James Grierson Hatrick

Born 25 Nov 1888 - Died 2 Oct 1916

Service number: WWI 12/3672 AWMM
Also known as: James Greirson AWMM
James Greerson AWMM
James Greirson AWMM
Jim
Public - Emma - Other Relative - 7 June 2015 - Family history
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
Last rank: WW1 Captain/Military AWMM Auckland Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion AWMM
War: World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM

James Grierson Hatrick — Captain James G. Hatrick, of Northcote, wounded. Supplement to the Auckland Weekly News, 13 July 1916, p.43. Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections AWNS-19160713-43-05. No Known Copyright Restrictions

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Biographical information

Son of James Robert Ellison Hatrick and Lizzie Hatrick, of Papakura, Auckland

Three brothers served during WW1: James (12/3672) killed 1916; Hubert (13/76) survived and Robert (2234) who died at Gallipoli serving with the Australian Imperial Force.

Name incorrectly spelt as Greirson in Nominal Roll.

Next of Kin: Mr J. R. E. Hatrick, Papakura, Auckland (Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1914-1918 (Volume 1))

James Grierson Hatrick was born on 25 November 1888, the son of James Robert Ellison Hatrick and Lizzie Hatrick of Auckland, and one of eight children. He grew up within a family deeply affected by World War I. Three brothers served: James Grierson Hatrick, who was killed at the Somme in 1916; Robert Ellis Hatrick, who was killed at Gallipoli while serving with the Australian Imperial Force; and Hubert Knox Hatrick, who served with the Auckland Mounted Rifles and later in the Middle East.

The Hatrick family were established in business prior to the war, with their father operating a drapery and haberdashery business in Hamilton. James was educated at Hamilton primary and high schools, and prior to enlistment worked as a draper’s assistant, including several years on the staff of George Fowlds Ltd in Auckland.

Alongside his civilian employment, Hatrick had established military experience in the Territorial Force. He held a commission as a Lieutenant in the Birkenhead Senior Cadets (54th Company).

Hatrick enlisted for service in World War I and embarked from New Zealand on 8 January 1916 aboard HMNZT Maunganui, arriving in Egypt the following month with the 9th Reinforcements, Auckland Infantry Battalion. He served with the 2nd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment.

He was commissioned and promoted to captain in March 1916. In June 1916 he was wounded, with reports describing his injuries as flesh wounds. During his recovery in England, he undertook responsibilities at Sling Camp on Salisbury Plain, including time in charge of the Canterbury Company and involvement in camp administration.

After recovering, Hatrick returned to the front in France during the Somme campaign. He was killed in action on 2 October 1916, aged 27.

His service and death are reflected in a surviving series of wartime letters written by his brother Hubert, now part of the University of Leeds’ Liddle Collection and digitally repatriated to the Alexander Turnbull Library. These letters represent part of a larger family correspondence and provide insight into both the experience of service and the impact of loss within the Hatrick family. James is frequently mentioned in correspondence from his brother Hubert. A letter written by Hubert to his parents on 3 October 1916, the day after James was killed, refers to him without knowledge of his death.

James Grierson Hatrick has no known grave and is commemorated on the Caterpillar Valley (New Zealand) Memorial to the Missing at Longueval, France. He is also remembered on memorials at Northcote, Hamilton, and the Auckland War Memorial Museum. AWMM

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James Grierson Hatrick