Gerald Edward Birdling and Janet Latta Marshall
Birth: 24 Oct 1892, Hornby, Canterbury, New Zealand
Death: 31 Dec 1981, New Zealand
Burial: Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand
Death: 31 Dec 1981, New Zealand
Burial: Stoke, Nelson, New Zealand
Spouse: Janet Latta Marshall
Birth: 25 Jun 1892, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Death: 14 July 1988, Nelson, New Zealand
Father: Thomas Marshall (1860 - 1946)
Mother: Janet Latta Murray (1858 – 1918)
Married: 10 Jun 1918, Dumfries, Scotland
Children: Janet Catherine (1921-2012)
Mary (1926 - 2016)
Gerald Edward Birdling was born in Hornby, then outside of Christchurch, New Zealand, on October 24, 1892. He was the second of the four children of Arthur John Birdling and Emily Callaghan. His parents were landed gentry, having both been children of immigrants who had become successful in the cattle-raising trade. Gerald was raised on one of his grandfather’s family farms. When he was 9, his grandfather William died, and the family moved to Lansdown, the larger farm at Halswell.
Birth: 25 Jun 1892, Dumfries, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland
Death: 14 July 1988, Nelson, New Zealand
Father: Thomas Marshall (1860 - 1946)
Mother: Janet Latta Murray (1858 – 1918)
Married: 10 Jun 1918, Dumfries, Scotland
Children: Janet Catherine (1921-2012)
Mary (1926 - 2016)
Gerald Edward Birdling was born in Hornby, then outside of Christchurch, New Zealand, on October 24, 1892. He was the second of the four children of Arthur John Birdling and Emily Callaghan. His parents were landed gentry, having both been children of immigrants who had become successful in the cattle-raising trade. Gerald was raised on one of his grandfather’s family farms. When he was 9, his grandfather William died, and the family moved to Lansdown, the larger farm at Halswell.
Gerry had his early education at the Halswell School, as did all the Birdling children. In 1908, he was sent to board at the Waitaki Boys' High School, Oamaru, Otago, about 150 mile south of Halswell. Waitaki Boys' was founded in 1883 and is one of the oldest schools in the New Zealand. It is notable for its British colonial architecture, encompassing historic buildings such as the hall of memories, an assembly hall built to honor its former pupils who died in various wars. Most of the classroom blocks are named after famous past pupils. The main, and oldest, block of the school is named after Denis Blundell, a former New Zealand cricketer and governor-general. The school motto is Quanti est sapere (How valuable is Wisdom).
The details on his admissions record say “probably farming, cannot swim, Church of England, all games,” meaning his intended vocation was probably agricultural (as opposed to professional or commercial) and that he was approved to play all sports. At Waitaki, he was a rugby player (second 15 as a first year) and a high jumper. He was also a member of the Waitaki BHS Cadets, similar to what in America was the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).
Students at Waitaki are separated in to one of four houses: Don, Forrester, Lee, and Sutherland. Historically, the house system was associated with public schools in England, especially full boarding schools, where a "house" referred to a boarding house at the school. In modern times, the word house generally refers only to a grouping of pupils, rather than to a particular building. According to Waitaki’s website,
An important ingredient in the social achievement of boys is their membership of a House. There are four school houses – Don, Forrester, Lee and Sutherland. House meetings are held regularly. Houses give boys a sense of security and identity. Houses compete (fiercely) in the SCRANO competition. Boys participate in many different events, often going beyond their traditional areas of interest and involvement. The SCRANO promotes confidence, personal skills and team loyalty.
Peer relationships and fostering of community feeling are a similar aim of school house systems, whether in boarding or day schools. David Tongue, headmaster of Brighton College Bangkok, described the team-spirit engendered by school houses this way:
This camaraderie and solidarity is second to none and the benefits of this vertical interaction, where the young look up to the elder and where the elder look out for and support the younger, are profound.
Being a boarder, Gerry would probably have been in Don House, which was named after the second Rector of the school, Dr. John Robert Don (rector from 1897 to 1906). The house motto, Diligentia et Labore, translates as Diligence and Hard Work. According to the school website https://www.waitakibhs.school.nz/boarding/don-house:
Located in Oamaru, Don House is the boarding establishment of Waitaki Boys High School. The school has a roll of approximately 400 students. Don House is at the heart of the school culturally, sporting and academically. It has a strong focus on family values and pastoral care. The hostel attracts boys from Otago, Canterbury and the greater South Island of New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. We aim to develop our young men into educated, all round citizens of outstanding character. The extensive school grounds, artificial turf, gymnasium, pool and farm at Waitaki Boys provide a paradise of after school and weekend activities for our boys.
On the other hand, the house system as described does not seem to have come into full use until the 1920s, so Gerry’s experience may have been much different from boys only a decade after his residence.
Students at Waitaki are separated in to one of four houses: Don, Forrester, Lee, and Sutherland. Historically, the house system was associated with public schools in England, especially full boarding schools, where a "house" referred to a boarding house at the school. In modern times, the word house generally refers only to a grouping of pupils, rather than to a particular building. According to Waitaki’s website,
An important ingredient in the social achievement of boys is their membership of a House. There are four school houses – Don, Forrester, Lee and Sutherland. House meetings are held regularly. Houses give boys a sense of security and identity. Houses compete (fiercely) in the SCRANO competition. Boys participate in many different events, often going beyond their traditional areas of interest and involvement. The SCRANO promotes confidence, personal skills and team loyalty.
Peer relationships and fostering of community feeling are a similar aim of school house systems, whether in boarding or day schools. David Tongue, headmaster of Brighton College Bangkok, described the team-spirit engendered by school houses this way:
This camaraderie and solidarity is second to none and the benefits of this vertical interaction, where the young look up to the elder and where the elder look out for and support the younger, are profound.
Being a boarder, Gerry would probably have been in Don House, which was named after the second Rector of the school, Dr. John Robert Don (rector from 1897 to 1906). The house motto, Diligentia et Labore, translates as Diligence and Hard Work. According to the school website https://www.waitakibhs.school.nz/boarding/don-house:
Located in Oamaru, Don House is the boarding establishment of Waitaki Boys High School. The school has a roll of approximately 400 students. Don House is at the heart of the school culturally, sporting and academically. It has a strong focus on family values and pastoral care. The hostel attracts boys from Otago, Canterbury and the greater South Island of New Zealand including the Chatham Islands. We aim to develop our young men into educated, all round citizens of outstanding character. The extensive school grounds, artificial turf, gymnasium, pool and farm at Waitaki Boys provide a paradise of after school and weekend activities for our boys.
On the other hand, the house system as described does not seem to have come into full use until the 1920s, so Gerry’s experience may have been much different from boys only a decade after his residence.
After he left Waikati at the end of 1911, Gerry went into the family business. Part of that involved apprenticing at another farm. He was sent to a Mr. Dillon in Leefield, Marlborough, to gain more experience. He was primarily working with sheep. Gerry, like his brother Jack, was a member of the Territorial Forces. According to a biography in The Sun (23 Sep 1915):
When the call came for men, he secured his horse without delay and rode 240 miles to his home, leaving Leefield on a Monday morning and reaching Halswell on Wednesday afternoon. He made this forced journey in order to join his comrades of the C.Y.C. (Canterbury Yeoman Cavalry) in the Canterbury Mounted Regiment.
