Page 45 - WW1 Service - Evan Girven

Evan Girven had signed up with the Territorial Army in April 1911, his next of kin was Harriet Girven at Sackfield Street Grey Lynn. When WW1 was declared Evan enlisted and was sent to Western Samoa as it was feared that the Germans would invade. He de-mobbed in 1915 and immediately re-enlisted to go to Gallipoli, they travelled by sea via Albany in Australia to Alexandria in Egypt, waiting part way for the convoy to be formed.

Evan fought on through the entire war, after Gallipoli he was in Northern France, he was in the Signallers Corp. He rose to be a Sergeant but after going AWOL he was made a private again, he later rose to be a Lance Corporal and was awarded the military medal in 1916 at Cambrai for service laying cables under fire. He was wounded by gunshot on 16^th July 1916 but was able to stay with his regiment.

At the end of the war, he stayed on in Occupied Berlin and returned to New Zealand in 1919. After the war he found it difficult to get a job in Auckland as he was late returning, he became quite a strong labour supporter and Union Activist and actively discouraged his sons from signing up for WW2.