William Malone
Encyclopedia
Lieutenant-Colonel William George Malone (24 January 1859 - 8 August 1915) was a World War I
New Zealand
soldier.
William Malone
was born in Kent
, England to an Irish mother and an English scientist father. His father died when he was nine and he was educated in England
and France
and became fluent in French.
He emigrated to New Zealand in January 1880, to join his brother, Austin, in the New Zealand Armed Constabulary at Opunake. He took part in the storming of the village of Parihaka
on 5 November 1881. He left the Armed Constabulary after three years service and became involved in surfboats which unloaded cargo at Opunake
. With his brother he eventually bought a large block of land in Statford
His mother and two sisters emigrated to join the brothers. He eventually owned several farms in Taranaki.
He married twice, this was his first wife, Elinor Lucy (née Penn) in November 1886, the couple had a daughter and four sons, died during childbirth in June 1904. He married Ida Katharine Withers, 16 years younger than he was, in September 1905, and she bore two sons and a daughter.
He took an active part in the community of Stratford
in Taranaki, New Zealand
and helped found the Stratford County Council and served as its first clerk and treasurer
from 1891 to 1900. He was appointed a magistrate in 1892. Studying law, he became a solicitor on 19 April 1894 and a barrister five years later. In 1903, the same year that he moved to New Plymouth, he formed a partnership dealing mostly with land transactions with James McVeagh and W. D. Anderson and the partners opened four or five offices.
In the 1908 general election
he stood unsuccessfully as an Independent
Liberal
for the Taranaki seat. He returned to Stratford, after selling his share of the law practice, in 1911.
During the Second Boer War
he had helped raise the Stratford Rifle Volunteers to fight in it and was commissioned as a captain. By 1910 he was lieutenant colonel commanding the 4th Battalion of the Wellington (Taranaki) Rifle Volunteers and was placed in command of the 11th Regiment (Taranaki Rifles) in 1911.
He introduced the "lemon squeezer" hat
which was made the regimental hat in 1911. It mirrored the outline of Mount Taranaki/Egmont and allowed rain to run off it. In September 1916 the hat was adopted by the entire New Zealand army.
At the outbreak of World War I
, he was in command of the Wellington Battalion
of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
and deployed as part of the ANZAC
forces. He saw extensive action during the Battle of Gallipoli
and was killed during the Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915. His body was never identified.
Popular belief held that a Turkish
shell killed Malone, but research suggests that friendly fire
killed him whilst he surveyed the battlefield to determine the best position for another regiment. (A British battleship shelled Chunuk Bair because the British believed that the Turks would have killed any remaining ANZACS there by that time.)
In 1923 the soldiers of the Wellington Regiment paid for the construction of the Malone Memorial Gate, white marble gates at the entrance to King Edward Park; New Zealand's largest war memorial commemorating an individual soldier. A plaque commemorating Malone was unveiled in the New Zealand Parliament's Grand Hall in 2005.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
soldier.
William Malone
William Malone
Lieutenant-Colonel William George Malone was a World War I New Zealand soldier.William Malone was born in Kent, England to an Irish mother and an English scientist father...
was born in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England to an Irish mother and an English scientist father. His father died when he was nine and he was educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and became fluent in French.
He emigrated to New Zealand in January 1880, to join his brother, Austin, in the New Zealand Armed Constabulary at Opunake. He took part in the storming of the village of Parihaka
Parihaka
Parihaka is a small community in Taranaki Region, New Zealand, located between Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea. In the 1870s and 1880s the settlement, then reputed to be the largest Māori village in New Zealand, became the centre of a major campaign of non-violent resistance to European...
on 5 November 1881. He left the Armed Constabulary after three years service and became involved in surfboats which unloaded cargo at Opunake
Opunake
Opunake is a small town on the southwest coast of Taranaki in New Zealand's North Island. It is located 45 kilometres southwest of New Plymouth. Rahotu is 16 km to the northwest. Manaia is 29 km to the southeast. State Highway 45 passes through the town.The population was 1368 in the...
