Pte 25/1079 T A A Gustaffson, New Zealand Rifle Brigade, his Rifle.

[JRG]

 

A while back in France this rifle, a 1916 R.O.F Enfield Smle Mk III* was discovered by me in a barn.  It was rusty, however the woodwork was in good condition. It was complete with its Pattern '14 sling and had two oil bottles in the butt, one of which was marked to the 9th Hampshires.  It was duly taken home.

Some time later it was noticed that there were numbers inscribed on the Butt stock.  A gentle wipe of Methylated Spirits removed 100 + years of grime and revealed a service number and name. 

25/1079 T.A.A. GUSTAFFSON.

He was later identified as Thomas Arthur Alexander Gustaffson  b 25.04.1894 Wainui-o-mato New Zealand. 

It's quite apparent that Thomas was right handed, to have written his name on the rifle, which was probably across his knees with the butt stock to the right. Try it the other way round, it doesn't work.

Thomas enlisted on 15.10.1915 , D Coy 5th Wellington Regiment & subsequently with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

He arrived in Egypt 13.3.1916

Embarked Alexandria 07.04.16

Marseille France 14.04.16

On the  31.08.16 he was sent with "Enemy Extraction draft" to England, escorting POW's.

He then spent time at the New Zealand Sling Camp, served time as a cook, was before a Courts Martial.

In August 1918 he returned to France to his previous unit the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade.

On 06.10.18 he received GSW to his right leg and buttock subsequently being evacuated to England where he was treated in the 2 N.Z. General Hospital in London.  

His rifle shows a gouge to the top of the Butt stock, possibly this was caused by the bullet which inflicted his wounds. 

He subsequently returned to New Zealand in April 1919, before being discharged as medically unfit on 16.03.20.

He died on 15.07.77 in Levin New Zealand.

 

Can it be established where his unit was on the day he was wounded?

It would be interesting if any ancestors are still in New Zealand. I'm sure they would like to hear of his rifle.

The only other rifle (in British or commonwealth service) that I know of, that was engraved with the soldiers name or initials displays T.E.L !

Thank you for reading

John

[Saddler]

The NZRB Unit diary might be on the NZ archives website, as will his service record. More info will be on the Auckland museum cenotaph website. If you like in the next few days I can look, but it's too close to bed time and I have to be up early for work *** . Hope this helps.

Edited 25 April by Saddler

[JRG]

Thanks Saddler,

any further information, would be appreciated , I do have a copy of his service record.

[Tawhiri]

The official history of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade can be found at https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-NZRi.html.

The Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph has no more information on him than you already have from his service record.

Presumably you know which battalion of the 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade he was serving with, the relevant battalion war diaries for October 1918 can be found online at the New Zealand Archives.

1st Battalion - https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE82031628

2nd Battalion - https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE89973534

3rd Battalion - https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE68992993

4th Battalion - https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE67308817

I rather suspect he never married as his will makes no mention of a wife or children, rather everything was left to a friend, Yvonne Audrey Lee, then living in Lower Hutt.

https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE75187966

Edited 25 April by Tawhiri

[Tawhiri]

10 hours ago, JRG said:

It would be interesting if any ancestors are still in New Zealand.

A look at the historical New Zealand birth records produces one sibling for Thomas, a sister named Selina Lucinda Gustafson, who's birth was registered in 1898. She married a Patrick Prendergast in 1919, and died in 1964. There appear to have been four children born from this marriage, a son named John William in 1922, and three daughters named Zillah Patricia in 1920, Joan Kathleen in 1926, and Joyce Frances Mary in 1930. Note that while Selina was the forename recorded on her birth, marriage, and death registrations, on her children's birth registrations and the electoral rolls her forename was recorded as Selma. It's possible that there may be living descendants of these four nephews and nieces of Thomas' still in New Zealand, the fact that I have been able to find the births of the last two suggests that they have both passed away.

Husband Patrick passed away in 1956, and also served in the Wellington Regiment in WW1.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207560876/patrick-prendergast

Edited to add that this looks like son John William.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/209192873/john-william-prendergast

And daughter Zillah Patricia under her married name of Johnston.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/204284185/zillah-patricia-johnston

Edited 25 April by Tawhiri

[JRG]

Thanks Tawhiri, 

He was "B" Company 3rd Battalion, I will start looking through the War diaries.

John