Samuel Leask Corrigall - my generation’s great granduncle

Samuel Leask Corrigall was the youngest son of Jean and James Corrigall. He was born on the 17th of May 1894, in Omakau (Registration number 1894/10857).

Samuel was a very sporty guy. The first mention of him in the newspapers was for coming second in the boys race under ten years old at the St Patrick’s Athletic Sports afternoon in Ophir during March 1904. By the end of 1910 at 16 years old, Samuel was playing cricket for the Blacks team. He was one of his teams most successful bowlers in a match against Moa Creek in 1912.

In 1912 Samuel was playing seven aside rugby for the Cambrian team when they beat Ranfurly. The team went onto the final beating Naseby by 6 points to nil. In 1913, Samuel played rugby at the Maniototo Sub-union’s Annual Tournament and Sport day, this time for the Matakanui B team. This tournament was played in Ranfurly, but I don’t know the results. In 1914 Samuel played rugby again for Matakanui. One June game against Naseby took place amid a snow shower. The teams were so well matched that no score was attained by either Naseby or Matakanui. In July that year Samuel was playing fullback for Matakanui and Ernie Huddleston was in the same team playing ‘three quarters’. The team was in Ranfurly this time, and the weather was again ‘bitterly cold’. The final score was 6 - 3 to Matakanui. It seems a long way to travel in the middle of winter, but the teams were probably able to take the train.

That same month, July 1914, on the other side of the world World War One was just beginning. In August 1914 the NZ government created the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) as NZ’s contribution to the British allied forces. From August 1914 until September 1916, all NZEF recruits were volunteers, however, on the 1st of August 1916, the Military Service Act empowered the government to conscript any man aged between 20 and 45.

During and prior to the war many young men signed up as military cadets and were expected to attend regular drill. Once enrolled the expectations to attend must have been high, as on Thursday the 6th of April 1916, when Samuel failed to attend, he was taken to court for this offence. He pleaded guilty, however, he said he had been working at the time and that he had written to Lieut. Bracks explaining why he was away. This was not looked on sympathetically and Samuel was fined £1 and ordered to pay 7s in costs.

Perhaps with the realisation that conscription was imminent, Samuel enlisted on the 6th of October 1916, at Alexandra. He was only 22 years old. His attestation for general service confirm his date of birth and other basic details as well as revealing that he was working as a labourer for Frank Donnelly of Lauder. Also included are more personal details such as he had grey eyes, brown hair, was 5 foot 8.5 inches high, weighed 172 pounds and was vaccinated . Samuel arrived in Trentham or Featherston Military Training Camp on the 20th of October to become part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He began as a private in the 1st Battalion, 10th Company of the Otago Infantry Regiment. His military number was 39174.

After examining his military records, I found that on the 11th of February 1917, Samuel was promoted to Lance Corporal while at Featherston Military Training Camp, but by the 6th of June that year his rank was again private. His Lance Corporal rank equates to the time he was on the ship to England, and in camp there before leaving for France. No doubt this change of rank was political. Samuel left Wellington on the 16th of February 1917 and disembarked in Devonport, England on the 2nd of May 1917. He then went to straight to the Sling Army Camp at Bulford. Here, a handwritten entry on his military record includes what looks to me as ‘Reverts to Ranks’ with no explanation given.

I wonder if Samuel was able to celebrate his twenty third birthday on the 17th of May at all?

On the 6th of June, 1917 Samuel left for France and two days later he marched into camp at Etaples. On the 25th of June, he joined the 1st Battalion, 10th Company of the Otago Infantry Regiment in the field.

The 12th of October 1917 was considered New Zealand’s blackest day at Passchendaele because of the failed attack on Bellevue Spur. According to Leonard Hart, one of the soldiers present it was a total balls up. The New Zealanders began their advance at 5.25 a.m. Heavy rain had turned the battle field into thick mud that trapped soldiers, pack animals and the heavy guns. The first catastrophe was that the artillery barrage opened up about 200 meters from the specified range and thus in the midst of NZ soldiers. The troops then proceeded only to find German concrete machine gun emplacements with an entanglement of barbed wire 50 meters deep undamaged by the artillery they had fired. Dozens of men were shot down trying to penetrate the wire or were pinned down in shell craters. According to nzhistory.govt.nz ‘for badly wounded soldiers lying in the mud, the aftermath of the battle was a private hell; many died before rescuers could reach them. The toll was horrendous: 843 New Zealand soldiers were either dead or lying mortally wounded between the front lines.’ A further 1800 were wounded.

