PERCY HARLEN
Regimental No. 10/2430
1 May 1891 – 14 October 1915
Percy Harlen’s father, Ezekiel George HARLEN, arrived in Wellington as a 9-year old on the “La Hogue” with his parents Thomas Samuel and Emma and about 6 siblings in May 1874. His father was able to lease land in Khandallah (Old Porirua Road) and set up a milk round.
On 7th March 1885, aged just 20, Ezekiel married Robina McCorquidale in Wellington. His mother’s first name was often spelt “Rubina” and there are many possible variations of her maiden surname.
Between 1886 and 1904 Ezekiel and Robina produced six sons and three daughters. One son and a daughter both died within a year of birth, and their daughter Elsie May died in 1907 as a 13-year old.
The HARLEN Family
1886 John
1887 Frederick George
1889 William James died 1890 buried Bolton Street cemetery aged 1 year
1891 Percy
1893 Rubina May died 1893 buried Bolton Street cemetery
1894 Elsie May d. 1907 aged 13, buried Karori Cemetery
1895 Amy Doris
1901 Clarence Louis Finlay
1904 Albert Arthur
Percy, who was born on 1 May 1891, was the fourth son and child. The family lived at No. 3 The Crescent, Roseneath, in a villa called “Bay View”. This site is today is a prime location for a modern house, commanding the view on three sides across Wellington Harbour, and Evans Bay.
Percy was sent to Mt Cook Infants School when he turned five in May 1896, and three years later he was enrolled at Roseneath School, which was just down the road from the family home and had recently opened. He probably went from there to Wellington Technical College, or Wellington College, as he passed the Fourth Education Standard. Percy came from a Presbyterian family, who after October 1911 would have attended services at the newly opened Roseneath Presbyterian church, in Grafton Road at the intersection with The Crescent and Palliser Road.
When Percy enlisted on 10 August 1914 he was working as a wood work machinist at the Evans Bay Timber Company which was not far from where he lived in Roseneath with his parents. War had been declared only 6 days earlier, so Percy was keen to do his bit. The medical history taken that day describes him as 5ft. 7 inches tall, weighing 126lbs., and with chest measurements between 32 and 36 inches. He was assigned to the 5th Wellington Regiment and given regimental number 1/425. His stated religion is Presbyterian. Only two days later he was on his way to Samoa in the 1400-strong Samoa Advance Party of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on HMT Monowai. Percy was in “A” Company, 5th Wellington Regiment. The only note IN HIS Military Personnel file about his service in Samoa is that he suffered a bout of ‘gastric’ in December 1914, and made a good recovery from dysentery in March 1915. He was also inoculated while on the troopship en route to Samoa, and again in December 1914.
Percy remained in Samoa until the 3rd of April 1915 when he embarked on the NZTS Talune, arriving in Wellington on 14th of April. He then seems to have re-enlisted as he filled out a new set of Attestation papers on 30th April, and was assigned Service Number 10/2430.
On the 13th of June Percy set sail again, on the NZHMT 24 Maunganui, one of three troopships which carried 2,299 men making up the 5th Reinforcements. They arrived in Egypt on 24th July[1], and after only a few days, Percy, in the 7th Company of the Wellington Infantry Battalion, was in the Dardanelles, joining those who had been pinned down by the Turks for the past three months. Percy arrived on the 11th of August, only 2-3 days after the assault on Chunuk Bair, so he and his fellow new arrivals would have been welcome replacements for the men killed in this assault. There are 850 NZ names on the Memorial to the Missing on Chunuk Bair.[2]
Percy remained in the field until on the 1st of October 1915 he was admitted to hospital in Mudros suffering from enteric fever, also known as typhoid fever. Mudros is a small Greek port on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea near Gallipoli. The 3rd Australian General Hospital had been established in early August 1915 in Mudros to deal with ANZAC casualties from the fighting on the Dardanelles[3].
Two weeks after admission Percy died, on 14th October, still only 24 years old. His parents inserted a Death Notice in the Evening Post on 18 November 1915, stating Percy had died at the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital on 14th November. Maybe they had only just heard of Percy’s death, one month after the event. The family continued to insert “In Memoriam” notices for Percy for many years, all of which repeated the date of death as 14 November 1915. They also believed Percy died of wounds as well as enteric fever.
Percy had left a Will, dated 27 April 1915, in which he left all his effects to his parents. Should they have died, his estate was to be split five-ways between his four brothers and one sister.