According to the Wikipedia article (2023):
The regiment, with an establishment of twenty-six officers, 523 other ranks and 600 horses, was formed from three squadrons belonging to pre-war Territorial Force regiments: the 1st Mounted Rifles (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry), the 8th (South Canterbury) Mounted Rifles and the 10th (Nelson) Mounted Rifles. It also included a small headquarters and, until 1916, a Maxim machine-gun section. The Maxim guns were withdrawn but the regiment's fire-power increased during the war, and by the end of the conflict each squadron had four Hotchkiss machine-guns, one per troop. Being mounted infantry the regiment rode into battle on their horses, but were expected to dismount and fight on foot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Mounted_Rifles_Regiment
Gerry enlisted at Halswell on September 11, 1914, along with his older brother and four first cousins. His induction papers describe him as “5’ 10.5”. 164 lbs, fresh complection, Gray eyes, dark brown hair.” Twelve days later, the regiment rode to Lyttleton Harbor where they boarded the HMNZTs Tahiti and Athenic, bound for Wellington. (Jack was left behind to go through officer training.) The transports joined a convey at Hobart and continued to Australia, India, and Egypt, reaching Alexandria on December 3rd. They then boarded a train for their camp in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun where they started a training program, using the desert for maneuvers, both day and night. In Egypt, CMR were folded into the newly formed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Then, they were sent to Gallipoli.
For the Central Powers (Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire), the Great War was primarily a two-front war: in France and Poland, though Italy would open a third front in 1915. For the Entente Powers (France, Britain, and Russia), the biggest concern was that Russia would collapse and Germany could turn all its forces west. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, thought their best approach would be to capture Constantinople and open the seaways through the Dardenelle Straits to the Black Sea, allowing financial and material support to Russia. Mines and artillery caused the naval assault to fail in February of 1915, so an amphibious landing was planned for April. The Ottomans were considered weak and behind in technology. In fact, Tsar Nickolas II referred to the Ottoman Empire as the “sick old man of Europe.” The Entente Powers were already carving up the Empire their minds. After bad weather passed, the Australian 3rd Division landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula at what would become known as ANZAC Cove.
When the call came for men, he secured his horse without delay and rode 240 miles to his home, leaving Leefield on a Monday morning and reaching Halswell on Wednesday afternoon. He made this forced journey in order to join his comrades of the C.Y.C. (Canterbury Yeoman Cavalry) in the Canterbury Mounted Regiment.
According to the Wikipedia article (2023):
The regiment, with an establishment of twenty-six officers, 523 other ranks and 600 horses, was formed from three squadrons belonging to pre-war Territorial Force regiments: the 1st Mounted Rifles (Canterbury Yeomanry Cavalry), the 8th (South Canterbury) Mounted Rifles and the 10th (Nelson) Mounted Rifles. It also included a small headquarters and, until 1916, a Maxim machine-gun section. The Maxim guns were withdrawn but the regiment's fire-power increased during the war, and by the end of the conflict each squadron had four Hotchkiss machine-guns, one per troop. Being mounted infantry the regiment rode into battle on their horses, but were expected to dismount and fight on foot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canterbury_Mounted_Rifles_Regiment
Gerry enlisted at Halswell on September 11, 1914, along with his older brother and four first cousins. His induction papers describe him as “5’ 10.5”. 164 lbs, fresh complection, Gray eyes, dark brown hair.” Twelve days later, the regiment rode to Lyttleton Harbor where they boarded the HMNZTs Tahiti and Athenic, bound for Wellington. (Jack was left behind to go through officer training.) The transports joined a convey at Hobart and continued to Australia, India, and Egypt, reaching Alexandria on December 3rd. They then boarded a train for their camp in the Cairo suburb of Zeitoun where they started a training program, using the desert for maneuvers, both day and night. In Egypt, CMR were folded into the newly formed Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). Then, they were sent to Gallipoli.
For the Central Powers (Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire), the Great War was primarily a two-front war: in France and Poland, though Italy would open a third front in 1915. For the Entente Powers (France, Britain, and Russia), the biggest concern was that Russia would collapse and Germany could turn all its forces west. The First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, thought their best approach would be to capture Constantinople and open the seaways through the Dardenelle Straits to the Black Sea, allowing financial and material support to Russia. Mines and artillery caused the naval assault to fail in February of 1915, so an amphibious landing was planned for April. The Ottomans were considered weak and behind in technology. In fact, Tsar Nickolas II referred to the Ottoman Empire as the “sick old man of Europe.” The Entente Powers were already carving up the Empire their minds. After bad weather passed, the Australian 3rd Division landed on the Gallipoli Peninsula at what would become known as ANZAC Cove.
The CMR landed on May 1st, and received their orders on May 4th. On 7 May 7th, twenty-six officers and 482 other ranks boarded trains for Alexandria and their transports. They arrived off the Gallipoli peninsula on May 12th and began to disembark at Anzac Cove. By now the troops had been re-equipped for their dismounted role, and each carried a rifle with two hundred rounds of ammunition, a small pack, a haversack, mess tins, a bayonet, and an entrenching tool. Once ashore, the regiment camped that night behind the front line.
The fighting was hellish and wasteful on both sides. The Turks were better armed and equipped than anticipated and held the high ground throughout the eight-month battle. It is amazing to realize that Gerald survived uninjured until the mid-August.
The fighting was hellish and wasteful on both sides. The Turks were better armed and equipped than anticipated and held the high ground throughout the eight-month battle. It is amazing to realize that Gerald survived uninjured until the mid-August.
Chunuk Bair was a high point in the Sari Bair mountain range and the objective of the August Offensive. The initial attack was supposed to clear the Turks from the foothills—a task that was given to the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade, reinforced by the Maori Pioneer Battalion. The regiment, together with the Otago Mounted Rifles, was to clear Chailak Dere valley, then advance to Aghyl Dere in the north. They also had to capture Taylor's Hollow and Walden's Point, then turn east to capture Beauchop Hill. To reduce noise and maintain stealth, they were ordered to use only their bayonets.
Again, according to the Wikipedia article (2023):
At 20:00 on 5 August, the 296 men of the regiment moved forward to No.2 Post in preparation for the attack, which was due to start at 21:00 the next night. Their assault started on time, with the 1st and 10th Squadrons forward, followed by the 8th Squadron and Machine-Gun Section in reserve. The leading men met and killed four Turks in an observation post. Then with still around two hundred yards (180 m) to go, a destroyer's searchlight beam lit up the advancing men, and a Turkish machine-gun opened fire on them. The 10th Squadron charged straight into the Turkish trench, while the 1st Squadron managed to manoeuvre around and attack the machine-gun from the rear. They achieved this without firing a shot or making a sound, and then advanced towards their last objective, Bauchop Hill. The hill was also captured, and the survivors started to dig in. Although it had taken all its objectives, the regiment had around forty per cent casualties, including the commanding officer, who was wounded, and the second in command, Major Overton, who had been killed. While digging in they were able to observe the rest of the battle, which did not seem to be going well. By the next day, 7 August, Turkish reinforcements were arriving at Chunuk Bair and the attack had failed. Since the start of the battle they had lost twenty-four men dead and sixty men wounded. Now commanded by Major Hutton, from the 10th Squadron, the regiment remained on Bauchop Hill in defense until 15 August, when they moved back to the entrance of Aghyl Dere, then later moved forward two hundred yards (180 m) and occupied an old Turkish trench.
At 15:30 on 21 August, the Battle for Hill 60 began. Charging straight at the hill, the regiment suffered sixty per cent casualties, among them Hutton in command. He was replaced by Major Hurst, from the 1st Squadron, and they succeeded in capturing the Turkish trench within fifteen minutes of going over the top. But on either side of them the rest of the attack had failed, leaving the regiment and the Otago Mounted Rifles isolated from the rest of the force. Not having the manpower to continue the assault, they were ordered to dig in and hold the position. They held on until 23 August when they were relieved by the Auckland and Wellington Mounted Rifles.
Three days later the regiment returned to their previous position to continue the assault.
The attack began at 17:00 on 27 August with the regiment leading the brigade. They charged across the sixty yards (55 m) of open ground and into the first Turkish trench. Within minutes they were up and on their way again, and captured the second and third trenches, which they defended all night and through the next day. Casualties had been high; from the 119 men who had started the assault there were now only eighteen left, commanded by the only officer, Captain Gibbs. The brigade's other regiments were in a similar state, but they remained in the trenches until they were relieved after dark on 29 August.
