St John Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst
Born Jul 1881 - Died 8 May 1918
- Service number
- WWI 3/746 AWMM
- Also known as
- Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst AWMM
- Alexander Molesworth AWMM
- Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- WW1 Captain/Military AWMM New Zealand Medical Corps (attached New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 4th Battalion) AWMM
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- St John Alexander Molesworth AWMM
- Surname
- Tolhurst AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst AWMM
- Alexander Molesworth AWMM
- Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 3/746 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- —
- Religion
- —
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- Jul 1881 AWMM
- Date of birth
- —
- Place of birth
- —
- Birth notes
- —
- Address before enlistment
- Unknown AWMM 7 Courtenay Place, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- —
- Next of kin
- Mrs M.H.F. Tolhurst (wife), C/o Messrs. Young and Tripe, Solicitors, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Mrs Margaret Hope F. Tolhurst (wife), C/o Young and Tripe, Solicitors, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Mrs M.H.F. Tolhurst (wife), C/o Messrs. Young and Tripe, Solicitors, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 10 Jul 1915 AWMM Married AWMM
Married, 1 child AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
- Campaign
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 3/746 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- —
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW1 Surgeon/Civilian AWMM
- WW1 Surgeon/Civilian AWMM
- WW1 Surgeon/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW1 Hospital Ship No. 1, 1st Voyage from NZ AWMM Vessel was Maheno AWMM Captain/Military AWMM New Zealand Medical Corps AWMM Not known AWMM
- WW1 10 Nov 1916 AWMM
Hospital Ship No. 2, 2nd Voyage from NZ AWMM Vessel was HMHS Marama AWMM Captain/Military AWMM HMHS Marama AWMM New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM - WW1 Hospital Ship No. 2, 3rd Voyage from NZ AWMM Vessel was HMHS Marama AWMM Captain/Military AWMM HMHS Marama AWMM New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
3rd Embarkation AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- —
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
- —
- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- WW1 Captain/Military AWMM
New Zealand Medical Corps (attached New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 4th Battalion) AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Alexander Tolhurst was the son of George Edmeades and Elizabeth Josephine Tolhurst of Wellington, husband of Margaret Hope Filler nee Bartlett (m 1911) Tolhurst of Wellington.
Captain Tolhurst was attached to the 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade at the time of his death.
Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F - Records of Matters Concerning the Troops, No. 44, May 24th, 1918 at page 173 records the following
"...Dr A.M. Tolhurst was killed last night. A shell landed in a forward aid post, killing him, Padre Allen and an orderly outright, and wounding others. The body was brought back, and he will be buried to-morrow (May 10th) at Doullens, near General Fulton and Major Purdy. He was very popular and beloved by all the men and his brother officers...."
This brief extract from a private letter received in London brings the sad news of the death of three fine men. Captain Tolhurst was the son of Mr G.E. Tolhurst, so well known in Wellington, and who was for many years general manager of the Union Bank of Australasia. He was a fine handsome man, and will be greatly missed by those who knew him. He leaves a wife and a baby girl and boy, the latter born but two months ago. His brother, Molesworth, is still on service with the N.Z.E.F."
Carbery (1924: page 398) writes "Captain Tolhurst had many friends in the division which he had joined from the hospital ship Maheno late in 1917. He had been with his battalion since early in March."
Birth registered as St John Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst; enlisted as Alexander Molesworth Tolhurst and listed as such on the Nominal Roll and Archives New Zealand. Typo on Marriage entry BDMs Moleworke (April 2010) AWMM
About death
- Death
- 8 May 1918 AWMM
Age 36 AWMM - Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action AWMM
- Death notes
- —
- Cemetery
- Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No. 2, Somme, France AWMM I B 31 AWMM
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- —
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
- —
Memorial
- Memorial name
- Memorial plaque, St Paul's Church, No 3 Field Ambulance, 25 Symonds Street, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Military personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R22016408
Further Reference - Capital & Coast District Health Board history and staff web pages.
http://www.ccdhb.org.nz/hhist/staff/TolhurstAM_B.html includes portrait
Further Reference - A Street Near You record
https://astreetnearyou.org/person/84053/-
Further Reference - Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/84053
Further Reference - New Zealand War Graves Trust
https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/
Further Reference
- Military personnel file
- References
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
Vol1: 729 - New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
42: 1 - New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1918). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume III. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
61: 1 - Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F.: Records of Matters Concerning the Troops and Gazette of Patriotic Effort [London, England] : New Zealand War Contingent Association, [1916-1919]
Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F - Records of Matters Concerning the Troops, No. 44, May 24th, 1918, page 173 - Carbery, A.R.D. (1924). The New Zealand Medical Service in the Great War, 1914-1918 : based on official documents. Auckland: Whitcombe & Tombs.
p. 398 - 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. 2: Includes portrait - Pat Clarkson Medical Practitioner Research Project (January 2014 - March 2022). This project identified Medical Practioners who served in WWI.
- Austin, W. (1924). The official history of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (The Earl of Liverpool's Own). Wellington, N.Z.: L T Watkins.
- Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2.
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.
Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.