Arthur Francis Boucher (1895 - 1919)

Born 20 Aug 1895 in Te Puke, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

Ancestors

Husband of Dora Annie (Walton) Griffin — married 27 Aug 1918 in All Saints Church, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England

Died 6 Feb 1919 at age 23 in Military Hospital, Prees Heath, Shropshire, England, United Kingdom

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Biography

Arthur was born in 1895. He was the son of Ernest Boucher and Anna Vercoe.

Arthur Boucher is an Anzac who served in World War One.

When the 1st World War broke out Arthur was single, working as a Clerk, living with his parents in Westbourne Road, Remuera, Auckland. His next of kin was recorded as Mr Ernest Woodward Boucher (father), Westbourne Road, Remuera, Auckland. Service No: 31036

Sadly his brother Edgar was killed in Action on 12 October 1917 in Belgium at the age of 23.

Arthur enlisted and served as a Private with the 21st Reinforcements Specialist Company, Signal Section, New Zealand Expeditionary Force.

EMBARKATION DETAILS: WW1 19 Jan 1917-27 March 1917 to Plymouth, Devon, England HMNZT 75, Vessel was Waitemata.

He went on to become a Sapper with the New Zealand Engineers, Divisional Signals Company in France. On 4 October 1917 he was injured with a gunshot wound to the right thigh and admitted to hospital in Camiers Dannes in France and was then transferred to Walton-on-Thames Hospital in England in February 1918.

He rejoined the Signallers at Stevenage in Hertfordshire, England in May 1918.

Arthur married Dora Annie Walton on 27 August 1918 at All Saints Church in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England^[1]. Dora was probably a Nurse.

He fell ill and was discharged to Torquay for return to New Zealand.

On 31 January 1919 his records note he was seriously ill with pneumonia and died on 6th February 1919 at Prees Heath Military Hospital in Shropshire. He was just 23 years of age.

Burial

St Swithin's Cemetery, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. Grave Reference: A2^[2]

Memorial

Rotorua War Memorial (World War 1)

Roll of Honour, College Rifles, Rugby Union Football & Sports Club, 33 Haast Street, Remuera, Auckland

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:26N1-BY3 : 13 December 2014), Arthur E Boucher and null, 1918; from “England & Wales Marriages, 1837-2005,”
2. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/59978793/arthur-francis-boucher), memorial page for Pte. Arthur Francis Boucher (20 Aug 1895–6 Feb 1919), Find a Grave Memorial ID 59978793, citing St. Swithins Cemetery, Lincoln, City of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England ; Maintained by Debbie McCauley (contributor 47672193) .

• NZ BDM Birth Records Online: Registration No: 1895/16180 | Family Name: Boucher | Given Name(s): Arthur Francis | Parents: Anna Augusta & Ernest Woodward | https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/

• Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph [[1]]

• NZ BDM Death Records Online: Registration No: 1918/48953 | Family Name: Boucher | Given Name(s): Arthur Francis | Age at Death: 23Y | https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/

• http://www.remueraheritage.org.nz/people/wwi-passchendaele-edgar-and-arthur-boucher

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/42573986/arthur-francis-boucher), memorial page for Pte. Arthur Francis Boucher (20 Aug 1895–6 Feb 1919), Find a Grave Memorial ID 42573986, citing Old Te Puke Cemetery, Te Puke, Western Bay of Plenty District, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand ; Maintained by Christine Clement (contributor 50650044) .