On the 15th October 1916 a brass tablet in memory of Percy was unveiled at Roseneath Presbyterian church. An item describing the unveiling appeared in the Evening Post the following day. The tablet was unveiled by the Hon. JG Aitken, Member of the Legislative Council and former Mayor of Wellington. The Hon. JGW Aitken was also very active in Presbyterian church affairs and held in high esteem within that organisation. He “highly eulogised the deceased” and pointed out that Percy had been active in the affairs of the church and Sunday School. Percy had apparently been “at one time a member of the Garrison Band”[4]. Percy had been active in the New Zealand Natives Association Band, which had been called the Garrison Band. One of the aims of the Association was to “cultivate in citizens a pride in their country.”[5] The Roseneath Presbyterian Church no longer exists in its own right, and the fate of the tablet to Percy is unknown.
Percy was buried at the Portianos Military Cemetery West Mudros, Lemnos, Greece. The cemetery is on the outskirts of the village, on Anzac Street, adjacent to the communal cemetery. Portianos Military Cemetery was begun in August 1915 and used until August 1920. The cemetery now contains 347 Commonwealth burial of the First World War and five war graves of other nationalities. Percy’s grave, Plot VA 62, is right by the Main Entrance to the cemetery.
On the 10th November 1917 one of the earliest war memorials in New Zealand was unveiled at Roseneath with His Excellency the Governor General the Earl of Liverpool doing the unveiling. Percy, along with Lance Bridge and Francis Aston, was one of the five boys who had attended Roseneath School and been killed in the war up to that time.[6] Other names were added at later dates.
By 1928 Ezekiel and Robina had moved from Roseneath to Parkvale Road in Karori, and lived with their youngest son, Albert Arthur, a chairmaker.
Percy’s younger sister Emily Doris had died in 1907 and was buried in the Public section of the Karori Cemetery. Their father, Ezekiel, joined her after his death in 1942, and finally in 1957 Robina too was buried in the same plot. She was 93 when she died.[7]
SOURCES
[1] 13 June 1915 as HMNZT- 24 in convoy with Tahiti (HMNZT 25) and Aparima (HMNZT 26) departed with 5th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force and No.2 Stationary Hospital 2,299 persons. 24 July 1915 arrived at Egypt. http://www.flotilla-australia.com/hmnzt.htm#03
[2] http://www.anzac.govt.nz/gallipoliguide/image-pages/chunuk-bair-nz-missing.html
[3] http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/5environment/nurses/third-agh.html
[4] Evening Post, 16 October 1916, p.9
[5] Evening Post, 25 March 1915, p.2
[6] Evening Post, 10 November 1917, p. 8
[7] http://wellington.govt.nz/services/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Regimental No. 10/2430
1 May 1891 – 14 October 1915
Percy Harlen’s father, Ezekiel George HARLEN, arrived in Wellington as a 9-year old on the “La Hogue” with his parents Thomas Samuel and Emma and about 6 siblings in May 1874. His father was able to lease land in Khandallah (Old Porirua Road) and set up a milk round.
On 7th March 1885, aged just 20, Ezekiel married Robina McCorquidale in Wellington. His mother’s first name was often spelt “Rubina” and there are many possible variations of her maiden surname.
Between 1886 and 1904 Ezekiel and Robina produced six sons and three daughters. One son and a daughter both died within a year of birth, and their daughter Elsie May died in 1907 as a 13-year old.
The HARLEN Family
1886 John
1887 Frederick George
1889 William James died 1890 buried Bolton Street cemetery aged 1 year
1891 Percy
1893 Rubina May died 1893 buried Bolton Street cemetery
1894 Elsie May d. 1907 aged 13, buried Karori Cemetery
1895 Amy Doris
1901 Clarence Louis Finlay
1904 Albert Arthur
Percy, who was born on 1 May 1891, was the fourth son and child. The family lived at No. 3 The Crescent, Roseneath, in a villa called “Bay View”. This site is today is a prime location for a modern house, commanding the view on three sides across Wellington Harbour, and Evans Bay.
Percy was sent to Mt Cook Infants School when he turned five in May 1896, and three years later he was enrolled at Roseneath School, which was just down the road from the family home and had recently opened. He probably went from there to Wellington Technical College, or Wellington College, as he passed the Fourth Education Standard. Percy came from a Presbyterian family, who after October 1911 would have attended services at the newly opened Roseneath Presbyterian church, in Grafton Road at the intersection with The Crescent and Palliser Road.
When Percy enlisted on 10 August 1914 he was working as a wood work machinist at the Evans Bay Timber Company which was not far from where he lived in Roseneath with his parents. War had been declared only 6 days earlier, so Percy was keen to do his bit. The medical history taken that day describes him as 5ft. 7 inches tall, weighing 126lbs., and with chest measurements between 32 and 36 inches. He was assigned to the 5th Wellington Regiment and given regimental number 1/425. His stated religion is Presbyterian. Only two days later he was on his way to Samoa in the 1400-strong Samoa Advance Party of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on HMT Monowai. Percy was in “A” Company, 5th Wellington Regiment. The only note IN HIS Military Personnel file about his service in Samoa is that he suffered a bout of ‘gastric’ in December 1914, and made a good recovery from dysentery in March 1915. He was also inoculated while on the troopship en route to Samoa, and again in December 1914.
