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Transcript of the Address Presented by Stanley Rutherford at the ANZAC Service at the Kaitangata War Memorial Hall on 25 April 2018

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Transcript of the Address Presented by Stanley Rutherford at the ANZAC Service at the Kaitangata War Memorial Hall on 25 April 2018 Transcript of the address presented by Stanley Rutherford at the ANZAC Service at the Kaitangata War Memorial Hall on 25 April 2018. We gather today to honour and remember, and to give thanks, for those who served this country and this community, and its families, so that we can live here today, in peace and freedom. Some served and later returned, many of them scarred within and without. Many never returned, having paid the ultimate price. They gave their lives that we might live. Ordinary people doing extraordinary things in extraordinary circumstances!!! How many names are on this Roll of Honour board in this hall? There are 294 - including 7 Burns, 6 Carsons, 5 Bissets, and 5 Finchs. Many of you will recognise these names as being related to you or as familiar names of members of your community that your parents or grandparents talked about. As a school child, I was often reminded by my classmates that my name is on this board too. It is the name of my great uncle Stanley Rutherford who was killed in France on the Somme 6th April 1918. Yes, 100 years ago - hence his photo in the Otago Daily Times recently marking that anniversary. We went and visited his grave in France in 2008. However, I have not come to talk about him today. We have with his service medals and a few other personal details, a letter written to Stanley’s brother, my grandfather, John Rutherford, of Inch Clutha. This 4 page handwritten letter was to “Dear Jack” from “Somewhere in France” (a hospital, in fact), dated 24/10/18, and signed “From your old friend Bob.” Well, who could Bob be, writing in warm words, as to a close friend? We started with help from the South Otago Genealogy group open day at Balclutha, at which Alma McPherson from Kaitangata happened to also be attending. Also Gary Ross of the South Otago museum and my elder sister Helen, along with the names on this Kaitangata Roll of Honour. We investigated the soldiers with “R” as an initial or “Robt” as a first name along with those names we thought might be family friends or neighbours at Inch Clutha or nearby. For example Dale, Fairbairn, Burns, Knox, Howie. Fortunately there were not too many with that initial or name, and a few had been killed or sent home injured before October 1918, so could not have written this letter. At the bottom of the seventh column of names on the board is “Robt Brown”. We looked up his details on the National Library Archive website and things started to tally. Wangaloa was a key word. In his letter Bob talks of losing Jim. (His brother James Dewar Brown was killed in France on 18 July 1918). Also Frank Nicholson,who was “a cousin of the Johnsons at the coast”. Wangaloa again, as you know being located on the coast near Kaitangata. Bob also states in his letter “It is just twelve months tonight since I landed in France and I hope I have not got another twelve to put in”. He also tells of his expectation to “get my 14 days leave to Blighty before long ….. most of it in Scotland." Well, neither of his wishes came true. He remained in France. He did not get to Scotland. Less than a week after writing this letter he was discharged from hospital fit enough for duty, and sent to rejoin the New Zealand Rifle Brigade 2nd Battalion, 3rd company on 1 November 1918. He was killed 3 days later (4/11/18) in the action at Le Quesnoy, in northern France. He was aged 32 and was killed just one week before the end of “The Great War”. How can we be sure we have the correct “Bob”? His military records confirm the transfer date to France is "spot on”. 