Dates in Gerry’s medical records differ, but he was wounded in the left foot either on August 19 (making it in the Battle of Chanuk Bair) or August 21 (making it during the Battle for Hill 60). Either way, by September 18, 1915, he was on board the Aquitania bound for England and the Second Western General Hospital, Manchester. On board was an older, Scottish couple named Tom and Janet Marshall. They hit it off and exchanged addresses. Tom and Janet had several daughters, one of whom was also Janet Marshall.
Again, according to the Wikipedia article (2023):
At 20:00 on 5 August, the 296 men of the regiment moved forward to No.2 Post in preparation for the attack, which was due to start at 21:00 the next night. Their assault started on time, with the 1st and 10th Squadrons forward, followed by the 8th Squadron and Machine-Gun Section in reserve. The leading men met and killed four Turks in an observation post. Then with still around two hundred yards (180 m) to go, a destroyer's searchlight beam lit up the advancing men, and a Turkish machine-gun opened fire on them. The 10th Squadron charged straight into the Turkish trench, while the 1st Squadron managed to manoeuvre around and attack the machine-gun from the rear. They achieved this without firing a shot or making a sound, and then advanced towards their last objective, Bauchop Hill. The hill was also captured, and the survivors started to dig in. Although it had taken all its objectives, the regiment had around forty per cent casualties, including the commanding officer, who was wounded, and the second in command, Major Overton, who had been killed. While digging in they were able to observe the rest of the battle, which did not seem to be going well. By the next day, 7 August, Turkish reinforcements were arriving at Chunuk Bair and the attack had failed. Since the start of the battle they had lost twenty-four men dead and sixty men wounded. Now commanded by Major Hutton, from the 10th Squadron, the regiment remained on Bauchop Hill in defense until 15 August, when they moved back to the entrance of Aghyl Dere, then later moved forward two hundred yards (180 m) and occupied an old Turkish trench.
At 15:30 on 21 August, the Battle for Hill 60 began. Charging straight at the hill, the regiment suffered sixty per cent casualties, among them Hutton in command. He was replaced by Major Hurst, from the 1st Squadron, and they succeeded in capturing the Turkish trench within fifteen minutes of going over the top. But on either side of them the rest of the attack had failed, leaving the regiment and the Otago Mounted Rifles isolated from the rest of the force. Not having the manpower to continue the assault, they were ordered to dig in and hold the position. They held on until 23 August when they were relieved by the Auckland and Wellington Mounted Rifles.
Three days later the regiment returned to their previous position to continue the assault.
The attack began at 17:00 on 27 August with the regiment leading the brigade. They charged across the sixty yards (55 m) of open ground and into the first Turkish trench. Within minutes they were up and on their way again, and captured the second and third trenches, which they defended all night and through the next day. Casualties had been high; from the 119 men who had started the assault there were now only eighteen left, commanded by the only officer, Captain Gibbs. The brigade's other regiments were in a similar state, but they remained in the trenches until they were relieved after dark on 29 August.
Dates in Gerry’s medical records differ, but he was wounded in the left foot either on August 19 (making it in the Battle of Chanuk Bair) or August 21 (making it during the Battle for Hill 60). Either way, by September 18, 1915, he was on board the Aquitania bound for England and the Second Western General Hospital, Manchester. On board was an older, Scottish couple named Tom and Janet Marshall. They hit it off and exchanged addresses. Tom and Janet had several daughters, one of whom was also Janet Marshall.
Janet Latta Marshall was born on June 25, 1892, in Dumfries, Scotland. She was the fourth of five daughters of Thomas Marshall, a publican and spirit dealer, and Janet Latta Murray. Little is known about the family other than Thomas’ parents were from Bathgate and the Murrays were from Troqueer, less than a mile from Dumfries.
Dumfries is a market town in the Lowlands of Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, 25 miles (40 km) from the English border. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South—which is also the name of the town's football club. People from Dumfries are known colloquially as Doonhamers.
No conclusive information has been obtained about when and how the town of Dumfries was founded. Some believe that Dumfries flourished as a place of distinction during the Roman occupation of North Great Britain, when the Selgovae inhabited Nithsdale. Many traces of Roman presence in Dumfriesshire are still to be found; coins, weapons, sepulchral remains, military earthworks, and roads being among the relics left by their lengthened sojourn in this part of Scotland. The Caledonian tribes in the south of Scotland were invested with the same rights by an edict of Antoninus Pius. The town name—which could be a cognate of two Gaelic terms signifying a castle or fort in the copse or brushwood—implies that it is more than probable that a castle of some kind formed the nucleus of the town. Dumfries was once within the borders of the Kingdom of Northumbria.
Before becoming King of Scots, Robert the Bruce stabbed his rival the Red Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in the town on 10 February 1306. His uncertainty about the fatality of his stabbing caused one of his followers, Roger de Kirkpatrick, to utter the famous, "I mak siccar" ("I make sure") and finish the Comyn off. Bruce was subsequently excommunicated as a result—not for the murder but for its location in a church.
Mother Janet had been married in 1874 to Robert Stevenson (or Steventon, spellings vary) and she had a daughter, Lizzie, with him. Janet and Thomas married around 1882 and had their first daughter—Isabella—in 1883, followed by Agnes in 1886, Janet in 1892, and Margaret in 1899. Scottish Census records showed two other teenage girls in the household—Maggie Boyd in 1891 and Elizabeth Bell in 1901—leading family member to believe there were seven daughters. Closer inspection revealed that Maggie and Elizabeth were servants. Clearly the Marshalls were at least upper-middle class to be able to afford a live-in servant and a Mediterranean cruise during wartime. They also seemed to have been landed gentry like the Birdlings and owned an estate called St. Catherine’s. (Their great granddaughter Kate Dore Mountfort is named after the home.).
On November 15, Gerry was released from the hospital, and he decided to travel to Dumfries to visit the Marshalls. According to her granddaughter Kate, Janet and one of her sisters (probably Agnes) went to the train station to pick him up. As soon as Gerry stepped off the train, she turned to her sister and said, “He’s mine!!” Gerry never had a chance…and he would not have had it any other way.
After his visit to Scotland, Gerry went to Grey Towers New Zealand Convalescent Hospital in Essex. The picture Above looks across a lawn to the ivy-covered castellated main house. The Mansion was built in 1876 by a local brewery owner and demolished in 1931. Gerry spent two weeks there before being posted to Weymouth Depot and then shipped back to Port Said, Egypt. He arrived there on December 15 and awaited his unit. He must have stayed in contact with Janet by letter for the duration of the War.
Dumfries is a market town in the Lowlands of Scotland, near the mouth of the River Nith on the Solway Firth, 25 miles (40 km) from the English border. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South—which is also the name of the town's football club. People from Dumfries are known colloquially as Doonhamers.
No conclusive information has been obtained about when and how the town of Dumfries was founded. Some believe that Dumfries flourished as a place of distinction during the Roman occupation of North Great Britain, when the Selgovae inhabited Nithsdale. Many traces of Roman presence in Dumfriesshire are still to be found; coins, weapons, sepulchral remains, military earthworks, and roads being among the relics left by their lengthened sojourn in this part of Scotland. The Caledonian tribes in the south of Scotland were invested with the same rights by an edict of Antoninus Pius. The town name—which could be a cognate of two Gaelic terms signifying a castle or fort in the copse or brushwood—implies that it is more than probable that a castle of some kind formed the nucleus of the town. Dumfries was once within the borders of the Kingdom of Northumbria.
Before becoming King of Scots, Robert the Bruce stabbed his rival the Red Comyn at Greyfriars Kirk in the town on 10 February 1306. His uncertainty about the fatality of his stabbing caused one of his followers, Roger de Kirkpatrick, to utter the famous, "I mak siccar" ("I make sure") and finish the Comyn off. Bruce was subsequently excommunicated as a result—not for the murder but for its location in a church.
