FITZGERALD, Gertrude Elizabeth
Born 1891; died 24 November 1918; buried 26 November 1918; age 28
At the time of Gertrude’s birth her father William PEARCE was working as a parchment maker [i] in Kennington, London. William and his wife Louisa already had five children, all of them sons and they went on to have a second daughter.
In 1909, when she was 18, Gertrude married fellow-Londoner Arthur Ernest FITZGERALD. He was a 22-year old mechanic, second youngest child of Charlotte and James Fitzgerald, and living with them in Lambeth. The marriage took place on 29 September and later that same day, the newly-wed couple boarded SS Turakina bound for Wellington.
After arrival in Wellington, the settled in Te Aro, initially at 24 then at 22 Aro Street in a house that faces directly across the road to the start of Ohiro Road. Although fully residential now, the dwelling still shows signs that it was once a shop or other business premise, and this might be where Arthur first set up his new business as a motor mechanic.
Gertrude and Arthur had three children; a daughter Alberta Constance who was born in 1911, a son Carlisle Bernard Austin born in 1915, and a second son Leonard Arthur Ernest who was born a year later.
The young couple must have been pleased with their new life in New Zealand and written to their families about how well things were going because at least three of their siblings joined them in the next few years. In 1911, Arthur’s brother Frederick Leo, a cycle maker in the 1911 UK census and nine years older than Arthur, sailed to Wellington on the Ruahine, joining in the business and living with Gertrude and Arthur (and after her death, with Arthur) for several decades. Then in 1914, Gertrude’s brother Samuel, ten years older than she, left England on the Athenic, bound for New Zealand. He had been working with his father as a dairyman, perhaps one of the last people to make a living that way in the heart of London before milk began to arrive in the capital from further afield by overnight train. When Samuel arrived in Wellington, he too began living with Arthur and Gertrude, establishing himself as a chauffeur and taxi driver. Gertrude and Samuel’s oldest brother William Walter also migrated to New Zealand: the date of his arrival is not clear but was listed on the 1914 electoral roll as an engineer’s fitter and based with his sister and her husband at 22 Aro Street.
Following the announcement of war in August 1914 Arthur had enlisted and, with two children at the time, was given a C classification on the Army’s Second Division Reserve Roll in 1916. In 1918, the family moved again, this time to a business and residential building at 195 Willis Street, on the eastern side of the street in the block between Dixon and Ghuznee Streets. In the same year Gertrude was expecting another child. However, Gertrude became ill with influenza in November and though she delivered the baby it died within an hour. Gertrude died of influenza the same day – 24 November. Mother and infant were buried in the same plot in the Anglican section of Karori Cemetery two days later. Gertrude was only 28 years old, and left three small children for her husband to bring up.
Arthur seems not to have remarried for some years. In 1935 he was still registered as living at 195 Willis Street, but by 1938 he was living with Iris Amelia Fitzgerald (married) at 42 Dorking Road, Brooklyn. He died in 1960 and was cremated at Karori Cemetery.
The Evening Post on 26 November carried a notice of Gertrude’s death and the phrase printed there – ‘Absent from the body, present with the Lord’ – was also inscribed on her cemetery headstone.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Section: CH ENG2
Plot: 125 E
[i] For a description of how parchment was/is made refer www.edenworkshops.com/Vellum_&_Parchment.html
Born 1891; died 24 November 1918; buried 26 November 1918; age 28
At the time of Gertrude’s birth her father William PEARCE was working as a parchment maker [i] in Kennington, London. William and his wife Louisa already had five children, all of them sons and they went on to have a second daughter.
In 1909, when she was 18, Gertrude married fellow-Londoner Arthur Ernest FITZGERALD. He was a 22-year old mechanic, second youngest child of Charlotte and James Fitzgerald, and living with them in Lambeth. The marriage took place on 29 September and later that same day, the newly-wed couple boarded SS Turakina bound for Wellington.
After arrival in Wellington, the settled in Te Aro, initially at 24 then at 22 Aro Street in a house that faces directly across the road to the start of Ohiro Road. Although fully residential now, the dwelling still shows signs that it was once a shop or other business premise, and this might be where Arthur first set up his new business as a motor mechanic.
Gertrude and Arthur had three children; a daughter Alberta Constance who was born in 1911, a son Carlisle Bernard Austin born in 1915, and a second son Leonard Arthur Ernest who was born a year later.
The young couple must have been pleased with their new life in New Zealand and written to their families about how well things were going because at least three of their siblings joined them in the next few years. In 1911, Arthur’s brother Frederick Leo, a cycle maker in the 1911 UK census and nine years older than Arthur, sailed to Wellington on the Ruahine, joining in the business and living with Gertrude and Arthur (and after her death, with Arthur) for several decades. Then in 1914, Gertrude’s brother Samuel, ten years older than she, left England on the Athenic, bound for New Zealand. He had been working with his father as a dairyman, perhaps one of the last people to make a living that way in the heart of London before milk began to arrive in the capital from further afield by overnight train. When Samuel arrived in Wellington, he too began living with Arthur and Gertrude, establishing himself as a chauffeur and taxi driver. Gertrude and Samuel’s oldest brother William Walter also migrated to New Zealand: the date of his arrival is not clear but was listed on the 1914 electoral roll as an engineer’s fitter and based with his sister and her husband at 22 Aro Street.
Following the announcement of war in August 1914 Arthur had enlisted and, with two children at the time, was given a C classification on the Army’s Second Division Reserve Roll in 1916. In 1918, the family moved again, this time to a business and residential building at 195 Willis Street, on the eastern side of the street in the block between Dixon and Ghuznee Streets. In the same year Gertrude was expecting another child. However, Gertrude became ill with influenza in November and though she delivered the baby it died within an hour. Gertrude died of influenza the same day – 24 November. Mother and infant were buried in the same plot in the Anglican section of Karori Cemetery two days later. Gertrude was only 28 years old, and left three small children for her husband to bring up.
Arthur seems not to have remarried for some years. In 1935 he was still registered as living at 195 Willis Street, but by 1938 he was living with Iris Amelia Fitzgerald (married) at 42 Dorking Road, Brooklyn. He died in 1960 and was cremated at Karori Cemetery.
The Evening Post on 26 November carried a notice of Gertrude’s death and the phrase printed there – ‘Absent from the body, present with the Lord’ – was also inscribed on her cemetery headstone.
Researched and written by Max Kerr
Grave Information:
Section: CH ENG2
Plot: 125 E
[i] For a description of how parchment was/is made refer www.edenworkshops.com/Vellum_&_Parchment.html