Unfortunately Samuel was one of those badly wounded soldiers with gun shot wounds to his right thigh, hand and left knee. It wasn’t till the following day that Samuel was admitted to the Australian Number 3 Field Ambulance. Then another day later he was admitted to the No. 2 Casualty Clearing Station in the field. Finally, three days after being wounded, on the 15th of October, Samuel was admitted to the No. 3 Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne. He died there at 3am, on he 19th of October from his seriously wounded thigh and gas gangrene.

Gas gangrene is an infection caused by bacillus bacteria found in horse manure, and was present throughout the highly cultivated Flanders fields. Because the trenches were filled with mud, soldiers’ clothing would become saturated with the bacteria and when men were wounded, their bacteria-saturated uniforms would lodge into the wound causing an infection. Because of initial lack of treatment, as in Samuel’s case, many died from the infection.

One can only imagine Samuel’s torturous time, while waiting for help, lying in the mud and cold amidst the dead and dying. Surely just the thought or such an ordeal happening to anyone anywhere in the world can only make one an advocate for peace.

Tragically, as Samuel lay wounded and dying in Boulogne, his older brother Jock was marching from England into camp at Etaples, France arriving on the 16th of October 1917, three days before Samuel died and a mere 35 kilometres away. No doubt the pair would have been looking forward to seeing each other so it would have been devastating for Jock to learn of Samuel’s death.

Samuel was buried in Block/Plot 8, 1, 73 at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France.

Samuel’s headstone at Block/Plot 8, 1, 73 at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery, Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France

Back in New Zealand, news broke of Samuel’s death. How devastating for the entire family. On the 24th of October, his name appeared across the country in all the newspapers in their Roll of Honour. One such example in the New Zealand Herald headlined with “Fifty Two Deaths, Two Missing” . The Dunstan Times wrote of the sad news on the 29th of October. It said that Samuel was ‘splendid young fellow in every way and quite a favourite with everybody in the district’ and that ‘he was a good footballer and crack shot’. Samuel’s photo was placed in the Otago Witness on the 7th of November.

On the 19th of October, 1918, both the Otago Daily Times and Otago Witness had memorial notices for Samuel. Similar notices appeared the following year in the Otago Daily Times and Otago Witness and most years till at least 1931. His name was written on a Memorial Tablet at Becks Church, which was unveiled in March 1920. The Dunstan Times described this tablet as a work of art. This has role of honour has since been relocated to the foyer of the Becks Memorial Hall on Wedderburn-Becks Road.

The Memorial Tablet originally located at Becks Church, showing Samuel’s name (Corrigall is unfortunately misspelt) and now is in the foyer of the Becks Memorial Hall

Samuel’s name is also on the War Memorial Roll of Honour, in the Omakau Hall and on the headstone with his parents, James and Jean at at Blacks Cemetery, Omakau, Lot V, plot 29.

The War Memorial Roll of Honour, in the Omakau Hall, showing Samuel’s name (Corrigall is unfortunately misspelt)

On Friday the 21st of March 1919 twenty four Omakau/Ophir returned soldiers were invited to a welcome home social hosted by members of the Welcome Home Association. The Dunstan Times reported that the event included a minute’s silence to remember Samuel. His parents, Jean and James talked about Samuel’s special qualities and the whole district gave sympathy to the Corrigalls and the sacrifice their family had made.

The following year in March 1920, the returned soldiers of the district in conjunction with members of the Welcome Home Association held a social and dance in the Omakau Hall. One of the emcees for the evening was Mr J. Corrigall (possibly James, Jim or Jock?). A speech by returned soldier Mr L. Taylor-Cannon said the event was a recognition of thanks to all those who had worked so hard in the interests of those who went to the front. He went on to say that unfortunately one of their number, Samuel, had paid the supreme sacrifice and those who had returned asked his mother Jean to accept a silver tea service, ‘suitably inscribed’, as a mark of respect to their late comrade and as a token of sympathy to his parents, sisters and brothers. Apparently Mr J. Wilson suitably replied on behalf of the Corrigall family. I am unsure who he was, but most likely a family friend. I wonder if anyone knows what happened to that suitably inscribed silver tea service? It would be nice to know that it was still ‘in the family’.

Samuel posthumously received the British War Medal on the 5th of October 1921 and the Victory Medal on the 15th of August 1922. Of course these tokens would never begin to compensate for the horrendous sacrifice he made. It is my understanding from a 2016 Otago Daily Times article, that Wayne Campbell from Alexandra is caring for Samuel’s medals now. Wayne is Samuel’s brother Bill’s grandson. It is reassuring that the medals remain with a family member, and one day I hope to meet Wayne and see Samuel’s medals.