Ernest Valentine Sanderson
Born 8 Feb 1866 - Died 29 Dec 1945
- Service number
- WWI 8/1890 AWMM
- South African 2436 AWMM
- Also known as
- Val AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
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- War
About
- Title
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- Forenames
- Ernest Valentine AWMM
- Surname
- Sanderson AWMM
- Ingoa
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- Also known as
- Val AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 8/1890 AWMM
- South African 2436 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 8 Feb 1866 AWMM
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- 1900 AWMM Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
- Mrs Emma Sanderson (wife), Maarama Crescent, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 14 Feb 1915 AWMM Married AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
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- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 8/1890 AWMM
- South African 2436 AWMM
- Military service
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- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
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Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
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Training and Enlistment
- Military training
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- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- WW1 1915 AWMM
Age 49 AWMM - Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- South Africa 31 Mar 1900 AWMM
Waimate AWMM Quartermaster Sergeant AWMM 5th New Zealand Mounted Rifles, 12 Company, Wellington Section AWMM New Zealand Mounted Rifles AWMM - WW1 14 Feb 1915-26 Mar 1915 AWMM
HMNZT 17 or HMNZT 18 or HMNZT 19 AWMM Vessel was Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima AWMM Captain/Military AWMM Otago Infantry Battalion AWMM 3rd Reinforcements AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM
- South Africa 31 Mar 1900 AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Died from Natural Causes, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
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- Last rank
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Biographical information
- "Fighting for nature: Captain Val Sanderson
A remarkable New Zealander, Captain Ernest Valentine 'Val' Sanderson emerged from two wars to become a leading figure in the fight to protect New Zealand's natural heritage.
Using skills and leadership gained through war, he was a key founder of what became the Royal Forest & Bird Society. Fronting national conservation efforts for three decades, he was instrumental in fostering greater appreciation for New Zealand's environment.
Born in Dunedin in 1866 and raised in Wellington, Sanderson first served in the South African War (1899-1902) where he excelled as a Quartermaster-Sergeant for the No. 12 Company (Wellington section), 5th contingent, New Zealand Mounted Rifles, being mentioned by both of his Commanding Officers for special notice. With a talent for administration and an 'exceptional capacity for hard work', he was first employed as an insurance clerk and went on to found successful business ventures while serving as a part-time soldier in the Territorials.
At the outbreak of the First World War, Sanderson again sought to enlist, amending his age by five years to be under the age limit of 45. After a number of applications he was finally accepted and sent to Egypt. There he served again as a Quartermaster and Honourary Captain, first for the third reinforcements, Otago Infantry Battalion, and then at the General Base Depot.
His command and organisational abilities were to become invaluable after the war as he went on to found the New Zealand Native Bird Protection Society, later known as the Royal Forest & Bird Society. He almost single-handedly built the organisation into the New Zealand's leading environmental protection group after finding his beloved Kapiti Island bird sanctuary stripped and overrun with introduced species when he returned from war in 1921. Bringing a patriotic zeal and a military determination to the fight for nature, he had a ‘single-minded devotion to preserving was what was left of the flora and fauna of Old New Zealand’ (Obit., Evening Post, 1945) . Comparing the stark landscapes of Egypt and Gallipoli to New Zealand no doubt reinforced Sanderson's special appreciation of the country's natural gifts and the acute threat to them as farms rapidly took over the landscape across the islands.
As conservation issues become ever more critical, we should remember the leadership of servicemen like Captain Sanderson who emerged from war to work tirelessly for the benefit of future generations.
To their foresight we owe much." Millar, Dan . Fighting for Nature: Captain Val Sanderson . Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 25 May 2017. Updated: 1 August 2017. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 29 Dec 1945 AWMM
- Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
- Died from Natural Causes AWMM
- Death notes
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- Cemetery
- Block C, Row 18, Otaki Cemetery AWMM
- Otaki Cemetery AWMM
- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
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Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Military personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R20524639
Further Reference - Sanderson, Ernest Valentine, Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4s4/sanderson-ernest-valentine
Further Reference - Online Cenotaph Features
http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/captain-val-sanderson
Further Reference
- Military personnel file
- References
- Information kindly provided by family
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
Page No: 641 - New Zealand Contingents to South Africa: Nominal Rolls (1900). Wellington, N.Z.: Government Printer.
p.27 - Stowers, R. (2009). Rough riders at war : history of New Zealand's involvement in the Anglo-Boer War 1899-1902 and information on all members of the 10 New Zealand contingents. Hamilton, N.Z.: R. Stowers.
- McCaskill, L.W. [1964]. Sanderson memorial address : Captain E. V. Sanderson : the man and his work. Wellington, N.Z.: Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand.
- 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. 5: Includes portrait
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Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.