The Horner boys - 100 Years of WW1 Commemoration:

Rifleman Tui George Groves E Horner #42667 – NZRB:
and
Clifford Charles Horner #74579 – Mounted Rifles:

These two first cousins were both in WW1. Their family was originally from Papanui, Christchurch, but they moved here to take up land in Heddon Bush before the onset of the war, which was on the Oreti Plains. Both the boys had this as their address on enlisting, and both were farming at the time.

Tui who was called ‘Tim’, was born in 1894 in Christchurch. His parents were George Groves and Eliza (nee Bishop) Horner of Heddon Bush. On enlisting, Tim left NZ on 26/4/1917 bound for Plymouth, Devon, England, on board the ‘Pakeha’. He signed up as a Rifleman with NZRB, J Company Reinforcements. He looks rather dashing in his uniform, below!


                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
  LEFT: Tim Horner      CENTRE: Tim Horner in London in 1918 – at the far right      RIGHT: Tim in later  
                                  (All above photos kindly supplied by family members – All Rights Reserved)                  years
                                                                                         

Family sources report that Tim fought in France and was gassed there. He was taken back to London to recover and it was there that he met Louise Elizabeth Fields at the hospital he was in, whom he later married and bought back to NZ. He is also said to have fought in the Battle of Somme in France. Farming at Bayswater, Heddon Bush, he died 13/3/1952 aged 58, at Heddon Bush. He is buried in Otautau. Descendants are still in the area today.

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Clifford was born in 1892, probably also in Christchurch, but it is not clear. His parents were Frederick Charles and Fanny (nee Bishop) Horner, with the two cousins marrying girls from the same family. Clifford signed up after Tui and he left NZ on 11/10/1918, heading for Suez, Egypt on board the ‘Moeraki’. He was enlisted as a Trooper with the 41st Reinforcements, Mounted Rifles Brigade, NZEF. On the way there, the ‘Moeraki’ transhipped to the ‘Malta’ on a stop off at Sydney, but still ended up at Suez. When he returned home from the war, Clifford never married and he died on 16/8/1949 aged 57, and he is buried in Winton. Sadly he never had any children.

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SOURCES: Any direct references are marked and cited. Grateful thanks are given to the family for providing additional photographs and information - Article researched and compiled by Suzie Best - Researcher/Historian, ph: 027-211-4675 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The content within this blog is Copyright: Photos - as stipulated above; Research/text - to the author in the form written here, unless stipulated otherwise (contact on: riverstream@xtra.co.nz)

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