PRIEST, George William +

Son of John Thomas Priest & Mary Ann MacConnell

b. 1885 NZ - d. 1918 FRANCE

World War I, 1914-1918 Serial No.: 9/1478 First known rank: Private Rank Last Held: Lance CorporalUnit: New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 1st Battalion

Address before enlistment: Pongaroa, New Zealand

Next of kin on embarkation: Mrs M.A. Priest (mother),Waima, private bag, Pahiatua, New Zealand

Relationship status pre-9 October 1915: Single

Embarkation: 9 Oct 1915 from Wellington, New Zealand to Suez, Egypt

Etaples, France (1916-1918)

George enlisted on 23 August 1915 at Trentham, aged 29. He was recorded as being 5, 9½" tall with reddish brown hair, blue eyes and a fair complexion. He had a large scar on upper part of his abdomen. Presbyterian. He was appointed lance corporal on 2 November 1916.

On 21 May 1917 in France he was wounded and on 27 May embarked for the UK and admitted to No 1 NZ general hospital at Brockenhurst. On 28 April he returned to Etaples, France, where he rejoined his unit on 11 May. He was killed in action on 23 August 1918 at Bapaume, France and initially buried in an isolated grave on a ridge before being interred in Queen's Cemetery, Bucquoy, Pas-de-Calais, France.

Source: Military documents; Auckland Cenotaph