John
Arthur
Birtles
Born in Fairfield, Oamaru, New Zealand
Ancestors 
Brother of
Peter Edmond Birtles, William Graham Birtles, Harold Birtles Sr, Lily Rose (Birtles) Goodall and Ellen Louise Baxter M.A. [half]
Husband of
Jean Elizabeth (Dowie) Birtles
— married
28 Jul 1920 (to 14 May 1943) in Oamaru, Otago, New Zealand
Father of
Ngaire Jean (Birtles) Smith
Died
at age 57
in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
Profile last modified
| Created 29 Mar 2013
This page has been accessed 560 times.
Contents |
Biography
John was the son of William Graham Birtles and Anne Maria Joyce. He worked as a labourer in Oamaru.
At age 29, John enlisted WWI, serial no 9/1262 rank Trooper with the Otago Mounted Rifles and embarked with the 6th Reinforcements from Wellington on August 14, 1915 to Suez, Eygpt. He was among the earliest reinforcement drafts. The community turned out to farewell John and other local boys who were making their way to Trentham. John's last known rank was Quartermaster Sergeant.
John was awarded the Military Cross and saw service in Gallipoli before going on to France. In May 1919 John and his brother Harold, returning from military service were amongst a group of soldiers present at an evening organised by the Enfield community to welcome them home. All the returning soldiers were presented with specially prepared certificates.
The following year John married Jean Elizabeth Dowie. They settled at East Taieri where John was employed as a labourer. In 1943, John was working as a surfaceman in Dunedin. He lost his life when a face of shingle collapsed.
John Birtles died age 57 as the result of the incident and is buried at East Taieri cemetery, Mosgiel. BLK PA PLOT 8.
Sources
- http://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C38565?n=john%20arthur%20birtles&ordinal=0&from=%2Fwar-memorial%2Fonline-cenotaph%2Fsearch
- https://www.dunedin.govt.nz/services/cemeteries/cemeteries-search?recordid=59691&type=Burial
- https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz Marriage 1920/7739
- https://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz Oamaru Mail - 19/5/1919, 17/11/1917,14/5/1943 pg 6 Out of copyright
- https://ancestry.com.au NZ Electoral Rolls
Footnotes
Children possibly born to John and Jean are unsourced
Acknowledgments
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