First Contingent 1899 · Eighth Contingent 1902 · Canterbury Mounted Rifles, Egypt 1915-16
Lieutenant Ernest Freeth
Ernest Freeth was a Blenheim painter and paperhanger, born at Picton, who sailed on the Waiwera in 1899, went back to South Africa as a sergeant-major with the Eighth Contingent in 1902, and was then commissioned in the Marlborough Mounted Rifles.
He sailed again as an officer of the Canterbury Mounted Rifles in August 1915 and was wounded in the throat at Romani in August 1916. He came home to a civic reception in Blenheim and died there suddenly in 1928; he was given a military funeral.
His story
A Picton boy, a Blenheim tradesman
Ernest Freeth was born at Picton in November 1876, the son of William Freeth, and was educated at Picton and Blenheim. He went into business in Blenheim as a painter and paperhanger.
Source: Papers Past, Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928 'Mr Ernest Freeth'; Online Cenotaph C34319Sailing on the Waiwera
Freeth joined the First Contingent as a private in 2 Company and embarked at Wellington on the Waiwera on 21 October 1899.
Source: Online Cenotaph C34319; Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928South Africa, First Contingent
His obituary says he came home from the First Contingent with the rank of corporal. We have not found a detailed account of his actions, or the date and ship of his return.
Source: Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928Back to South Africa as a sergeant-major
Freeth was promoted sergeant-major and went to South Africa a second time, with F Squadron of the South Island Regiment, Eighth Contingent (number 5736), embarking on the Cornwall on 8 February 1902.
Source: Online Cenotaph C34319; Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928Lieutenant in the Mounted Rifles
Back in Blenheim he was commissioned lieutenant in the Marlborough Mounted Rifles. About 1906 he married Minnie, eldest daughter of Mr Robert McArtney (spelling from a scanned newspaper); they had no children.
Source: Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928Off to Trentham and Egypt
In May 1915 Lieutenant Freeth of Blenheim, who had seen service in South Africa, left to join the reinforcements at Trentham. He embarked at Wellington on 14 August 1915 on the Tofua (HMNZT 28), a second lieutenant with the 6th Reinforcements, Canterbury Mounted Rifles, bound for Suez.
Source: Papers Past, Colonist 18 May 1915 'Personal'; Online Cenotaph C34319; NZ War Graves Project, Cenotaph 34319Wounded at Romani
Freeth was wounded in the throat in the fighting at Romani on the Egyptian frontier. A hospital list in early September 1916 named Lieutenant E. J. W. Freeth as 'pronounced out of danger'. His obituary says he was invalided home after a dangerous neck wound.
Source: Papers Past, Colonist 5 Mar 1917 'Personal'; Ashburton Guardian 2 Sep 1916 'To-day's Hospital List'; Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928Home to Blenheim
Lieutenant Freeth returned to Blenheim and was given a civic reception. The local MP praised him as a capable and popular officer; his voice was still affected by the injury when he thanked the gathering.
Source: Papers Past, Colonist 5 Mar 1917 'Personal'Painter again
He went on working as a painter in Blenheim. On 13 March 1928 he was taken ill while at work near the Lister Hospital, was moved to Wairau Hospital and died there early on 14 March 1928.
Source: Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928 'Death' and 'Mr Ernest Freeth'Military funeral
A military funeral was announced for the following day. He was buried at Omaka Cemetery, Blenheim, on 15 March 1928.
Source: Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928; Marlborough Genealogy Volunteers burial list via interment.net (Omaka Cemetery)
Rank and insignia
The rank he held, and the badge a soldier of that rank wore. These are simplified illustrations.
His medals
“Documented” means a source we name says he received it. “Listed on the Online Cenotaph” means the museum’s record lists the medal but we could not confirm it elsewhere. “Entitled” means his service dates qualified him, but we have not seen a record of the medal itself. The drawings are simplified illustrations.
His ships
Afterwards
Freeth lived in Blenheim for the rest of his life, working as a painter. He died suddenly on 14 March 1928 and was buried at Omaka Cemetery with a military funeral. He is remembered on the Borough of Blenheim Roll of Honour at the Marlborough Museum. His wife Minnie survived him.
His sign
This is the Service Record sign as we would make it from his record: his rank, name, regiment, number and date of embarkation. The medals on the sign are worked out automatically from the embarkation date, so the medals listed above are the ones to rely on.
Photograph
We haven’t hosted a photograph here
Rather than copy someone else’s image onto our own site, we’d rather send you to see it where it’s properly held: his full record at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph.
Sources
- Ernest John William Freeth, Online Cenotaph, Auckland War Memorial Museum.
- Papers Past: Mr Ernest Freeth, Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928 (obituary)
- Papers Past: Death notice, Marlborough Express 14 Mar 1928
- Papers Past: Personal, Colonist 18 May 1915
- Papers Past: Personal, Colonist 5 Mar 1917
- Papers Past: To-day's Hospital List, Ashburton Guardian 2 Sep 1916
- NZ War Graves Project, Cenotaph 34319
- Omaka Cemetery burial list, interment.net
What we could not confirm
Name order: Cenotaph gives Ernest John William; the 1928 death notice and obituary give William Ernest John (Ern). Same man (Blenheim painter, First and Eighth Contingents, lieutenant).
Age: the obituary says born November 1876 and aged 52 at death; on those dates he was 51. We have used 51.
The Cenotaph shows 'married 14 August 1915', which is the embarkation date; the 1928 obituary says he married about 22 years before his death (about 1906). We have followed the obituary.
Cenotaph lists him as Second Lieutenant on embarkation; newspapers call him Lieutenant.
Date and ship of return from the two South African tours, the date of the Romani wound (early August 1916 assumed from the battle) and any later NZEF service were not found. Archives NZ files R21005144 and R24044563 not viewed.
The match of the Omaka burial entry 'Ernest Freeth, bur. 15 March 1928' to this man rests on the date agreeing with his death and funeral; the list gives no age or rank.
The Hamilton Libraries page on the Blenheim men of the First Contingent and the NZ History soldier page were blocked to automated access and not read.