condensed discuss document expanded export feedback print share remove reset document_white enquire_white export_white report_white

Cenotaph record

George Leece

-
Lay a poppy
Roll of Honour, Ranfurly Veterans' Home, detail, 1st - 7th Contingents, (photo J. Halpin September 2011) (CC-BY John Halpin)

Roll of Honour, Ranfurly Veterans' Home, detail, 1st - 7th Contingents, (photo J. Halpin September 2 …

Identity

About

Contribute ›
  • Title
  • Forenames
    George AWMM
  • Surname
    Leece AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    2331 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

Contribute ›
  • Birth
    24 November 1865 AWMM England, United Kingdom AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Unknown AWMM Balfour Road, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    Mr E. Leece, Balfour Road, Parnell, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

Contribute ›

Training and Enlistment

Contribute ›
  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    South Africa Unknown AWMM Surveyor AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

Prisoner of war

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

Medical history

Contribute ›
  • Medical notes
    Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

Contribute ›

Biographical information

Biographical information

Contribute ›
    • Father: John William Leece (died 1890 at Kawakawa); mother: Margaret Leece (died 11 December 1914) 18 Balfour Road, Parnell

      Lieutenant Leece was well known in Auckland. Buried at Police Post 24 miles west of Vereeniging. Joined 7 Contingent, 24 Company in South Africa as Lieutenant.

      Auckland Museum Boer War Display – photo of “section of the Auckland Fifth Contingent which left by the Mapourika”

      Buried Police Post Patriotfontein AWMM
    • Daniel J. Love was a "painter" according to the Embarcation Roll. He was in the 23rd Coy (Nelson Section) of the 7th Contingent, which sailed in the "Gulf of Taranto" on 6th April 1901, and landed at Durban on 10 May.

      I looked at three books for details of the death of Love & Leece, who were in a column commanded by Lt-Col. Grey, then from the end of June by Lt-Col. Garrett:

      "The New Zealanders in South Africa, 1899-1902" by D.O.W. Hall (1949, Wellington, page 63-64) covers the operation in which Garrett's column crossed the Vaal River into the Orange Free State and tried to intercept General Smuts who was expected to make his way from the Western Transvaal into British territory. The column then went through Vereeniging and through Kroonstadt to the Vet River, while the main drive ended at the Modder. It had swept through half the western side of the Orange Free State, making only one contact with Smuts and taking few prisoners, but a large booty of stock - 186,000 sheep and 21,000 cattle.
      NB: the OFS was later the ORC or Orange River Colony.

      "The Colonials in South Africa" by John Stirling (1907, Edinburgh, page 362)
      said:
      "In August, Garrett's column made substantial captures at Bultfontein on the 12th, and on the 18th he detached 330 mounted troops under Lieutenant-Colonel the Hon. H. White, who at dawn on the 19th completely surprised Spannerberg's Laager, taking 25 prisoners, including Mr Steyn,
      Landdrost of Vredefort, 31 rifles, and much transport. Lord Kitchener noted that White's men covered 56 miles in 36 hours. At daylight on the 24th 3 Boers were killed, 8 taken prisoners, and again many wagons and Cape carts were captured. The enemy, numbering about 300, made a determined attempt to retake their convoy, but after five hour's fighting they were driven off. In
      this affair the 7th lost Lieutenant Leece and Sergeant-Major Love killed, and Lieutenant Whiteley and Sergeant-Major Lockett and one man wounded."

      "The Seventh New Zealand Contingent" by K G Malcolm (1903, Wellington, page 12) said:
      ".... we had to bury two more of our comrades, namely, Lieutenant Leece of Auckland and Sergeant-Major Love of Wellington. Both had lost their lives fighting against overwhelming odds, and died the death of a true-born Briton. They were buried side by side 'neath the orange grove's pleasant shade, where the golden summer sun shines bright and clear. The column halted for a day, and the regiment paraded to a man, to bid a last and fond farewell to the remains of two who we admired, and who for the love of their king and country had fought, and bled, and died."

      PS: "The Last Post" by M.G. Dooner was on loan, but may have something on Leece (she covered officers who died in the war).

      Yours, John Wilson (Wellington, New Zealand) Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 11 August 2015 - http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/BOER-WAR/2001-08/0997543540
Read more

Death

About death

Contribute ›
  • Death
    23 August 1901 AWMM
    Age 35 AWMM
    Vereeniging, South Africa AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Killed in Action AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Olien Park Cemetery, Potchefstroom, South Africa AWMM 1 AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
    New Zealand Herald, 30 August 1901, page 5 AWMM
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

Contribute ›
  • Memorial name
    • Albert Park, (NZ Battery, Royal Artillery) South African War Memorial, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
    • Ranfurly Veterans' Home, 539 Mount Albert Road, Three Kings, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, South African War Memorial 1899 - 1902 AWMM

Roll of Honour

Remember George Leece by laying a poppy.

Leave a note

Leave a tribute or memory of George Leece

Leave a note

Contribute ›

Sources

Sources

Contribute ›
  • External links
  • References
    • Stowers, R. (1992). Kiwi versus Boer : the First New Zealand Mounted Rifles in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902. Hamilton, N.Z.: R. Stowers. AWMM
    • Stowers, R. (2002). Rough Riders at War: history of New Zealand's involvement in the Anglo-Boer war 1899-1902 and information on all members of the ten New Zealand contingents. Author: Hamilton, N.Z. AWMM
    • The New Zealand Herald AWMM
    • Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand. AWMM
      Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 1900. H.6. Nominal Roll AWMM
    • The New Zealand Herald AWMM
      30 August 1901, p. 5 AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
15 March 2021KevinSouth AfricaResearcher
11 August 2015Lorraine MGisborne, NZResearcher

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.

Creative Commons LicenseOnline Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.