Find Ancestors

My husband's great uncle Roland Justus Hill emigrated to New Zealand in the early 1900s. He was the son of a noted Victorian artist Justus Hill of Ealing/Acton near London and he was born in 1886 (23/11 I think). Roland clearly enjoyed life in his new country, and he married Catherine Anne Hughes in Dunedin on 16/5/1910. He worked as a clerk at the Oriental Hotel, Dunedin and before that he may have been a ship's steward. They had two children, Phyllis Mary (born 1/11/1909 in Wellington) and Roland Justus (born 8/1/1911 in Timaru).

With the start of Word War I, Roland joined the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in 1914 and served in the Otago regiment as batallion quartermaster. He was promoted to Lieutenant and then to Captain and was a war hero, mentioned in despatches and then awarded the Military Cross in the New Years Honours list 1918. He was tragically killed in a very sad incident on 3/3/1918 in France. A private of his own regiment who had become demented at the thought of going back to the front line, ran amok with a rifle and shot and killed Roland and another officer, and then turned the gun on himself.

I have tracked Roland's son's burial (another Roland Justus sometimes spelt Rowland Justice) on 7/7/1969 in Anderson's Bay Cemetry Dunedin. I have also managed to find the interment of the son's wife's ashes (Jean Alwyn Hill) more recently on 8/1/1992 in the same plot (Block 73S Plot 23). The address given in funeral records is 100, Marlow Street, Tainui, Dunedin.

So, my amateur sleuthing has borne some fruit-but I now really feel I must find out more. I feel sure there must be descendents around Dunedin. This year we are going to France to find and photograph the grave of Roland, and to pay proper respect to a forgotten hero. He is not commemorated in England because he had emigrated, and I suspect, will probably not be remembered in New Zealand, because he was born an Englishman.

I would love to be able to give a copy of the photos we take in France (and a lot of other family history) to any long lost Hill relatives around Dunedin, and I would like to hear of anyone who can add to my story.

There is the NZ Marriage:

Phyllis Mary HILL married Peter John POLESON In 1942 (Folio:07553)
___________________________________________________
Peter John POLESON Born:17 Aug 1906 - Died:1986
Phyliss Mary POLESON D:1971 (Aged 60y)
____________________________________________________
Andersons Bay Cemetery Dunedin

Surname POLESON
Given Names Peter John
Year of Death 1986
Record Number 44238
Record Type B/R
Age 80
Location Andersons Bay Cemetery Dunedin S08.58 Vol.15
_________________________________________________________
Surname POLESON
Given Names Phyllis Mary
Year of Death 1971
Record Number 38752
Record Type B/R
Age 61
Location Andersons Bay Dunedin S08.57
________________________________________________________
http://www.dunedin.govt.nz/facilities/cemeteries/cemeteries_search
________________________________________________________
By seaching POLESON in the on-line phone book www.whitepages.co.nz
you will see a few people with the last name POLESON, Also HILL

Try joining www.oldfriends.co.nz which is a free NZ friends site.
You maybe able to link yourself to people with the same last name, you can e-mail people via that site.

Or you may beable to get infomation from the headstone in Dunedin.

Joanne
(Masterton, NZ)

Hello maggie, From the information you already have, I assume that you have seen Roland's war record on www.archives.govt.nz if you use the right hand tab marked archway, search using just his first and surname, you will find that his entire war record has been digitalised and is sitting there in a PDF file. Perhaps it was you that requested it? If it was not you, then it means that some other researcher has, as none are digitilised unless requested. Anyway, you will also find Roland on the www.CWGC.org site. this is the site where all commonwealth soldiers are commemorated and you can find their burial details, and in some cases depending on the cemetery, there is also a photo of their grave. if a soldier served for any commonwealth country, regardless of country of birth, they are honoured. The archive/ archway site is handy for anyone searching in NZ, as it also has the probates/ war service/ divorce/ any government files.

Regards Roz