WILLIAM ROBERT McVICAR
Regimental No. 20214
25 April 1896 – 31 October 1916
William Robert McVicar, known as Willie to his family, was the older son of Frederick Neil and Caroline Ann McVicar (nee Page) of Paparangi, Johnsonville. He was born 25 April 1896 at Wellington, one of four children born to the couple. His siblings were Christina Emma Mary (1892), Francis Neil (1899), and Freida Claire (1908). He attended Johnsonville School and on his attestation paper dated 2nd May 1916 he says he had passed the Fourth Educational Standard. The 1911 electoral roll shows that his father was farming in the Paparangi area.
William was a Cadet with the Territorials in 1909, and at the age of 13 had achieved the rank of Sergeant. In this capacity he won the Bisley Boys Rifle Shooting competition that year, with the highest aggregate score. For this he was awarded a service rifle. An item reporting the Shooting competition appeared in the Evening Post on 9 December 1909. (The competition is named after the shooting range of the National Rifle Association of the UK, in Bisley, Surrey. Most of the shooting events of the 1908 Olympics were held at this range, and all the shooting for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.)
When William entered the work force it was as a clerk for the New Zealand Railways. At some stage of his time with the Railways he was transferred to Gisborne and enlisted there on the 2nd of May 1916, immediately after his 20th birthday. He returned to Wellington to go into camp at Trentham where he was very soon promoted to sergeant. His brother, Frances Neil McVicar, known as Frank, enlisted on the same day, falsifying his birth date by three years in order to claim that he was 20 years old, rather than not quite 17!!
The description of William on his attestation papers show that he stated his age as 21, that he was single, 5 foot 5 1/2 inches tall, with a chest measurement of 351/2 inches, a fair complexion, brown eyes and fair hair. His medical examination revealed normal eyesight, well-formed limbs, normal heart and lungs, and no hernia, varicose veins, haemorrhoids or other “slight defects”, so he was passed fit to serve on 2 May 1916. His religious beliefs were that of the Church of England, his next of kin was his father and his last known New Zealand address was Paparangi, Johnsonville.
William never got to serve overseas. At the end of October 1916 he was still at Trentham Camp. On the night of the 31st October William was accidentally killed by a train at Lower Hutt Railway Station. The preliminary report in the Evening Post the next day said: “From the particulars available it appears that as the last Trentham-bound troop train was entering the Lower Hutt station McVicar attempted to get on board. Missing his grip, however, he fell between the carriages and the platform, and although the engine driver quickly applied the brakes it was impossible to save the man’s life.”[1]
An inquest was held on 3rd November, at which Albert Baoumgren, railway porter, gave evidence, along with the driver of the train, Kenneth Livingstone. The latter maintained the deceased had been lying on the platform with his legs dangling over the edge, while the former described the position of the deceased on the south end of the platform before the arrival of the 11.44pm train, and “as to his absolutely sober condition.” Lieutenant Tisdale, who was in the 19th Reinforcements with William, testified the victim never touched liquor and was a very steady man. “The Court found that the death of deceased was caused by his being run over by a railway train. There was no blame attachable to anyone, and the driver did all in his power to pull up the train”.[2]
While the reports immediately after the incident and from the inquest 3 days later vary somewhat as to the deportment of William at the time of his death, there is no doubt that this was clearly some kind of accidental death.
William’s short service still entitled him to the Plaque and Scroll and on 23rd February 1923 these were sent to his father who was living at 58 Carlyle Street, Napier.
On the anniversary of his death memorial notices were placed in the Wellington Evening Post by his family. Auckland Museum Cenotaph Database states William died from disease, which is not the case.
William was buried in St. John's Anglican Churchyard Cemetery, Bassett Road, Johnsonville. The cemetery was leveled in the 1960's because of disrepair and overgrowth, and Robert's name is now on a memorial to war dead within the church.
His brother Francis (Frank) did serve overseas, and returned home safely after hostilities had ceased. The brothers names are adjacent on the Newlands Memorial.