Mother Janet had been married in 1874 to Robert Stevenson (or Steventon, spellings vary) and she had a daughter, Lizzie, with him. Janet and Thomas married around 1882 and had their first daughter—Isabella—in 1883, followed by Agnes in 1886, Janet in 1892, and Margaret in 1899. Scottish Census records showed two other teenage girls in the household—Maggie Boyd in 1891 and Elizabeth Bell in 1901—leading family member to believe there were seven daughters. Closer inspection revealed that Maggie and Elizabeth were servants. Clearly the Marshalls were at least upper-middle class to be able to afford a live-in servant and a Mediterranean cruise during wartime. They also seemed to have been landed gentry like the Birdlings and owned an estate called St. Catherine’s. (Their great granddaughter Kate Dore Mountfort is named after the home.).
On November 15, Gerry was released from the hospital, and he decided to travel to Dumfries to visit the Marshalls. According to her granddaughter Kate, Janet and one of her sisters (probably Agnes) went to the train station to pick him up. As soon as Gerry stepped off the train, she turned to her sister and said, “He’s mine!!” Gerry never had a chance…and he would not have had it any other way.
After his visit to Scotland, Gerry went to Grey Towers New Zealand Convalescent Hospital in Essex. The picture Above looks across a lawn to the ivy-covered castellated main house. The Mansion was built in 1876 by a local brewery owner and demolished in 1931. Gerry spent two weeks there before being posted to Weymouth Depot and then shipped back to Port Said, Egypt. He arrived there on December 15 and awaited his unit. He must have stayed in contact with Janet by letter for the duration of the War.
By January 1916, the Entente Powers had retired, and the Turks were victorious. Over 113,000 men died on both sides, including Reggie Birdling; another 220,000 were wounded, including Gerald; another 19,000 were missing or captured. The campaign was considered a great Ottoman victory. In Turkey, it is regarded as a defining moment in the history of the state. The Gallipoli struggle formed the basis for the Turkish War of Independence and the declaration of the Republic of Turkey eight years later, with Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who rose to prominence as a commander at Gallipoli, as founder and president.
Gerry finally rejoined the Canterbury Mounted Rifles at their old camp at Zeitoun, Egypt, on January 11, 1916. Two weeks later, the unit was moved 87 miles east to the Suez Canal, and, by March 7th, the regiment was once more ready for operations and moved into the front line, at Railhead Ferrypost on the canal. Later that month, the brigade was assigned to the ANZAC Mounted Division and moved another 32 miles east to Kantara. They spent much of 1916 on the Sinai Peninsula, skirmishing in the desert with the Turkish army who had attacked the British Cavalry positions around Katia. The CMR fought at Katia, Romani, Bir el Abd, El Maler, Magdhaba, and Rafa. Late in the year, Gerald received notice that his big brother Jackie had died heroically at the Somme.
It is not known anymore where and when Gerry fought, but he was not wounded again. His career did advance, though. Before joining his lads at Zeitoun, he was temporarily assigned to the New Zealand Artillery 11th Battery, as a gunner. In April, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. The following year, he was sent to gas school at Tel el Kabir for two weeks and, on April 6, 1917, he was promoted to Corporal and assigned to Head Quarters in Ismailia, on the Suez Canal. After a stint in the hospital there with malaria, Gerry returned to duty and was promoted to Sergeant at the end of July.
During 1917, the CMR were part of the push into Palestine. In March, they fought at Gaza; in April, at Wadi Ghuzee; in April at Beersheba; in November at Khuweilfe, Ayun Kara, and the River Auja. They were not part of the capture of Jerusalem, though. They continued in Jordan during 1918, fighting at Jericho in February; in March at Amman; and in April at Es Salt. The war in the Middle East ended on October 31, 1918, following the signing of the Armistice of Moudros.
Sometime in January, 1918, Janet’s mother died. She was buried at Dunfries High Cemetery on February 2nd. During that summer, Gerald received leave, which he used to return to Scotland where, on June 10, 1918, he and Janet married at St Catherine’s, Dumfries, by Rev. Walter McIntyre. Gerry was 25, and Janet was 26. Because she was still in mourning, she Janet wore a grey (instead of white), georgette dress. After the wedding, they returned to Egypt, and Janet continued to New Zealand on a troop carrier. The journey was quite harrowing, due to the many soldiers suffering shell-shock and other debilitations. Her reception in Halswell was not particularly positive either. Gerry’s mother had another girl in mind for him back home and was not pleased with the marriage. Callaghans can be tough on “outsiders.”
Gerry fought for three years without being wounded, only to end up in the hospital again in February of 1919 after injuring the same foot during a rugby match. Of course, the report did not just say he sprained his ankle playing football. Clearly an enthusiast, Sgt AJ Hasson stated he (Hasson) was:
A member of the team playing ARM [the Auckland Mounted Rifles] on 3/2/19. I saw Sgt Birdling start a dribbling rush and in endeavoring to get the Ball past, an opponent tripped and, in an effort to save himself, went over on his ankle.
An honorable wound, in deed.
Gerry returned from Egypt to Wellington aboard the transport Ulimaroa on August 8, 1919, and got home to Halswell safe and sound by the 13th. He was finally discharged on September 9th to begin his civilian life with his bride of 15 months. They settled into sheep farming on the property known as Low Mount, northwest of the village of Whitecliffs.
Gerry’s first order of business was to apply for a ballot farm. In 1915, the New Zealand government had passed the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act which allowed the government to buy land from large runs and break them into smaller farms for what was known as “closer settlement.” There would appear to have been two reasons for this decision:
1. Young men serving in the defense forces had lost time and experience in civilian jobs while serving their country and at the same time only receiving a set salary.
2. Closer settlement would bring increased food production for local consumption as well as export.
The Government could assist the successful applicant to clear scrub, dig drains, erect buildings, purchase implements, stock, seed etc., with these costs being secured by a first mortgage. Title to the property was usually granted as leasehold with the right to freehold later. The successful applicant had to remain on the farm for ten years. If there was more than one applicant for a property, a ballot was held and all applicants could attend.
In March of 1920, the Birdlings applied for and received land a lease from the Crown (transferred from a John McLaren) on land northwest of the village of Whitecliffs. The lease was for a “special grazing run” referred to as SGR 218 (Small Grazing Run 218). They took possession in April and named the property Low Mount after the nearby geological feature. Like his father and his cousins in California, Gerald went into sheep ranching, as he planned since his Boys’ School days.
According to the Selwyn District Council (https://www.selwyn.govt.nz/community/living-in-selwyn/townships/whitecliffs),
Whitecliffs takes its name from the river terrace cliffs above the Selwyn River, and was so named by Lady Barker, author of "Station life in New Zealand," who lived at nearby Steventon. Also known as South Malvern, it was once the terminus of the Whitecliffs Branch railway from Darfield (the engine shed still stands). For a while, Whitecliffs was a centre of pottery, brick, and tile production, and coal and sand mining, with a hotel, church, school, and several shops.
The railway branch had opened in 1875 and was active as a passenger line until 1949. It was finally shut down completely in 1962.
Gerry finally rejoined the Canterbury Mounted Rifles at their old camp at Zeitoun, Egypt, on January 11, 1916. Two weeks later, the unit was moved 87 miles east to the Suez Canal, and, by March 7th, the regiment was once more ready for operations and moved into the front line, at Railhead Ferrypost on the canal. Later that month, the brigade was assigned to the ANZAC Mounted Division and moved another 32 miles east to Kantara. They spent much of 1916 on the Sinai Peninsula, skirmishing in the desert with the Turkish army who had attacked the British Cavalry positions around Katia. The CMR fought at Katia, Romani, Bir el Abd, El Maler, Magdhaba, and Rafa. Late in the year, Gerald received notice that his big brother Jackie had died heroically at the Somme.
It is not known anymore where and when Gerry fought, but he was not wounded again. His career did advance, though. Before joining his lads at Zeitoun, he was temporarily assigned to the New Zealand Artillery 11th Battery, as a gunner. In April, he was promoted to Lance Corporal. The following year, he was sent to gas school at Tel el Kabir for two weeks and, on April 6, 1917, he was promoted to Corporal and assigned to Head Quarters in Ismailia, on the Suez Canal. After a stint in the hospital there with malaria, Gerry returned to duty and was promoted to Sergeant at the end of July.
