Dedication of Headstone of WW1 Veteran

Dedication of Thomas Smithers Manson's WW1 Headstone which is replacing a damaged one.
Manson, Thomas Smithers.

Thomas Manson was born in Leith, Scotland 13 April 1887 and prior to his attestation, he was a Mill Hand for A Broadbelt of Ohakune in the King Country.

He was 5 feet 9 inches, weighed 164 lb with a brown complexion, brown eyes and dark hair. His religion was given as Presbyterian and his Next of Kin was listed as Mrs John Manson initially of Ohakune but subsequently amended to Knox College, Dunedin.

Thomas was a volunteer who enlisted on the 26th October 1914 and was posted to the 11th Taranaki Company of the Wellington Infantry Battalion. After 49 days in uniform he departed New Zealand on the 14th December 1914 bound for Egypt. 12 April 1915 he departed Alexandria, Egypt for the Dardanelles.

Just on six weeks later, on 23 May Thomas was unfit for frontline service and was transferred to a Baviere Hospital, Malta, then to St George Hospital 10 Jul and finally to All Saints Camp on Malta on 7 August until he rejoined his unit on the 12th September 1915.

Three weeks later Thomas was again unfit for frontline service and again was in a hospital on Malta on the 26th September then on to a General Hospital on Gibralta on the 8th October 1915 where on the 7th December he was listed as “Dangerously Ill” until 23 December 1915 when he was “Out of danger”.

He was sent to England on 20 Jan 1916 where he remained until he embarked for New Zealand on the Willochra on 12 August 1916.

Thomas was Discharged 17 November 1916 as “no longer physically fit for war service on acct of illness contacted on Act service”. His address on discharge was initially listed as Victoria Military Hospital, Wellington which was subsequently amended to “Awahuri”.

Thomas married Phyllis Malvena Scandlyn in 1919 and there is only one record available of a “Stillborn” child who was buried 17 July 1920 in the Feilding Cemetery. The records of other children are not available as they occurred under 100 years ago. From a Papers Past article we know there were at least two other children; Thomas and Eilleen.

Thomas died 15 March 1937 from “Chronic Hepatitis Typhoid Hepatitis” and is buried in the Feilding Cemetery, (Block 2, Plot 245).

Phyllis died 9 April 1976 and was cremated. Her ashes were interred in the Feilding Cemetery (Block 3, Row 8, Plot 529) along with the remains of Leonard James Moore, buried 31 January 1920 1 week old; Stillborn Manson, buried 17 July 1920, stillborn; Mary Ann Manson, buried 22 July 1920.