. With his brother he eventually bought a large block of land in Statford
Stratford, New Zealand
Stratford is the only town in the central Taranaki district of Stratford District, New Zealand. It lies beneath the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki/Egmont, approximately half-way between New Plymouth and Hawera, near the geographic centre of the Taranaki region. The town has a population of...
His mother and two sisters emigrated to join the brothers. He eventually owned several farms in Taranaki.
He married twice, this was his first wife, Elinor Lucy (née Penn) in November 1886, the couple had a daughter and four sons, died during childbirth in June 1904. He married Ida Katharine Withers, 16 years younger than he was, in September 1905, and she bore two sons and a daughter.
He took an active part in the community of Stratford
Stratford, New Zealand
Stratford is the only town in the central Taranaki district of Stratford District, New Zealand. It lies beneath the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki/Egmont, approximately half-way between New Plymouth and Hawera, near the geographic centre of the Taranaki region. The town has a population of...
in Taranaki, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and helped found the Stratford County Council and served as its first clerk and treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
from 1891 to 1900. He was appointed a magistrate in 1892. Studying law, he became a solicitor on 19 April 1894 and a barrister five years later. In 1903, the same year that he moved to New Plymouth, he formed a partnership dealing mostly with land transactions with James McVeagh and W. D. Anderson and the partners opened four or five offices.
In the 1908 general election
New Zealand general election, 1908
The New Zealand general election of 1908 was held on Tuesday, 17 November, 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament...
he stood unsuccessfully as an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
for the Taranaki seat. He returned to Stratford, after selling his share of the law practice, in 1911.
During the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
he had helped raise the Stratford Rifle Volunteers to fight in it and was commissioned as a captain. By 1910 he was lieutenant colonel commanding the 4th Battalion of the Wellington (Taranaki) Rifle Volunteers and was placed in command of the 11th Regiment (Taranaki Rifles) in 1911.
He introduced the "lemon squeezer" hat
Campaign hat
A campaign cover is a broad-brimmed felt or straw hat, with a high crown, pinched symmetrically at the four corners .It is associated with the New Zealand Army, the Royal Canadian...
which was made the regimental hat in 1911. It mirrored the outline of Mount Taranaki/Egmont and allowed rain to run off it. In September 1916 the hat was adopted by the entire New Zealand army.
At the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he was in command of the Wellington Battalion
Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment
The Wellington West Coast and Taranaki Regiment is a Territorial Force unit of the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1948 by the amalgamation of two separate regiments:...
of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force
New Zealand Expeditionary Force
The New Zealand Expeditionary Force was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight for Britain during World War I and World War II. Ultimately, the NZEF of World War I was known as the First New Zealand Expeditionary Force...
and deployed as part of the ANZAC
Australian and New Zealand Army Corps
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps was a First World War army corps of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force that was formed in Egypt in 1915 and operated during the Battle of Gallipoli. General William Birdwood commanded the corps, which comprised troops from the First Australian Imperial...
forces. He saw extensive action during the Battle of Gallipoli
Battle of Gallipoli
The Gallipoli Campaign, also known as the Dardanelles Campaign or the Battle of Gallipoli, took place at the peninsula of Gallipoli in the Ottoman Empire between 25 April 1915 and 9 January 1916, during the First World War...
and was killed during the Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915. His body was never identified.
Popular belief held that a Turkish
Turkish Army
The Turkish Army or Turkish Land Forces is the main branch of the Turkish Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. The modern history of the army began with its formation after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire...
shell killed Malone, but research suggests that friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
killed him whilst he surveyed the battlefield to determine the best position for another regiment. (A British battleship shelled Chunuk Bair because the British believed that the Turks would have killed any remaining ANZACS there by that time.)
In 1923 the soldiers of the Wellington Regiment paid for the construction of the Malone Memorial Gate, white marble gates at the entrance to King Edward Park; New Zealand's largest war memorial commemorating an individual soldier. A plaque commemorating Malone was unveiled in the New Zealand Parliament's Grand Hall in 2005.