Research conducted by Vivienne McIsaac with supplementary input from Barbara Mulligan and Robyn Ramsey, great niece of William Robert McVicar
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
Evening Post: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast
[1] RAILWAY FATALITY:Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 1 November 1916, Page 8
[2] THE LATE SERGT. M'VICAR:Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 3 November 1916, Page 2
Regimental No. 20214
25 April 1896 – 31 October 1916
William Robert McVicar, known as Willie to his family, was the older son of Frederick Neil and Caroline Ann McVicar (nee Page) of Paparangi, Johnsonville. He was born 25 April 1896 at Wellington, one of four children born to the couple. His siblings were Christina Emma Mary (1892), Francis Neil (1899), and Freida Claire (1908). He attended Johnsonville School and on his attestation paper dated 2nd May 1916 he says he had passed the Fourth Educational Standard. The 1911 electoral roll shows that his father was farming in the Paparangi area.
William was a Cadet with the Territorials in 1909, and at the age of 13 had achieved the rank of Sergeant. In this capacity he won the Bisley Boys Rifle Shooting competition that year, with the highest aggregate score. For this he was awarded a service rifle. An item reporting the Shooting competition appeared in the Evening Post on 9 December 1909. (The competition is named after the shooting range of the National Rifle Association of the UK, in Bisley, Surrey. Most of the shooting events of the 1908 Olympics were held at this range, and all the shooting for the 2002 Commonwealth Games.)
When William entered the work force it was as a clerk for the New Zealand Railways. At some stage of his time with the Railways he was transferred to Gisborne and enlisted there on the 2nd of May 1916, immediately after his 20th birthday. He returned to Wellington to go into camp at Trentham where he was very soon promoted to sergeant. His brother, Frances Neil McVicar, known as Frank, enlisted on the same day, falsifying his birth date by three years in order to claim that he was 20 years old, rather than not quite 17!!
The description of William on his attestation papers show that he stated his age as 21, that he was single, 5 foot 5 1/2 inches tall, with a chest measurement of 351/2 inches, a fair complexion, brown eyes and fair hair. His medical examination revealed normal eyesight, well-formed limbs, normal heart and lungs, and no hernia, varicose veins, haemorrhoids or other “slight defects”, so he was passed fit to serve on 2 May 1916. His religious beliefs were that of the Church of England, his next of kin was his father and his last known New Zealand address was Paparangi, Johnsonville.
William never got to serve overseas. At the end of October 1916 he was still at Trentham Camp. On the night of the 31st October William was accidentally killed by a train at Lower Hutt Railway Station. The preliminary report in the Evening Post the next day said: “From the particulars available it appears that as the last Trentham-bound troop train was entering the Lower Hutt station McVicar attempted to get on board. Missing his grip, however, he fell between the carriages and the platform, and although the engine driver quickly applied the brakes it was impossible to save the man’s life.”[1]
An inquest was held on 3rd November, at which Albert Baoumgren, railway porter, gave evidence, along with the driver of the train, Kenneth Livingstone. The latter maintained the deceased had been lying on the platform with his legs dangling over the edge, while the former described the position of the deceased on the south end of the platform before the arrival of the 11.44pm train, and “as to his absolutely sober condition.” Lieutenant Tisdale, who was in the 19th Reinforcements with William, testified the victim never touched liquor and was a very steady man. “The Court found that the death of deceased was caused by his being run over by a railway train. There was no blame attachable to anyone, and the driver did all in his power to pull up the train”.[2]
While the reports immediately after the incident and from the inquest 3 days later vary somewhat as to the deportment of William at the time of his death, there is no doubt that this was clearly some kind of accidental death.
William’s short service still entitled him to the Plaque and Scroll and on 23rd February 1923 these were sent to his father who was living at 58 Carlyle Street, Napier.
On the anniversary of his death memorial notices were placed in the Wellington Evening Post by his family. Auckland Museum Cenotaph Database states William died from disease, which is not the case.
William was buried in St. John's Anglican Churchyard Cemetery, Bassett Road, Johnsonville. The cemetery was leveled in the 1960's because of disrepair and overgrowth, and Robert's name is now on a memorial to war dead within the church.
His brother Francis (Frank) did serve overseas, and returned home safely after hostilities had ceased. The brothers names are adjacent on the Newlands Memorial.
Research conducted by Vivienne McIsaac with supplementary input from Barbara Mulligan and Robyn Ramsey, great niece of William Robert McVicar
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
Evening Post: http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast
[1] RAILWAY FATALITY:Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 1 November 1916, Page 8
[2] THE LATE SERGT. M'VICAR:Evening Post, Volume XCII, Issue 108, 3 November 1916, Page 2