During 1917, the CMR were part of the push into Palestine. In March, they fought at Gaza; in April, at Wadi Ghuzee; in April at Beersheba; in November at Khuweilfe, Ayun Kara, and the River Auja. They were not part of the capture of Jerusalem, though. They continued in Jordan during 1918, fighting at Jericho in February; in March at Amman; and in April at Es Salt. The war in the Middle East ended on October 31, 1918, following the signing of the Armistice of Moudros.
Sometime in January, 1918, Janet’s mother died. She was buried at Dunfries High Cemetery on February 2nd. During that summer, Gerald received leave, which he used to return to Scotland where, on June 10, 1918, he and Janet married at St Catherine’s, Dumfries, by Rev. Walter McIntyre. Gerry was 25, and Janet was 26. Because she was still in mourning, she Janet wore a grey (instead of white), georgette dress. After the wedding, they returned to Egypt, and Janet continued to New Zealand on a troop carrier. The journey was quite harrowing, due to the many soldiers suffering shell-shock and other debilitations. Her reception in Halswell was not particularly positive either. Gerry’s mother had another girl in mind for him back home and was not pleased with the marriage. Callaghans can be tough on “outsiders.”
Gerry fought for three years without being wounded, only to end up in the hospital again in February of 1919 after injuring the same foot during a rugby match. Of course, the report did not just say he sprained his ankle playing football. Clearly an enthusiast, Sgt AJ Hasson stated he (Hasson) was:
A member of the team playing ARM [the Auckland Mounted Rifles] on 3/2/19. I saw Sgt Birdling start a dribbling rush and in endeavoring to get the Ball past, an opponent tripped and, in an effort to save himself, went over on his ankle.
An honorable wound, in deed.
Gerry returned from Egypt to Wellington aboard the transport Ulimaroa on August 8, 1919, and got home to Halswell safe and sound by the 13th. He was finally discharged on September 9th to begin his civilian life with his bride of 15 months. They settled into sheep farming on the property known as Low Mount, northwest of the village of Whitecliffs.
Gerry’s first order of business was to apply for a ballot farm. In 1915, the New Zealand government had passed the Discharged Soldiers Settlement Act which allowed the government to buy land from large runs and break them into smaller farms for what was known as “closer settlement.” There would appear to have been two reasons for this decision:
1. Young men serving in the defense forces had lost time and experience in civilian jobs while serving their country and at the same time only receiving a set salary.
2. Closer settlement would bring increased food production for local consumption as well as export.
The Government could assist the successful applicant to clear scrub, dig drains, erect buildings, purchase implements, stock, seed etc., with these costs being secured by a first mortgage. Title to the property was usually granted as leasehold with the right to freehold later. The successful applicant had to remain on the farm for ten years. If there was more than one applicant for a property, a ballot was held and all applicants could attend.
In March of 1920, the Birdlings applied for and received land a lease from the Crown (transferred from a John McLaren) on land northwest of the village of Whitecliffs. The lease was for a “special grazing run” referred to as SGR 218 (Small Grazing Run 218). They took possession in April and named the property Low Mount after the nearby geological feature. Like his father and his cousins in California, Gerald went into sheep ranching, as he planned since his Boys’ School days.
According to the Selwyn District Council (https://www.selwyn.govt.nz/community/living-in-selwyn/townships/whitecliffs),
Whitecliffs takes its name from the river terrace cliffs above the Selwyn River, and was so named by Lady Barker, author of "Station life in New Zealand," who lived at nearby Steventon. Also known as South Malvern, it was once the terminus of the Whitecliffs Branch railway from Darfield (the engine shed still stands). For a while, Whitecliffs was a centre of pottery, brick, and tile production, and coal and sand mining, with a hotel, church, school, and several shops.
The railway branch had opened in 1875 and was active as a passenger line until 1949. It was finally shut down completely in 1962.
According to various newspaper articles, Gerry and Janet led lives of hardworking farmers and country gentry over the next two decades. Gerry annually brought in hundreds of head of sheep for shearing and slaughter. But he also served as one of the vice presidents of the Black Diamond Football Club. Janet was involved in the Glentunnel Flower Show, where she won prizes for jam, marmalade and sponge cake. They attended coming-of-age parties for Birdling cousins all over Canterbury and hosted dances for eligible bachelors and spinsters to meet in polite—and chaperoned—company.
Gerry had a great personality and a sense of humor. He loved to play pranks on his shearers and farm hands. One of his more memorable pranks was putting a sack over the chimney of the bunkhouse, smoking the workers out.
For her part, Janet settled in as a pioneer wife. She did all the cooking for the shearer’s laborers on a coal stove—there was not electricity in the area back then. Being on a sheep station, there was always plenty of lamb, and they had a large vegetable garden to add to stew. According to her granddaughter, Janet was quite a good cook. She made her own butter, soap, and anything else that could be made.
Two years after arriving home, Gerry was appointed an Elector of Whitecliffs. Originally, electorates were drawn up by the Representation Commission based on political and social links, with little consideration for differences in population. Elections for the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for the British House of Commons, which at that time featured both single-member electorates (electorates returning just one MP) and multi-member electorates (electorates returning more than one MP). Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs (up to three) in order to balance population differences. All electorates used a plurality voting system. From 1881, a special country quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats, preserving disproportionality by over-representing farmers. The quota system persisted until 1945.
On September 13, 1921, Gerry and Janet became parents for the first time with the birth of his first daughter Janet Catherine. Mother Janet had a tough time with the pregnancy and apparently needed to be on bedrest. A letter dated March 1, 1921, from Gerry to the Commissioner of Crown Lands requesting postponement of his rent until shearing season was done cited her health as part of the reason, saying, “My wife has been practically an invalid for the past two months, having a doctor attending her regularly.”
A second daughter, Mary Edwina, would complete the family in 1926. When the girls began attending the South Malvern School, Gerry continued the Callaghan family tradition of being appointed to the local school committee.
In 1926, Gerald applied for, and was granted, a renewal of the lease to commence in 1928, for a 21-year term. That should secure the family until the girls were both grown, but the rent went up to £164 per year. According to his granddaughter Kate, “It was a terribly harsh climate. Farming sheep in extremely cold winter conditions with snow. Then the Depression came.”
It is often said that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. After a decade of unprecedented expansion of the New York Stock Exchange, the market crashed on October 24, 1929, on what would come to be known as Black Thursday. Though the market had shown erratic swings for nearly two months, that day saw the largest sell-off of shares in U.S. history. The bubble had burst, and institutions around the world were caught in a financial pandemic. The fever did not reach New Zealand for a few months, but then exports—which were the backbone of the economy—dropped by 45% over the next two years. The sharpest fall was in wool—the Birdling’s stock in trade—which declined by 60 per cent from 1929 to 1932.
The sheep run at Low Mount had been a difficult thing financially from the beginning. The file of document on SGR 218 (later SG Run 91) at ArchivesNZ is over 500 pages, mostly of letters between Gerry, his solicitors (Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd), and the Land Board requesting financial relief. A 1938 Report of the Special Valuation Committee (Gerry was again seeking debt relief) showed the map below and described the land this way:
Gerry had a great personality and a sense of humor. He loved to play pranks on his shearers and farm hands. One of his more memorable pranks was putting a sack over the chimney of the bunkhouse, smoking the workers out.
For her part, Janet settled in as a pioneer wife. She did all the cooking for the shearer’s laborers on a coal stove—there was not electricity in the area back then. Being on a sheep station, there was always plenty of lamb, and they had a large vegetable garden to add to stew. According to her granddaughter, Janet was quite a good cook. She made her own butter, soap, and anything else that could be made.
