Pte. Alexander Glendinning Humphries

Born at Kirwee, Canterbury, New Zealand. Son of travelling saddler Alexander Glendinning Humphries and Alice Mabel Humphries (nee Row) who had married at Kirwee in 1896, but separated in 1916. Alice was based at Fairfield Station in Ashburton. Farm hand. 1914-1919 Western Front. Wounded in France, 1916 (gunshot wounds right leg and right chest). Admitted No. 11 Stationary Hospital in Rouen. Embarked HS Maheno for England. Admitted 1st NZ General Hospital at Brockenhurst, then Codford, then Hornchurch. No longer physically fit for war service on account of wounds received in action. Died during the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. Also remembered on the Ashburton War Memorial (Panel 1).

EPIDEMIC IN THE COUNTRY. HASWELL. The epidemic has been pretty severely felt by the quarrymen, and one, Alexander Humphries, a returned soldier, has lost his life. He was only 22 years of age, and had seen much service in France, volunteering at the age of 19 years. He was shot through one lung at Passchendaele, and was invalided home about a years ago. He was highly esteemed. Source: Press (26 November 1918, p. 8).

Sources

1. Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
2. Press (26 November 1918, p. 8) https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19181126.2.55

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Private in OtgReg, file number 12192. Son of Alexander and Alice Mabel Humphries. Born at Canterbury. Served on the Western Front, 1916-17

Sources

1. New Zealand and World War One Roll of Honour: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/nzefrohHI-HY.html / Ref 10.4.2021