Tūātapere & Districts - Waiau War Remembrances, by Des Williams
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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive
Tūātapere & Districts - Waiau War Remembrances, by Des Williams: Images are both from the 'Hole in the Bush' book, compiled by Des. Photo 1 - Albert Sneyd, KIA Gallipoli, Public Domain photo (from Jan Moore) Photo 2 - Dave Jenkins, returned from WWII (Photo from Bill Howden) NOTE: we would love to have a photo included in this entry of every person mentioned in this piece below, so if you can help with this, please let us know and get in contact if you can help supply photos or info. CWA Quoted: "A Piece of History with Des Williams Contribution - "Above and Beyond" - For one of the most sparsely populated areas of New Zealand, Western Southland’s contribution to wars around the world in the 20th century seems inexplicable. At least seven soldiers served in the South African Boer War and one, Trooper Alex Scott of Clifden lost his life at Langverwacht in February 1902. Others included William Templeton and John Templeton of Clifden (John was kicked in the ribs by a Boer soldier and left for dead); Donald McKerchar of Happy Valley, Duncan Stalker of Te Tua and his brother, Alexander Stalker. At least 24 men from the district lost their lives in World War I, including Albert Sneyd, a first day pupil at Tuatapere School when Hugh McFeely began teaching in June 1910. And although that was meant to be ‘the war to end all wars’, another 21 men were killed in the 1939-1945 global conflict. Just how many men and women from the district served their country in one way or another during those years is unknown but the contribution measured by ‘supreme sacrifice’ was significant. Dave Jenkins was one of Tuatapere’s real ‘characters’ after serving in WWII. With the 23rd Battalion in North Africa, he rose through the ranks to become 2nd Lieutenant, taking part in significant battles at Gazala (Libya) in 1941 and El Alamein in 1942. An entertaining diarist, Dave was several times quoted in the 23rd Battalion’s Official War History (Department of Internal Affairs Wellington, 1959). He described some action at Gazala: "We got right up close in the dark and they [Italian troops] opened up at us from fifty yards with all kinds of fire – machine guns, tank guns, grenades and had us in a sweat for a while. We returned the fire and moved in closer and threw some grenades, then they quit and scattered. We killed a few and wounded some." The War History later described Dave as ‘A grand soldier whose diary has already been quoted as giving the authentic ring of 23rd sentiment.’ And Dave’s own suggestion for how he survived those years of conflict – he was so thin a bullet had next to no chance of hitting him! (That’s true!) Dave and his family farmed land on Jenkins Road (outskirts of Tuatapere) from 1946 until about 1962, when he retired to Invercargill. Born at Orepuki on 21 December 1912, he died at Invercargill on 13 August 1992. A further seven soldiers from the district served in the Vietnam War from 1967-1971. All returned, more or less intact." END More will be added to this information and these photos as it comes to us. In the meantime, please share your memories and photos of any of these events. You can do this by selecting the comment button under the image page and sharing more information.
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Details
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Title
Tūātapere & Districts - Waiau War Remembrances, by Des Williams
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Maker
Williams, Des
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Date made
2000's
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Subject
Murihiku, Southland, Waiau, Western Southland, Anzac Day, Boer War, War Wounded, Servicemen and Women, Tūātapere, WW1, WW2, War - other, Orepuki or Aropaki
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Additional information
Digital Images in Archive Print Copy in "The Hole in the Bush" a Tūātapere Centennial Review, by Des Williams
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Rights
Attribution (cc)
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ -
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Location
Main Rd, Tūātapere, next to the old Railway Station. We also belong to the internationally recognised 'Safe Space Alliance'.
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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive
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Text adapted with permission from Te Papa and Digital NZ
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