Beauclerc (Bill) William Henry Crozier

Beauclerc's birth was registered at Clones, Co. Monaghan, as this was before the division of Ireland in 1921, and that town is close to Newtownbutler. His name is spelt a few different ways: was Beauclere on David's birth certificate, but Beauclerc in Electoral rolls.
Beauclerc would have gone to Midhill School, a full school (up to leaving age) which was nearby on the same road, but closed down in the 1970s. Building is still there; now privately owned.
He left Ireland before the "Troubles" of the 1970-90s, but probably experienced enough of them as he lived in a border town, and the War of Independence was in 1921 (resulting in the partitioning of Northern and the Republic of Ireland.)
Many records in Ireland were destroyed by fires.

Looks like Beauclerc bought his ticket to New Zealand on 3rd/11/1948 from the post office at Dungiven, Co. Derry, and travelled tourist class. His occupation was listed as labourer. He would have travelled by rail from Derry or bus from Dungiven to Belfast, sailed to Liverpool, then by train to London. Most likely it would have been by bus if he was living near Dungiven.
He then left London 30th Nov.1948 on a ship (the Atlantis: was a hospital ship in the war) to Wellington, New Zealand, arriving 14th January 1949. He is on the passenger list for arriving at Fremantle, Australia, on 4th January 1949, as a sawmill hand, aged 32. It said he was from Ireland but did not intend to return there, preferring England.

Beauclerc was possibly in the Royal Ulster Constabulary before leaving Northern Ireland, but records to Police files are not possible until 100 years from his death, to protect family members.

Married Maki/Margaret on 12/3/1955. Met at a Bible College in Tauranga.
Beauclerc kept in touch (wrote) with Frank Allett, his foster/adopted brother, until he passed away.

Electoral rolls in NZ:
1949: State Forestry, Balmoral. Logging Contractor.
1954: 52 Wood St, Palmerston North.
1978: 28 Pitama Rd, Palmerston North; Cleaner (Walls Ice Cream Factory).
1981: same address; Retired.

Dave says he was also a floor sander for Redpaths before being a cleaner and had another job laminating or doing joinery work.

His grave location is (Kelvin Grove Cemetery) Section S, row 10, plot 024-026 (with Margaret)

NOTES FROM MARTIN CROZIER:
When his dad died (1932), who had promised the farm to Beauclerc, but he didn't get it; he rounded up and sold the cattle, leaving with the money. (He would have been about 23 then). The others didn't know how to run the place as Beauclerc had always done all the work. They watched the neighbours get the harvest in and copied them, all rather sad. However, they continued to live at Gortra which stood on the top of a hill where you could see three counties from. It was surrounded by 40 acres of rhododendrons. When in flower must have looked a sight.

When John George Snr died the sons sold the slates off the roof and the bricks from the walls rather than work. I am told they lived in a very bad state in a house taken to pieces. I have a picture of the house before they pulled it down. Mr Harte bought it and they built a new Gortra House on the sight. I have all the details of all the land they owned and some photos of them. I have copies of the grant of arms which I could let you have. In the Tomb are all the family in coffins from the past 250 years.

On the brighter side before they went to Gortra which they got via marriage they had other lands too. The house at Ardvarny still stands and a fine house it is. The first lands were purchased in Fermanagh at Cavantillicormack and Moorfields in 1689. All were paid for nothing was given or taken at all. When the split happened (John went to Gortra and William got Banbridge) it was through marriage. John married Catherine Barton: her family were well off and still have vineyards in Portugal (2022). She got on well with Marian.

Before that John Crozier (the boys' father) 1630 came from Redworth Hall in County Durham in England. It still stands: a very large mansion house; now a hotel. They went there in 1400. Before that, they were at Heverington in Westmore land. If you look here at these sites you will find relations of yours.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Baptist_Crozier [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crozier_%28artillerist%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Crozier_(artillerist)] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Crozier

And there are many more many of them in The Church and Lawyers. All very straight and well thought of people.
NOTES FROM MERYL:
Dad Crozier just didn't seem to want to talk about his past and now we know why. He was a loving family man. I remember him saying quietly just in passing one day to 'spend time with your kids' as he seemed to always be working. We have some photos of him when he was younger with his children. When I was pregnant with Rachel he also said, 'you will name him William won't you' But of course that wasn't possible. So, I named Sam - Samuel William. He met Sam once before he died although Sam was only 10months old.

Dad C kept his Irish accent and people at church could hear it but Andrew couldn't hear it - being brought up with it! I never spoke to dad Crozier about his family. I never really spoke to him about anything!! He didn't seem the approachable kind of person. Andrew says he was and that he spoke with him often. I may have been in awe of him, since he seemed very spiritual, and I was a quiet shy person back then. Andrew says his father never wanted to talk about Ireland or his family. If he did, he never had a positive word about them, and it may have been his mother that he "didn't" talk about. He never mentioned his own father except about them going to prison - and that they were "wrongly accused".

Andrew thinks he was named 'Desmond' because dad said Desmond was his favourite brother. He may have had minor correspondence with his brother John while in NZ, but they weren't close. Andrew remembers dad saying his 'mother' was not a nice mother. So that maybe is why he came to NZ. Seems he came to NZ in 1949, and around 1950 worked down in the South Island Queenstown way (Hurunui) as a logger.

Dave said someone on the family - he thought an uncle - used to send them a calendar each year. Neither parent talked about their past. He also said Dad told him he, Patrick and Andrew were named after the patron Saints of Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

Further information from Ireland (& Northern Ireland?) regarding travel: from 1939 a travel permit was needed to travel between Ireland and England, and an exit permit to come back. Then between 1940 and 1951, farmers could not leave Ireland, nor anyone who could get a job locally. There were group labour schemes running; employment exchanges. Only the Armed Forces didn't need the permits, which included photos. (This was around WW2 time).