Percy remained in Samoa until the 3rd of April 1915 when he embarked on the NZTS Talune, arriving in Wellington on 14th of April. He then seems to have re-enlisted as he filled out a new set of Attestation papers on 30th April, and was assigned Service Number 10/2430.
On the 13th of June Percy set sail again, on the NZHMT 24 Maunganui, one of three troopships which carried 2,299 men making up the 5th Reinforcements. They arrived in Egypt on 24th July[1], and after only a few days, Percy, in the 7th Company of the Wellington Infantry Battalion, was in the Dardanelles, joining those who had been pinned down by the Turks for the past three months. Percy arrived on the 11th of August, only 2-3 days after the assault on Chunuk Bair, so he and his fellow new arrivals would have been welcome replacements for the men killed in this assault. There are 850 NZ names on the Memorial to the Missing on Chunuk Bair.[2]
Percy remained in the field until on the 1st of October 1915 he was admitted to hospital in Mudros suffering from enteric fever, also known as typhoid fever. Mudros is a small Greek port on the island of Lemnos in the Aegean Sea near Gallipoli. The 3rd Australian General Hospital had been established in early August 1915 in Mudros to deal with ANZAC casualties from the fighting on the Dardanelles[3].
Two weeks after admission Percy died, on 14th October, still only 24 years old. His parents inserted a Death Notice in the Evening Post on 18 November 1915, stating Percy had died at the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital on 14th November. Maybe they had only just heard of Percy’s death, one month after the event. The family continued to insert “In Memoriam” notices for Percy for many years, all of which repeated the date of death as 14 November 1915. They also believed Percy died of wounds as well as enteric fever.
Percy had left a Will, dated 27 April 1915, in which he left all his effects to his parents. Should they have died, his estate was to be split five-ways between his four brothers and one sister.
On the 15th October 1916 a brass tablet in memory of Percy was unveiled at Roseneath Presbyterian church. An item describing the unveiling appeared in the Evening Post the following day. The tablet was unveiled by the Hon. JG Aitken, Member of the Legislative Council and former Mayor of Wellington. The Hon. JGW Aitken was also very active in Presbyterian church affairs and held in high esteem within that organisation. He “highly eulogised the deceased” and pointed out that Percy had been active in the affairs of the church and Sunday School. Percy had apparently been “at one time a member of the Garrison Band”[4]. Percy had been active in the New Zealand Natives Association Band, which had been called the Garrison Band. One of the aims of the Association was to “cultivate in citizens a pride in their country.”[5] The Roseneath Presbyterian Church no longer exists in its own right, and the fate of the tablet to Percy is unknown.
Percy was buried at the Portianos Military Cemetery West Mudros, Lemnos, Greece. The cemetery is on the outskirts of the village, on Anzac Street, adjacent to the communal cemetery. Portianos Military Cemetery was begun in August 1915 and used until August 1920. The cemetery now contains 347 Commonwealth burial of the First World War and five war graves of other nationalities. Percy’s grave, Plot VA 62, is right by the Main Entrance to the cemetery.
On the 10th November 1917 one of the earliest war memorials in New Zealand was unveiled at Roseneath with His Excellency the Governor General the Earl of Liverpool doing the unveiling. Percy, along with Lance Bridge and Francis Aston, was one of the five boys who had attended Roseneath School and been killed in the war up to that time.[6] Other names were added at later dates.
By 1928 Ezekiel and Robina had moved from Roseneath to Parkvale Road in Karori, and lived with their youngest son, Albert Arthur, a chairmaker.
Percy’s younger sister Emily Doris had died in 1907 and was buried in the Public section of the Karori Cemetery. Their father, Ezekiel, joined her after his death in 1942, and finally in 1957 Robina too was buried in the same plot. She was 93 when she died.[7]
SOURCES
[1] 13 June 1915 as HMNZT- 24 in convoy with Tahiti (HMNZT 25) and Aparima (HMNZT 26) departed with 5th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force and No.2 Stationary Hospital 2,299 persons. 24 July 1915 arrived at Egypt. http://www.flotilla-australia.com/hmnzt.htm#03
[2] http://www.anzac.govt.nz/gallipoliguide/image-pages/chunuk-bair-nz-missing.html
[3] http://www.anzacsite.gov.au/5environment/nurses/third-agh.html
[4] Evening Post, 16 October 1916, p.9
[5] Evening Post, 25 March 1915, p.2
[6] Evening Post, 10 November 1917, p. 8
[7] http://wellington.govt.nz/services/community-and-culture/cemeteries/cemeteries-search
Evening Post, 16 October 1916, page 9
Evening Post, In Memoriam, 15 October 1915, page 1