George Richard Henry Labrom : Short Biography

George Labrom

My great uncle, George Labrom, was born in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland on 12th February 1884 just one year before my grandfather.  He emigrated to New Zealand and died in Aukland in 1949. 

The earliest record of him that I have found is the 1901 census, when he was 15, an assistant draper and living in the family home at 14 Pound Street, Newry.

He emigrated in 1908, sailing from London to Sydney on the Morarian as a third class passenger.  He was by then a farm labourer.  By 1911 he was in New Zealand and on the Electoral Register for Waimarino, Bay of Plenty.  His first job was as a barman in an hotel.  He seems to have lived in this area up to 1919, working as a contractor on sheep farms.

From the excellent New Zealand records, I can see that he enlisted in the army and on the 13th November 1916 he was posted to F company 23rd Battalion. He was 32 and described as a contractor.  His medical record indicates that he was in good health, 5’ 6” tall and weighed 142 lbs. He had fair hair, a fair complexion and blue eyes.  He stated that his father and mother in Ireland were partially financially dependent on him.

On the 2nd of April 1917, he embarked from Wellington and on the 10th of June disembarked at Devonport with the 4th Reserves Battalion, Canterbury Regiment. He is listed on the Nominal rolls at Sling camp with the rank of Private. With the 4th Reserves Battalion Canterbury Regiment, he left for France on the 6 July 1917. On the 9th of July they marched into camp at Etaples. On 24th July, George joined 3rd Battalion Canterbury Regiment and was posted to 12 company in Rouen. 

He was wounded (gassed) in the field in October 1917 and was admitted first to no 1 New Zealand Field Ambulance, then to no 3 Australian casualty clearing post (gassed - mustard gas shell.) On 19th October, he was admitted no 10 General hospital Rouen (gas poisoning) and on the 23rd he embarked on the Hospital Ship Essequibo for England. The following day he was admitted to 1st New Zealand General Hospital Brockenhurst, before being transferred in December to New Zealand Convalescent Hospital, at Hornchurch. By 18th January 1918 he had recovered enough to return to duty at the New Zealand Company Depot at Codford. 

On 14th May 1918, he re-joined 3rd Reserve Battalion Canterbury Regiment and proceeded overseas from Sling, joining No 2 New Zealand Ent Battalion on 19th May and transferring on the 28th to 2nd Battalion Canterbury Regiment. He was appointed Lance Corporal at this stage, before further promotion, on 14th February 1919, to Lance Sergeant with the South Island Battalion. Finally, on 31st May 1919, he left Plymouth and embarked for New Zealand on board His Majesty's Troopship Kigoma.

He moved around New Zealand after the war, still working on sheep farms, and is recorded at: 

Throughout WW2, George served in the New Zealand Home Defence in the 1st Battalion National Military Reserve   He seems to have knocked a few years off his age on the forms.  He passed the medical examination except for flat feet.  His sister, Margaret, still living in the family home at 14 Pound Street, was listed as his next of kin.

George never married and he died alone in his room in a boarding house at 11 Vincent Street, Auckland, in 1949, aged 65.  There was an inquest and the cause of death was coronary failure.  The pathologist described him as a slightly built, middle-aged man.  He was found dead in bed by another boarder.  The proprietor had seen him walking down the road the previous day when he appeared to be his usual self.

He was buried on 7th September 1949 at Waikumete cemetery, Block K, section 14, no 58, soldiers portion. 
When I began researching George on the Internet, I found that his war medals had recently been sold on the Trademe Internet auction site but I was sadly unable to track them down. The details were: British War Medal 1914-1918 and Victory Medal, awarded to George Richard Henry Labrom, who was a member of the Wanganui District (Group 20) detachment for the 23rd Reinforcements of the NZ Expeditionary Force. Both medals are inscribed around their edges: 40017 T/SJT G.R.H Labrom NZEF.  I still look for them occasionally.