Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Doullens Communal Cemetery Extension No 2 | I.B.31 | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.137 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 37A GQS | |
Awards & Titles: | |||
Family :
Alexander Tolhurst was the son of George Edmeades and Elizabeth Josephine Tolhurst of Wellington, husband of Margaret Hope Filler nee Bartlett (m.1911) Tolhurst of Wellington.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: New Zealand Rifle Brigade, N.Z.E.F |
Consolidated list of Riflemen from all battalions of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. |
| Action : France & Flanders |
France & Flanders covers all the dates and corresponding locations which are outside the official battle nomenclature dates on the Western Front. Therefore the actions in which these men died could be considered 'normal' trench duty - the daily attrition losses which were an everyday fact of duty on the Western Front.
Detail :
Captain Tolhurst was attached to the 4th Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade at the time of his death.
Chronicles of the N.Z.E.F - Records of Matters Concerning the Troops, No. 44, May 24th, 1918 at page 173 records the following:
"...Dr A.M. Tolhurst was killed last night. A shell landed in a forward aid post, killing him, Padre Allen and an orderly outright, and wounding others. The body was brought back, and he will be buried to-morrow (May 10th) at Doullens, near General Fulton and Major Purdy. He was very popular and beloved by all the men and his brother officers...."
This brief extract from a private letter received in London brings the sad news of the death of three fine men. Captain Tolhurst was the son of Mr G.E. Tolhurst, so well known in Wellington, and who was for many years general manager of the Union Bank of Australasia. He was a fine handsome man, and will be greatly missed by those who knew him. He leaves a wife and a baby girl and boy, the latter born but two months ago. His brother, Molesworth, is still on service with the N.Z.E.F."
Carbery (1924: page 398) writes "Captain Tolhurst had many friends in the division which he had joined from the hospital ship Maheno late in 1917. He had been with his battalion since early in March."
See also: Auckland War Memorial.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Aorangi No. 2300 E.C. | New Zealand (North Island) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
28th June 1910 | 26th July 1910 | 23rd August 1910 |
Junior Warden
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley