother William died while working in a paddock in April 1911, had died by 1917.

Joseph had been previously rejected as unfit for military service - "Below Standard".He was called up while working as a farm hand at Hilton. In January 1918 Joseph had received notice to proceed to Wellington, but when he and Bryant, also of Hilton, went along to the entertainment provided by the Temuka Patriotic Entertainment Committee for the C4 men to go into camp to test their fitness, they found that no arrangement had been made for them to go. Consequently they had to wait till later.

Come early February he was one of 41 men ordered to parade before leaving for camp as part of the 36th Reinforcement draft. Joseph was one of those entertained by the Temuka Patriotic Entertainment Committee in Teesdale’s Rooms, “a first-class spread being provided”. Major Kennedy, the Chairman of the Pleasant Valley Patriotic Committee, Mayor and the Rev. Norris made short speeches. Cheers were given for the men before thye were accompanied to the railway station and cheered again as the train left.

Some time after the war he went away to Ngakawau on the West Coast where he engaged in mining. He appealed, the appeal being dismissed because he did not appear at the hearing. From the mid 1960s he resided at the Kynnersley Home at Westport. Joseph died on 6 December 1974, aged 78 years, and is buried in the Orowaiti Cemetery at Westport. .

Biography provided by the Timaru Museum SCRoll project. AWMM