The Greeks family of Brooklyn consisted of Richard, who was born in Lower Hutt in 1860, and his wife Eliza Jane, born in Wellington in 1863. They married in 1882 and then had six children (all of whom were born in Wellington):
Ellen Winifred born 1883
Bertram Richard Henry born 1884
Florence Matilda born 1886
Rayner (Raynor) Stephen born 1887
Claude Percy born 1889
Pearl Emma Eliza born 1898
Of the three sons, the younger two signed up for active service 6 days apart in October 1916. Both had attempted to enlist in 1915 but been rejected for one of the two most common medical issues for which many men were rejected on medical grounds – varicose veins, or poor dental health. The older son, Bertram, appears not to have enlisted.
Both Raynor and Claude served on the Western Front in France from June 1917, with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment. They were killed 2 months apart, Claude in August after only 2 months at the Front, and Raynor in October.
By the time WW1 broke out in 1914 Richard had become a Sanitary Inspector, with an office at the Town Hall. Until then, according to the Electoral Rolls, he was a “shopman”. The family lived in Brooklyn, though in the 1914 Electoral Roll Richard is registered at the Turkish Baths in Manners Street while the rest of his family are listed as resident in Hayes Street, Brooklyn. By this time his occupation was Sanitary Inspector and he would have been employed by City Council.
Both Richard and Eliza are buried in Karori Cemetery, in an unmarked plot on a steep slope. Richard died in May 1934, aged 73, and Eliza four months later, aged 71.
Ellen Winifred born 1883
Bertram Richard Henry born 1884
Florence Matilda born 1886
Rayner (Raynor) Stephen born 1887
Claude Percy born 1889
Pearl Emma Eliza born 1898
Of the three sons, the younger two signed up for active service 6 days apart in October 1916. Both had attempted to enlist in 1915 but been rejected for one of the two most common medical issues for which many men were rejected on medical grounds – varicose veins, or poor dental health. The older son, Bertram, appears not to have enlisted.
Both Raynor and Claude served on the Western Front in France from June 1917, with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment. They were killed 2 months apart, Claude in August after only 2 months at the Front, and Raynor in October.
By the time WW1 broke out in 1914 Richard had become a Sanitary Inspector, with an office at the Town Hall. Until then, according to the Electoral Rolls, he was a “shopman”. The family lived in Brooklyn, though in the 1914 Electoral Roll Richard is registered at the Turkish Baths in Manners Street while the rest of his family are listed as resident in Hayes Street, Brooklyn. By this time his occupation was Sanitary Inspector and he would have been employed by City Council.
Both Richard and Eliza are buried in Karori Cemetery, in an unmarked plot on a steep slope. Richard died in May 1934, aged 73, and Eliza four months later, aged 71.