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Cenotaph record

Alfred Sturges

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Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1917 - No known copyright restrictions

Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1917 - No known copyright restrictions

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Alfred AWMM
  • Surname
    Sturges AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Alfred Sturges AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 28601 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    4 October 1878 Public Source
  • Date of birth
    4 October 1878 Public - Russell - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Place of birth
    Otahuhu, NZ Public - Russell - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Henderson, West Auckland, NZ Public - Russell - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Post war occupation
    n/a Public - Russell - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - n/a
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    Miss Vera Sturges (sister), Otahuhu, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 28601 AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 Unknown AWMM Orchardist/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
    Orchardist Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel Files
  • Age on enlistment
    37 Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel Files

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Alfred Sturges was the son of Margaret Sturges, of 3 Wairere Rd., Remuera, Auckland, New Zealand. AWMM
    • Alfred Sturges was the son of Alfred Sturges, who had emigrated from England in 1870. He ran a drapery business in Otahuhu and later owned a large orchard beside the Tamaki River. He was the first person to commercially grow passionfruit in the Auckland Province. He became the first Mayor of Otahuhu and on his retirement he donated some of his land, which is now known as Sturges Park at Otahuhu.
      His two sons, Charles and Alfred, were born and raised at Otahuhu. Charles worked alongside his father in the drapery business.
      By 1901 Alfred Sturges the Younger was a nurseryman living at Henderson and was active in the formation of the Henderson Fruitgrowers and Farmers Association. Charles married Isabella (Bell) in 1905 and joined him as a farmer/orchardist at Henderson.
      The road where the Sturges brothers lived at Henderson was known as Pedersen Road, named after Scandinavian immigrant Martin Pedersen, the first to purchase Lot 36 on the eastern side of the road in 1896. Mr Sturges led a deputation to the Waitemata County Council in 1912 to get the road metalled.
      Brisk recruiting during World War One drew Alf Sturges into military service in March 1916. He left his orchard in the care of local orchardist Frank Becroft, however Frank was called up in the ballot in June 1917. Reg Phillipson then came to manage the Sturges orchard. Frank Becroft returned to Henderson after the war, married and had two sons, Murray and Russell Becroft. But Alf Sturges never came back.
      Alf’s orchard was inherited by his sisters Clara, Ada, Ella and Vera. After WW1 the road name changed from Pedersen Rd to Sturges Rd. Charles Sturges’s wife, Bell, died in September 1924 and by December 1924 the Sturges Estate was approved for subdivision. George Ward's father bought the last section of land that was for sale from the Sturges Estate in 1937, which is now part of the Braeburn Estate, Harvest Drive.
      Charles Sturges died in 1955 aged 80 years. Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Notes from Albert Thomas' Oral History held at Henderson library.
      Hendersons Mill by Anthony Flude, published 2008, page 9.
      Archway Archives: Probate. http://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE25087079
      paperspast: Auckland Star 3 Dec 1901 page 3.
      paperspast Auckland Star 13 Dec 1912 page 2.
      paperspast NZ Herald 10 March 1916 page 6.
      Henderson: Heart of the West; book by V. Burgess, G. Bishop and G. Cole, published 2018.
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    5 October 1917 AWMM
    Ypres, Belgium AWMM
  • Date of death
    5 October 1917 Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Age at death
    39 Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Place of death
    Ypres, Belgium Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Cause of death
    • Killed in Action AWMM
    • Killed in action in the field Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Military Personnel File
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Tyne Cot Memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium AWMM
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
    • Sturges West Community House, 58 Summerland Drive, Henderson, Auckland, NZ Public - Lyn - Researcher - 27 October 2018 - Sturges West Community House

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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Contributors

Command item
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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
20 November 2022Ian BanksTaumarunuiResearcher
27 October 2018LynAucklandResearcher

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