24/10/1917 Exactly one year earlier than his letter. What else confirms that he is our “Bob”? The second detail that leads us to confirm it comes from the warmth of his letter. He refers to my grandmother (Jack’s wife) as Jeanie, having written to her 2 weeks earlier, and that he had sent Norman and Vera (my father and my aunt then aged 15 and 13) a Christmas card as well as one to my grandparents. "So What?" you might ask. Before Jeanie (nee McEwan) married John (Jack) Rutherford in 1901, the McEwan family history book “From far Strathearn” researched and written by my mother Alma Rutherford, has a brief sentence stating …” Jeanie worked in various situations including the homes of J D Brown at Wangaloa and Mrs Crawford Anderson at Stirling” Was this the last piece of the “Who is Bob” puzzle? It confirmed that we had our man, but on further investigation it opened the cover on a tragically sad story. Bob Brown’s parents, James Dewar Brown and Christina Brown (nee Hewitson) were married on 12 February 1875. They subsequently had 9 children. The youngest was born on 30 July 1890. Just 3 days later Mrs Brrown died at the age of 38 years……The baby 3 days old, the oldest child 14 years. IMAGINE THIS!!! My grandmother must have helped look after this family while at the same time becoming a close friend. Of these 9 children, 6 were boys and 3 were girls. Only 3 of the boys lived beyond their teen years. One son died aged 1 day, one died aged almost 14, after 3 days of illness and one was drowned aged 19. The oldest and youngest sisters married and had children away from the Kaitangata / Wangaloa district. The remaining children are Matthew, James Dewar (jnr), Robert and Marion. It appears that at the outbreak of WW1 they are all involved in farming operations on 2 farms. 600 acres at "Coombe Hay" - near Measly Beach and 130 acres near the southern end of Wangaloa. Their father, James Dewar Brown (snr) dies on 2 March 1916 aged 75 years at "Woodend Farm”. A few months later, in France, the Battle of the Somme begins with horrendous casualties. After Gallipoli the call must have gone out to the “Colonies” “Send more soldiers”. In New Zealand the Military Service Act 1916 becomes law. It appears to enforce compulsory enlistment for all able bodied eligible men. On 11th December 1916 there is a report in the paper of a Military Appeal Court sitting in Balclutha. There were appeals heard from 11 men called up under clause 35 of the Military Services Act. Its subtitle was “Shirking Families Act”. Men had to appeal for an exemption from this compulsory enlistment. From the newspaper article we learn that Bob Brown has enlisted as a volunteer, and that James and Matthew are appealing against enlisting because of the need to work their land short-handed, and that Matthew as sole trustee of his father’s estate, had been unable to sell the farm or get a manager old enough to not be needed for war service. James’ appeal is dismissed - he must enlist. Matthew’s case resulted in his being required to go in 3 month’s time —“Sufficient time in which to make arrangements about the farms”. On 4th January 1917 it is reported that James leaves for Trentham under sec. 35 - not as a volunteer. On 15 February 1917 it is reported that Robert Brown (our Bob) has been called up for service in the latest ballot. However it is reported in the newspaper on 22 February, under the heading “Board Flouted”, that he has appealed this call up. Bob and Matthew are yet again putting their case for exemption forward, as it appears that Matthew, as well as Bob, is expected to go to Camp in 2 month’s time, leaving no one to manage or run the farms which they had been unable to sell. They were accused by the hearing board of “Doing nothing” about this since the previous hearing. The outcome was that Bob’s appeal was dismissed and that he be called up after 1 April 1917, and for Matthew’s appeal the decision was “reserved” to see of progress could be made with Matthew agreeing to go into Camp if the farm issue could be resolved. On the 5th of April 1917, it is reported that Robert will depart with the 28th re-inforcements on 12 April 1917. On the 7th May 1917 it is reported that Matthew Brown has been granted an exemption “sine die” to be reconsidered on exhaustion of the First Division. You might conclude “At Last!!!” However, Matthew is called up for service in the “Latest ballot” reported in the paper 6 July 1917. Further hearings and conditional exemptions occur on into 1918. James Dewar Brown (jnr) aged 36, died as a result of gunshot wounds on 18th July in France. We speculate that what we have, could have been Robert Brown's last letter, written and sent to my grandfather after having received letters of sympathy following his brother Jim’s death. Possibly my grandparents asked questions in these letters, about Stanley Rutherford’s death and the Kaitangata soldiers well being too. He states “I have not seen any of the Kai boys for some time now except for Bill Todd and he is in the same coy as me and is away on leave at the present time.” What else could happen? Sadly there was more. Bob’s brother in law died in 1918 also - the husband of Bob’s youngest sister Christina, after just 6 years of marriage.
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