World War One was not the only conflict that Rupert
had been part of. When Rupert joined as a soldier for the Boar War he was only
19. His age has been disputed as he could really have been 14 or 15 when he
left for South Africa if his age was 54 when he died in 1941. He had been part of the 10th
Contingent in April 1902 when the ship, Drayton Grange left on the 19th
of the same month. Even though they arrived on the 27th of May the
war ended on the 31st of May that same year. They sailed home in
July 1902. They had not actually seen conflict, but they did get a medal
regardless.
By the time World War One arrived, Rupert was 28 years
old and his occupation was that of Bushman where he lived in Hukerenui north of
Whangarei. Rupert joined the military on the 13th of February 1915 at
Trentham and would be part of the Auckland Mounted Rifles. The records state he
was inoculated for typhoid on the 13th of March and again on the 21st
of March 1915. Rupert’s service records state he was 5 ft 8 inches and weight
of 168 lb. The Next of kin was Lewis Williams, his father living in Parua Bay. He
was on one of three ships that left for Europe and the Middle East. He arrived
in Egypt on the 13th of June 1915. Said he was on transport 25
arriving 12 June 1915 Around the time Rupert Williams was arriving in
Egypt the Auckland Mounted Rifles were fighting within the Gallipoli locality
according to the unit diary. Places like Walker’s Ridge and Reserve Gully were
mentioned in June 1915.
On the 3rd of October the unit diary
mentions the arrival of officers and men from Egypt to be included within the
unit. The number totalled 219 that had arrived at Sarpi Mudros camp. The camp
was located on the island of Lemnos near Gallipoli. In the days that followed
there was mentioned training including with the rifles. It was written that
they were inoculated. On the 7th a Captain A.G Mahan was
accidentally shot in the leg with a revolver while in his tent. A board of
inquiry was held.
In November they proceeded to ANZAC on the 10th of November with 10
officers and 286 other ranks. Hopefully I am following the diary correctly by
concluding that Rupert could have set foot on Gallipoli. They stayed at Gallipoli
until the 12th of December where they made their way back to Lemnos
Island on board the HMTS Knight of the
Garter.
The Gallipoli positions the AMR held until they left had been heavily shelled
on their return to Lemnos Island.The day after they had left their positions it
had been reported in the diary that they had been subject to heavy shelling
from the enemy. Left on the 24th December on board the HMTS Hororata for Egypt. From Alexandra they
went by train on the 27th to NZMR base at Hemlich Camp in Egypt.
On the 23rd of January 1916 the AMR left
Zeitoun Camp in Egypt, which according to a map is near Cairo. The unit diary entries are
missing for the date Rupert was admitted to hospital in February that could
have been Ismailia. A map is included with the footnote and has some of the
areas mentioned within Egypt. I don’t know if I even
have the correct hospital, but the 2nd Australian Stationary
hospital was located in Ismailia around the time period. On the 18th
of February he had been admitted to what I could read to be the Ismailia A.E General hospital with Enteric fever
otherwise known as typhoid. Rupert was initially diagnosed with Paratyphoid A
where it was thought caught it Jan 28 in Ismailia and admitted to hospital Feb
18th. Had a severe Typhoid fever for around 21 days. With no end in
sight his cardiac condition was not good and listed as his complications was
also bronchial pneumonia.
Enteric fever is a type of typhoid that is caused by
salmonella spread by eating or drinking from contaminated from an infected
person. Rupert being a cook for the Auckland Mounted Rifles while in Egypt
could have come into contact with anything within the camps. Disease throughout
World War One was rife especially when you consider life in the trenches and
even within the Gallipoli campaign and then afterwards with the influenza
pandemic.
On the 22nd
within the service record he had been reported as being seriously ill in Cairo.
Through illness Rupert had been relinquished of his appointment as cook on the
11th of February. Within his files it says Rupert became sick on the
18th of Feb 1916 around Suez Canal. Rupert left Egypt from Suez on
board the Ulimaroa around the 6th
of March. By the 17th of March he was struck off strength and
invalided. He would return to New Zealand around April 17, 1916 where his
return was reported in the Auckland Star
carrying 223 soldiers. The note in his record says he returned on the 21st
of April.
The hospitals mentioned in his file were the Isamalia Auct. General Hospital
and Pont de Koubbah hospital. New Zealand did have several hospitals that were
in their control. Pont de Koubbah was run by the No. 2 NZ stationary hospital.
The other hospital might have been something else or I could have interpreted
it incorrectly.
When Rupert returned he was listed as being at both
the K.G.V hospital and Auckland hospital signed off by a Lt Col T. Hope Lewis
on the 27th of May 1916. The K.G.V hospital in Rotorua was actually
the King George V hospital that was used by recovering soldiers after it opened
in January 1916.There was a memorandum to the director of military hospitals in
Wellington where they discussed Rupert’s treatment and that he be sent to
Rotorua convalescent hospital. He was examined in June 16th at the
Auckland hospital by a Lt Col T. Hope Lewis. Where he received further
treatment. His lumbar pain was still present, but other girole pains had gone.
The man who was T. Hope Lewis, which I have learnt was actually Lieutenant
Colonel Thomas Hope Lewis a medical practitioner who was the director of New
Zealand’s military hospitals who passed away in 1917.
The medical board under Major Arthur. S. (A.S.) Herbert,
20 July 1916 found Rupert had Enteric fever causing painful spine and slow
progress. The medical board speculated he got the disease from duties and would
take at least a period of 12 months to recover. Recommendation was to discharge
the soldier from service. The medical review was done in Rotorua and that he is
considered for a pension. The explanation of medical board on Rotorua is
answered as there was a convalescent hospital there as he was sent there for
further treatment. The medical people mentioned within Rupert’s files like
Major Herbert was part of the Rotorua Sanatorium and Military Hospital, which
would be why he mentioned Rotorua for his recovery. Another name that I had
seen mentioned within the service file was Col. J.R. Purdy.
Rupert passed away in 1941 and according to the
newspaper article in the New Zealand Herald he offered his services for World
War 2 at age 54.
Rupert Williams
Service Number 13/1112
Height 5 ft 8 inches
Weight 168 lb
Age 28
Lived in Hukernuei as his address with his father Lewis in
Parua Bay
Occupation: Bushman
Was in New Zealand from 13/ 2 / 15 until 13/ 6/ 15 where he
was overseas
Service 1 year and 146 days 16/ 2/ 1915 to 10/ 8 /1916
AMR – Auckland Mounted Rifles rank Trooper – 13/ 2 /16
Relinquishes app as cook and erases 15 draw working pay 11/2/16
ranks
13/2/15 private to AMR A squad
3/10/15 gained rank of trooper and assigned as cook on same
day
11/2/16 relinquish appointment as cook
Service
3/10/15 AMR posted to unit at Moudros on Limnos island where
there was a short trip to Gallipoli
27/12/15 Disembarked at from Dardanelles and landed at
Alexandria
23/1/16 left for camel tour?
12/2/16 Admitted to hospital, Somalia?
22/2/16 reported as seriously ill, Cairo
17/3/16 Invalidated to New Zealand and struck off strength
21/4/16 Ulimaroa return to New Zealand with Typoid Fever
27/5/16 treated in New Zealand at the Auckland hospital, K.
G. V Hospital
Sources
Primary Sources
Anon, ‘Returning Invalids’, Auckland Star, 17 April 1916, https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19160417.2.17,
accessed 23/10/2018
Secondary
Sources
Stowers, Richard Rough
Riders at War, 7th edition, 2013.