Two years after arriving home, Gerry was appointed an Elector of Whitecliffs. Originally, electorates were drawn up by the Representation Commission based on political and social links, with little consideration for differences in population. Elections for the New Zealand House of Representatives in the 1850s modelled the electoral procedures used for the British House of Commons, which at that time featured both single-member electorates (electorates returning just one MP) and multi-member electorates (electorates returning more than one MP). Each electorate was allocated a different number of MPs (up to three) in order to balance population differences. All electorates used a plurality voting system. From 1881, a special country quota meant that rural seats could contain fewer people than urban seats, preserving disproportionality by over-representing farmers. The quota system persisted until 1945.
On September 13, 1921, Gerry and Janet became parents for the first time with the birth of his first daughter Janet Catherine. Mother Janet had a tough time with the pregnancy and apparently needed to be on bedrest. A letter dated March 1, 1921, from Gerry to the Commissioner of Crown Lands requesting postponement of his rent until shearing season was done cited her health as part of the reason, saying, “My wife has been practically an invalid for the past two months, having a doctor attending her regularly.”
A second daughter, Mary Edwina, would complete the family in 1926. When the girls began attending the South Malvern School, Gerry continued the Callaghan family tradition of being appointed to the local school committee.
In 1926, Gerald applied for, and was granted, a renewal of the lease to commence in 1928, for a 21-year term. That should secure the family until the girls were both grown, but the rent went up to £164 per year. According to his granddaughter Kate, “It was a terribly harsh climate. Farming sheep in extremely cold winter conditions with snow. Then the Depression came.”
It is often said that when America sneezes, the world catches a cold. After a decade of unprecedented expansion of the New York Stock Exchange, the market crashed on October 24, 1929, on what would come to be known as Black Thursday. Though the market had shown erratic swings for nearly two months, that day saw the largest sell-off of shares in U.S. history. The bubble had burst, and institutions around the world were caught in a financial pandemic. The fever did not reach New Zealand for a few months, but then exports—which were the backbone of the economy—dropped by 45% over the next two years. The sharpest fall was in wool—the Birdling’s stock in trade—which declined by 60 per cent from 1929 to 1932.
The sheep run at Low Mount had been a difficult thing financially from the beginning. The file of document on SGR 218 (later SG Run 91) at ArchivesNZ is over 500 pages, mostly of letters between Gerry, his solicitors (Pyne, Gould, Guinness, Ltd), and the Land Board requesting financial relief. A 1938 Report of the Special Valuation Committee (Gerry was again seeking debt relief) showed the map below and described the land this way:
All low hill tussock country, Altitude 1300 to 2600 feet. Some bush clad gullies and a considerable area is covered in manuka scrub and spreading gorse. Subject to snow in bad winters. All well watered naturally. About 27 acres about the homestead is ploughable. This is a poor sort of place… Snow is the greatest liability and the flooding of fast running streams.
The house was only four rooms, built around 1908 of wood with a brick chimney and an iron roof. Over the years, Gerry had added hot and cold running water, electricity, a sun porch, and a wash-house. Gerry was referred to as “a thoroughly good honest fellow, and hard working.” A similar 1940 report says:
This is a poor, cold property with low carrying capacity of 1100 sheep, about half the area is more or less covered with manuka scrub, Tewina, and lies cold and wet, the lambing percentage and wool clip is very low, the death rate high, all surplus stock sold as stores. Property fully stocked and worked to full capacity, estimates for the coming season show that place could pay all charges but leaves no margin for payment of any arrears of interest or rent…
As can be seen by the profit and loss schedule below, profits fluctuated massively during the 1930s and were as low as s10. By 1938, Gerry and Janet still owed £2500 to the McLaren estate and £1000 to Gerry’s father.
The house was only four rooms, built around 1908 of wood with a brick chimney and an iron roof. Over the years, Gerry had added hot and cold running water, electricity, a sun porch, and a wash-house. Gerry was referred to as “a thoroughly good honest fellow, and hard working.” A similar 1940 report says:
This is a poor, cold property with low carrying capacity of 1100 sheep, about half the area is more or less covered with manuka scrub, Tewina, and lies cold and wet, the lambing percentage and wool clip is very low, the death rate high, all surplus stock sold as stores. Property fully stocked and worked to full capacity, estimates for the coming season show that place could pay all charges but leaves no margin for payment of any arrears of interest or rent…
As can be seen by the profit and loss schedule below, profits fluctuated massively during the 1930s and were as low as s10. By 1938, Gerry and Janet still owed £2500 to the McLaren estate and £1000 to Gerry’s father.
According to the article “Mortgage Relief, Farm Finance, and the Rural Depression on New Zealand in the 1930s” (MacDonald and Thompson, 1987) in the New Zealand Journal of History,
THE 'RURAL CRISIS' experienced in New Zealand in the mid-1980s has drawn attention to earlier periods of rural depression and the measures taken then to counter rural indebtedness and the fall in farm incomes. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the government revised the taxation system and expanded subsidies in ways that assisted farmers but, even by 1931, it was clear that further intervention was necessary to prevent widespread foreclosures and mortgagee sales. Although some of the measures taken applied to all mortgagors, this paper is concerned only with those that were of direct concern to farmers. Mortgage relief for farmers was explicit or implicit in more than a dozen pieces of legislation passed between 1931 and 1936 as successive governments tried to cope with the worsening crisis and then, from 1934, as they tried to restructure farm finance in a way that would allow the market to determine farm values and interest rates.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/872371
Canterbury was one of the more forward-thinking places during the Depression and led the way in financial solutions. Again, from MacDonald and Thompson (1987):
The widespread acceptance of the Adjustment Commissions came partly from a demonstrable problem in the rural sector, and partly because of the consistency of their decisions. This latter owed a great deal to the widespread adoption and adaptation of a scheme developed by private lenders and farm leaders before any mortgage relief measures had been introduced by the government. The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Farmers Finance Scheme, as it was known, was devised at a conference representing banking, farming and commercial interests in January 1931. It depended on the willing co-operation of the mortgagor and all his creditors, and recognized two basic conditions: first, that the farmer required working funds if he was to survive; second, that given the limitation of the relief legislation to land mortgages, stock firms (and banks) still effectively controlled the fate of many farmers through the supply of working credit. Under the scheme, the stock firm or bank which conducted a farmer's business 'ruled off' accumulated debts into what was known as 'No 1 Account'. The farmer, with the assistance of his stock agent and the approval of his mortgagor(s), then prepared a detailed budget to operate through a 'No 2 Account' for the current year's working and living costs. This might include, or indeed specify, such measures as the purchase of stock, erection of fences, or application of fertilizer, which were necessary to protect the land and other assets. The stock firm or bank then allowed credit to the agreed limit and this advance, together with interest on it, became the first charge on any income from the farm. Rates and land tax were the second charge. Any balance was then divided between the land mortgagee(s) and stock firm in agreed proportions. Where the full interest due to the first mortgage could not be covered, the rate of interest paid to second or subsequent mortgagees was reduced to a token level.
In most cases, the scheme proved the basis for sufficient relief to keep farmers on their land while protecting their creditors according to the risk of their investment. There were continuing difficulties, however, in the case of stock mortgages. A stock mortgagee, usually a stock firm or bank, was ideal in the role of lender to cover the new 'No 2 Account'. But because the legislation covered only mortgages on land, and not mortgages on stock or chattels, there was little that could be done where a stock mortgagee proved unwilling to accept any pooling arrangement recommended by an Adjustment Commission or court. In these cases, the institution that controlled the stock mortgage and current account could retain funds that the courts and Adjustment Commissions considered to be the entitlement of the land mortgagee.
Gerry and Janet did get some debt relief in the form of the interest rate on their mortgage to the McLaren Estate being reduced from 6% to 4% and by Gerry’s father forgiving half the debt owed him.
The girls continued to grow and did well in school. Janet won a painting and sewing award; Mary won an award for original poetry at age 10. Mary also won drawing and brushwork awards. She seems to have inherited her grandmother Emily’s artistic talents. Janet and Mary both went to boarding school at Rangi-ruru Girls’ School in Christchurch. Janet was mentioned in the Press as one of the debutantes presented at the Old Girls’ Dance. Both sisters went on to become kindergarten teachers.
