Pte. William Frederick James Harvey

William Frederick James Harvey was born at Bedstead Gully in the Aorere Goldfield at Tasman, New Zealand, on 6 November 1887. He was the son of Frederick John Harvey and Fanny Jane Harvey (nee Kenning). Bill was working as a labourer for H. James in Collingwood when he enlisted as a Private. Both he and his brother Percy embarked from Wellington with the Canterbury Mounted Rifles on 16 October 1914, and arrived in Suez, Egypt on 3 December. Bill saw service in Egypt before transferring to the Canterbury Infantry Regiment and leaving Alexandria for the Dardanelles. He arrived at Anzac Cove, Gallipoli on 12 April 1915. His military record shows he spent much of his time in and around the Dardanelles in hospitals suffering illnesses commonly experienced by the soldiers. Throughout May the men were engaged in preparations for a major attack to secure the Messines and Wytschaete ridges,11 began on 7 June 1917.12 It was on this day that Bill received a serious gunshot wound which badly fractured his right leg. He returned to Collingwood and his family, living in Ferntown, Golden Bay, still suffering from his wounded leg and said to have shell shock. He was formally discharged from service on 12 October 1917. In time he managed to do some manual work but the discovery of more shrapnel in his calf muscle forced him to give up work on the advice of his doctor and required more medical attention and x-rays. Bill died suddenly on his 31st birthday on 5 November 1919 in the Collingwood boarding house he had been living in, almost a year since the war's end.

Frederick and Fanny Harvey lost four of their sons to World War I. Charles Harvey (23/1661), Percy Harvey (7/209) and Frederick Harvey (6/3342). The other brother, William Harvey (6/254), returned to New Zealand and died of wounds within a year.

Sources

• Cenotaph Record
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission Record
• Military Personnel File
• New Zealand War Graves Record