Pte
George Gordon McKay
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 03/08/1889 |
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Place of birth: Halkett, Canterbury, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: General Contractor |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 48878 |
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Enlistment date: 26/01/1917 |
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Enlistment place: Christchurch, Canterbury, New Zealand |
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Units: — Canterbury Regiment, 2nd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 24/01/1918 |
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Place of death: Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 28 |
Cemetery
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Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood Plot: III Row: D Grave: 20 |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Private George Gordon McKay ( 2nd Bn. Canterbury Regiment, 2nd New Zealand Brigade, New Zealand Division ) was killed in action on the 24th of January 1918. Private McKay enlisted in Christchurch on 26th of January 1917 and was originally assigned to the 27th Reinforcements, Specialists Company, Machine-Gun Section.
On the 20th of January he received the orders to join the 2nd Battalion Canterbury Regiment in the field near Polygon Wood. During the month of January it is said that it rained without a break, which caused the trenches to be in a really bad condition. On the 24th of January, only four days after he was assigned to the 2nd Bn. Canterbury Regiment, he got killed, presumably while holding a line in the Polygon Wood area. After the war his body was found in the northernmost point of Polygon Wood ( J.10.a.65.80 ) near the so-called “the Butte”. Private George Gordon McKay now rests at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
On the 20th of January he received the orders to join the 2nd Battalion Canterbury Regiment in the field near Polygon Wood. During the month of January it is said that it rained without a break, which caused the trenches to be in a really bad condition. On the 24th of January, only four days after he was assigned to the 2nd Bn. Canterbury Regiment, he got killed, presumably while holding a line in the Polygon Wood area. After the war his body was found in the northernmost point of Polygon Wood ( J.10.a.65.80 ) near the so-called “the Butte”. Private George Gordon McKay now rests at Buttes New British Cemetery, Polygon Wood.
Sources 1
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Stewart H., The New Zealand Division 1916-1919, (Auckland, Whitcombe & Tombs, 1921), pg. 319-321. Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/480348 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=dffb2cb5-a0ef-4594-a462-60f487ef21f5 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7178840 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/c9662 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=168713 |