Merton Brown, who move to the area in 1939, still lives in the area and had some memories to share:
When the Browns moved to Barton, on the right-hand side of the road was Henry Robb (later John Grenell), on the left was Jack Hill, then Gerry Birdling, then Neil Bates.
When we moved to Barton in 1939 Pat [Merton’s brother] was in Form 1 or 2 and one of Gerry's girl's Mary, was in his class and he thinks the other girl was older, possibly Janet.
A story that got about was that Jack Hill who owned a big chunk of Mt Misery, which is sort of volcanic, used to prospect over it and reckoned he'd found diamonds. Whatever they were, they were hard enough scratch glass, and he rushed over to show his neighbour Gerry Birdling what he'd found, and really pissed Gerry off by scratching his window glass. Unfortunately, they weren't diamonds.
In the mid 1930s, the Whitecliffs area played host to several tramping trips. Tramping—long-distance hiking in rough country—became popular in Canterbury in the 1920s. The Christchurch Tramping Club was formed in 1925. By 1935, the Railway was hosting “Mystery Tramps.”
THE 'RURAL CRISIS' experienced in New Zealand in the mid-1980s has drawn attention to earlier periods of rural depression and the measures taken then to counter rural indebtedness and the fall in farm incomes. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the government revised the taxation system and expanded subsidies in ways that assisted farmers but, even by 1931, it was clear that further intervention was necessary to prevent widespread foreclosures and mortgagee sales. Although some of the measures taken applied to all mortgagors, this paper is concerned only with those that were of direct concern to farmers. Mortgage relief for farmers was explicit or implicit in more than a dozen pieces of legislation passed between 1931 and 1936 as successive governments tried to cope with the worsening crisis and then, from 1934, as they tried to restructure farm finance in a way that would allow the market to determine farm values and interest rates.
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/872371
Canterbury was one of the more forward-thinking places during the Depression and led the way in financial solutions. Again, from MacDonald and Thompson (1987):
The widespread acceptance of the Adjustment Commissions came partly from a demonstrable problem in the rural sector, and partly because of the consistency of their decisions. This latter owed a great deal to the widespread adoption and adaptation of a scheme developed by private lenders and farm leaders before any mortgage relief measures had been introduced by the government. The Canterbury Chamber of Commerce Farmers Finance Scheme, as it was known, was devised at a conference representing banking, farming and commercial interests in January 1931. It depended on the willing co-operation of the mortgagor and all his creditors, and recognized two basic conditions: first, that the farmer required working funds if he was to survive; second, that given the limitation of the relief legislation to land mortgages, stock firms (and banks) still effectively controlled the fate of many farmers through the supply of working credit. Under the scheme, the stock firm or bank which conducted a farmer's business 'ruled off' accumulated debts into what was known as 'No 1 Account'. The farmer, with the assistance of his stock agent and the approval of his mortgagor(s), then prepared a detailed budget to operate through a 'No 2 Account' for the current year's working and living costs. This might include, or indeed specify, such measures as the purchase of stock, erection of fences, or application of fertilizer, which were necessary to protect the land and other assets. The stock firm or bank then allowed credit to the agreed limit and this advance, together with interest on it, became the first charge on any income from the farm. Rates and land tax were the second charge. Any balance was then divided between the land mortgagee(s) and stock firm in agreed proportions. Where the full interest due to the first mortgage could not be covered, the rate of interest paid to second or subsequent mortgagees was reduced to a token level.
In most cases, the scheme proved the basis for sufficient relief to keep farmers on their land while protecting their creditors according to the risk of their investment. There were continuing difficulties, however, in the case of stock mortgages. A stock mortgagee, usually a stock firm or bank, was ideal in the role of lender to cover the new 'No 2 Account'. But because the legislation covered only mortgages on land, and not mortgages on stock or chattels, there was little that could be done where a stock mortgagee proved unwilling to accept any pooling arrangement recommended by an Adjustment Commission or court. In these cases, the institution that controlled the stock mortgage and current account could retain funds that the courts and Adjustment Commissions considered to be the entitlement of the land mortgagee.
Gerry and Janet did get some debt relief in the form of the interest rate on their mortgage to the McLaren Estate being reduced from 6% to 4% and by Gerry’s father forgiving half the debt owed him.
The girls continued to grow and did well in school. Janet won a painting and sewing award; Mary won an award for original poetry at age 10. Mary also won drawing and brushwork awards. She seems to have inherited her grandmother Emily’s artistic talents. Janet and Mary both went to boarding school at Rangi-ruru Girls’ School in Christchurch. Janet was mentioned in the Press as one of the debutantes presented at the Old Girls’ Dance. Both sisters went on to become kindergarten teachers.
Merton Brown, who move to the area in 1939, still lives in the area and had some memories to share:
When the Browns moved to Barton, on the right-hand side of the road was Henry Robb (later John Grenell), on the left was Jack Hill, then Gerry Birdling, then Neil Bates.
When we moved to Barton in 1939 Pat [Merton’s brother] was in Form 1 or 2 and one of Gerry's girl's Mary, was in his class and he thinks the other girl was older, possibly Janet.
A story that got about was that Jack Hill who owned a big chunk of Mt Misery, which is sort of volcanic, used to prospect over it and reckoned he'd found diamonds. Whatever they were, they were hard enough scratch glass, and he rushed over to show his neighbour Gerry Birdling what he'd found, and really pissed Gerry off by scratching his window glass. Unfortunately, they weren't diamonds.
In the mid 1930s, the Whitecliffs area played host to several tramping trips. Tramping—long-distance hiking in rough country—became popular in Canterbury in the 1920s. The Christchurch Tramping Club was formed in 1925. By 1935, the Railway was hosting “Mystery Tramps.”
The Railway mystery tramping trip on Sunday is the third arranged for this season, and an excellent location in the rugged hills of the Whitecliffs district has been chosen. The train will leave Christchurch at 9 a.m. and if trampers adhere to schedule, the return train should reach Christchurch in the evening at 6.30 o'clock. The excellence of the location and the variety of the tramping and scenery should result in this outing proving fully as popular as its predecessors. Sunday's outing will cater equally well for the seasoned tramper and the novice, and, if conditions are suitable, ice-skaters will be able to show their skill on a pond on Mr. Neill Bates' property near Hood's Bush, in the vicinity of which lunch will be taken. A fine tramp will take trampers up and over Mount Misery. After lunch an area of approximately 100 acres of well-preserved native bush will well repay an inspection, and further fine views, including Mount Hutt and the locality of last month's tramp, may be obtained by those who climb Low Mount in the vicinity of the bush. After lunch trampers will also have alternative routes at their disposal. The locality of the tramp, in common with the rest of the Malvern hills, shows many traces of coal deposits, and trampers will observe a shaft being driven on Mr G. B. Starky's property, quite close, to the woolshed. The usual supply of tea, milk, and sugar for lunch and afternoon tea will be provided by the Railway Department.
The picnic trains that carried the trampers to the area slowly diminished, and passenger trains stopped coming to the area in 1949. It is unknown if Gerald or Janet ever joined in the tramps, but their granddaughter Kate Mountfort still tramps at age 71.
As often happens, war followed Depression and was a major cause to financial recovery. World War II broke out in Europe in 1939. Around 140,000 New Zealand personnel served overseas for the Allied war effort, and an additional 100,000 men were armed for Home Guard duty. Gerry, of course, had already served. In 1942, he applied for and received his long-service award. His service in this War would be on the home front, providing wool and meat for the war effort. In New Zealand as elsewhere in the world, industry switched from civilian needs to making war materials on a much larger scale. New Zealand and Australia supplied the bulk of foodstuffs to American forces in the South Pacific, as Reverse Lend-Lease.
In late 1942, Gerry’s daughter Janet gave up her position as director of the Sunbeam Kindergarten in Christchurch in order to marry Wilbur (Bill) Glue. Bill was a newspaper writer and war correspondent from Oamaru. They wed on November 26, 1942. On January 18, 1944, she bore Gerry and Janet’s first grandson, Douglas Glue. Another son, Douglas, would follow. Mary would marry James C. Dore in 1952, and they would have five children, bringing the next generation total to seven grandchildren.
On August 4, 1943, Gerry’s mother Emily Callaghan Birdling passed away, ending the Callaghan name in the New Zealand branch of the family. His sister Eileen was the executor of the estate, and she and Gerry each received 40% of the Callaghan estate, which apparently had been held as separate property from Arthur Birdling’s estate. The extent of the estate is unknown, but it must have begun Gerry thinking about retirement. By 1949, he was making plans to yield up the lease on Low mount, and, on July 3, 1950, he transferred it to David Neil Bates for £2200 and the home at 8 Konini Street in Riccarton.
A year later, Janet’s sister Agnes and her husband Arthur Ives traveled from Croydon, Surrey, on the Rangitiki to visit Janet and Gerry. They had not seen each other in over 30 years. Gerry and Arthur would have been able to share War stories, though very different ones. Arthur had been a navy aircraftsman stationed out of Cranwell. Fliers in the First World War were nicknamed “minute men” because casualties were so high that they were said to only last a minute.
On April 24, 1951, their daughter Mary married James Chrysostom Dore, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. This was the same church where her great grandparents Patrick and Emma Callaghan had married and her grandmother Emily had been baptized back in 1867. (Mary had been engages in September of 1949 to David Poswills of Gisborne, but the engagement had been called off.) James was a radiologist from Newcastle West, Limerick, who worked in the Public Hospital, Nelson. In 1952, the first Dore grandchild, Kate, was born in Nelson. Four more children would follow over the next ten years. Gerry and Janet were wonderful grandparents.
The picnic trains that carried the trampers to the area slowly diminished, and passenger trains stopped coming to the area in 1949. It is unknown if Gerald or Janet ever joined in the tramps, but their granddaughter Kate Mountfort still tramps at age 71.
As often happens, war followed Depression and was a major cause to financial recovery. World War II broke out in Europe in 1939. Around 140,000 New Zealand personnel served overseas for the Allied war effort, and an additional 100,000 men were armed for Home Guard duty. Gerry, of course, had already served. In 1942, he applied for and received his long-service award. His service in this War would be on the home front, providing wool and meat for the war effort. In New Zealand as elsewhere in the world, industry switched from civilian needs to making war materials on a much larger scale. New Zealand and Australia supplied the bulk of foodstuffs to American forces in the South Pacific, as Reverse Lend-Lease.
In late 1942, Gerry’s daughter Janet gave up her position as director of the Sunbeam Kindergarten in Christchurch in order to marry Wilbur (Bill) Glue. Bill was a newspaper writer and war correspondent from Oamaru. They wed on November 26, 1942. On January 18, 1944, she bore Gerry and Janet’s first grandson, Douglas Glue. Another son, Douglas, would follow. Mary would marry James C. Dore in 1952, and they would have five children, bringing the next generation total to seven grandchildren.
On August 4, 1943, Gerry’s mother Emily Callaghan Birdling passed away, ending the Callaghan name in the New Zealand branch of the family. His sister Eileen was the executor of the estate, and she and Gerry each received 40% of the Callaghan estate, which apparently had been held as separate property from Arthur Birdling’s estate. The extent of the estate is unknown, but it must have begun Gerry thinking about retirement. By 1949, he was making plans to yield up the lease on Low mount, and, on July 3, 1950, he transferred it to David Neil Bates for £2200 and the home at 8 Konini Street in Riccarton.
A year later, Janet’s sister Agnes and her husband Arthur Ives traveled from Croydon, Surrey, on the Rangitiki to visit Janet and Gerry. They had not seen each other in over 30 years. Gerry and Arthur would have been able to share War stories, though very different ones. Arthur had been a navy aircraftsman stationed out of Cranwell. Fliers in the First World War were nicknamed “minute men” because casualties were so high that they were said to only last a minute.
On April 24, 1951, their daughter Mary married James Chrysostom Dore, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch. This was the same church where her great grandparents Patrick and Emma Callaghan had married and her grandmother Emily had been baptized back in 1867. (Mary had been engages in September of 1949 to David Poswills of Gisborne, but the engagement had been called off.) James was a radiologist from Newcastle West, Limerick, who worked in the Public Hospital, Nelson. In 1952, the first Dore grandchild, Kate, was born in Nelson. Four more children would follow over the next ten years. Gerry and Janet were wonderful grandparents.
On October 12, 1962, Gerry’s father Arthur Birdling died at the age of 99. Arthur had cast a long shadow, both by his longevity and his success. His loss would have been felt keenly by all three of his children, no one more so than Gerry who had followed in his father’s and grandfather’s chosen profession. Gerry and Eileen served as co-trustees of Arthur’s estate.
By 1966, Gerry and Janet had moved to the house at 16 Bledisloe Avenue, Nelson. This three-bedroom, one-bath house was 1400 square feet and had been built in 1950. It was there that their grandniece Juliana Sherratt remembers meeting them when she brought her grandmother, Gerry’s sister Eileen, to visit.
I did meet both Gerald and his wife in Nelson around 1969 when I drove my grandmother up there to see them. Can’t remember forming any definite impressions other than they were very pleasant…. Gerald looked a lot like Nana Stewart with a mass of white hair… they were both very like their father to look at.
In 1977, Gerry and Janet, along with the rest of the family, suffered the loss of their grandson Michael Dore, to a car accident at age 21. Gerry’s sister Eileen had lost her grandson Bill Stewart two years earlier to a car accident in Canada at age 19. They would lose Michael’s sister Helen in yet another car accident in 1992 at the age of 37.
Gerry died on December 31, 1981, of prostate cancer. He was 88 years old. He was interred privately at Marsden Cemetery, Nelson. His headstone give testimony to his military career, but it does not mention Gallipoli.
By 1966, Gerry and Janet had moved to the house at 16 Bledisloe Avenue, Nelson. This three-bedroom, one-bath house was 1400 square feet and had been built in 1950. It was there that their grandniece Juliana Sherratt remembers meeting them when she brought her grandmother, Gerry’s sister Eileen, to visit.
I did meet both Gerald and his wife in Nelson around 1969 when I drove my grandmother up there to see them. Can’t remember forming any definite impressions other than they were very pleasant…. Gerald looked a lot like Nana Stewart with a mass of white hair… they were both very like their father to look at.
In 1977, Gerry and Janet, along with the rest of the family, suffered the loss of their grandson Michael Dore, to a car accident at age 21. Gerry’s sister Eileen had lost her grandson Bill Stewart two years earlier to a car accident in Canada at age 19. They would lose Michael’s sister Helen in yet another car accident in 1992 at the age of 37.
Gerry died on December 31, 1981, of prostate cancer. He was 88 years old. He was interred privately at Marsden Cemetery, Nelson. His headstone give testimony to his military career, but it does not mention Gallipoli.
After Gerry’s death, Janet moved in with her daughter Mary at 28 Viewmount, Stoke. She lived for seven more years and passed away on July 14, 1988, at the age of 96 (though the headstone says 97).
Gerry and Janet were a well-matched couple. Both were the product of landed gentry, the backbone of British society. Gerry was a war hero and Janet was a well-bred lady, and both were hardworking, sturdy, and steady people who rose to the responsibility of their situation and station. They were loving parents and grandparents and a credit to their ancestors. Their story should not be lost.
Gerry and Janet were a well-matched couple. Both were the product of landed gentry, the backbone of British society. Gerry was a war hero and Janet was a well-bred lady, and both were hardworking, sturdy, and steady people who rose to the responsibility of their situation and station. They were loving parents and grandparents and a credit to their ancestors. Their story should not be lost.