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Lieutenant Colonel 6/1146 Walter Relf Pearless

Walter Relf Pearless was reported to be the oldest man to land on the Gallipoli

Peninsular on 25 April 1915.1 He was 60 when he enlisted on 17 August 1914 and

turned 61 on 19 March 1915 – just over a month before the landing. He had

attempted to enlist the moment that war was declared (5 August) but had been

rejected because of his age. It was only after an appeal supported by Colonel

Chaffey, the Commanding Officer of the Canterbury Military District, who described

Walter as, „an excellent officer and as physically fit as a much younger man‟, that he

was permitted to join up.2 Undoubtedly, an important reason for a man of his age to

be anywhere near a front line was that he possessed a skill that was urgently

needed at the time. Walter was a medical doctor with a long history of service to the

military and the people of Wakefield and the South Waimea district. Like many men

of the time service was considered a natural part of everyday life. As we will see

later, New Zealand was not able to return the same level of service to Dr Pearless

when he needed a small measure of support after the war.

Walter Pearless was born in East Grinstead, Sussex, England in 1854. He was

evidently an intelligent young man, gaining a pass for junior students to the

University of Cambridge at the age of 15 in December 1869.3 He continued his

education at Bartholomews Hospital in London, becoming a Member of the Royal

College of Surgeons (MRCS) in 1876. He then emigrated to South Yarra in Victoria,

Australia where he lived and worked as a general practitioner for the next seven

years. Soon after he arrived in Victoria he married Marianne Lessels Raikes.

Between 1877 and 1884 they had four children. They would eventually have a total

of eight children – four girls and four boys.

In 1884, Walter, Marianne and their children moved to New Zealand where Walter

set up a practice in Wakefield. He was described as „a strong personality‟ under

1 Staff Reporter (1924, December 24). Dr Walter Pearless, Obituary. Nelson Evening Mail, p.5.

2 Telegram to Colonel Anderson, 15 August 1914, in Walter Pearless Military Records.

3 Certificate in the possession of his great-granddaughter Penny Pearless. See Figure 10.

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whose leadership „the whole district seemed to quicken‟.4 He was soon organising

many clubs and sports teams – including an athletic society, a tennis club and a

cricket team. After a period of basing his surgery in the Wakefield Hotel he built

„Fellbridge‟ –known locally as the „Doctor‟s Residence‟ – a house he both lived and

worked in. The house in Pitfure Road is still lived in today, although it has not been a

doctor‟s residence for many years.

Figure 1: Wakefield Cricket Team, c.1893 - 1896. Dr Walter Pearless is

seated, second from the left. His son, Hugh Pearless, is sitting on his left.

Photo: Tasman Kete at:

http://ketetasman.peoplesnetworknz.info/site/images/show/133-wakefield-

cricket-team

4 Waimea South Historical Society (1992) From River to Range, Wakefield, NZ: Waimea South Historical Society,

p.15

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Figure 2: Dr Pearless on his rounds. Photo: Noel Baigent in Stringer, Marion

J., (1999) Just Another Row of Spuds: The Pioneer History of Waimea South,

Nelson. P.68.

In 1885 Walter was appointed Surgeon-Major of the Waimea Rifles – a volunteer

organisation for training territorial soldiers. He led the Nelson Bearers Corps

(stretcher bearers). He was awarded the Volunteer Officers' Decoration (V.D.) for his

twenty years of service. In 1899 New Zealand volunteers became involved in the war

in South Africa (known as the Second Anglo-Boer War) and Surgeon-Major

Pearless‟ services were soon called on by the New Zealand Government.5 He sailed

with the Eight Contingent on the „SS Surrey‟ on 1 February 1902. After serving in

Transvaal and the Cape Colony he was called home when he received news that his

son, Montague (Monty), was dying. On his return Walter was awarded the Queen‟s

South Africa Medal (QSA) with two clasps, and promoted to Surgeon Lieutenant-

Colonel. On 1 March 1911, as a part of the reorganisation of the New Zealand

Territorial Force under the direction of Major-General Sir Alexander Godley, he was

appointed Principal Medical Officer to the Canterbury Military District.

5 Eventually 6500 volunteers, along with doctors and nurses, sailed for Africa. See New Zealand History Online

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/south-african-boer-war/introduction

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Figure 3: Surgeon-Major Pearless (seated left) as a member of the Waimea Volunteer Rifles. Date unknown. Photo: Dr Pearless group. Nelson Provincial Museum, N Baigent Collection: 327803

Figure 4: Tapawera, 24 April 1914. Lieutenant-Colonel Pearless seated third from left. Photo: F. N. Jones Collection, Nelson Provincial Museum.

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As part of the Main Body Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Pearless embarked on 16

October 1914 and after a short time in Egypt found himself bound for the

Dardanelles as a member of the Canterbury Infantry Battalion 12th Reinforcements.6

Landing at an area that would later be called Anzac Cove on 25 April 1915 he

quickly established a Field Station at the base of „Walker‟s Ridge, just north of the

“Sphinx” a prominent detached rock near Russell‟s Top‟. 7 The casualties were

serious. Walter‟s battalion suffered 20 killed, 89 wounded and 101 missing on the

first day. On 27 April, after the arrival the field ambulance, Walter moved further up

the ridge and established a Regimental Aid Post (R.A.P.) closer to his battalion

headquarters.8

On 5 May, three New Zealand bearer subdivisions (stretcher bearers) and the New

Zealand Infantry Brigade embarked for Cape Helles in the south of the Peninsular to

take part in a combined attack with the British and the French. The New Zealanders

landed on „V‟ Beach and moved forward along the main road towards the village of

Krithia on 7 May. It was during this manoeuvre that Walter was twice slightly

wounded.9 In a bizarre way he may have been lucky. The attack on 8 May was a

fiasco. As soldiers moved through an area called the „Daisy Patch‟ they were mowed

down by Turkish machine gun and rifle fire. The New Zealand Brigade suffered 835

casualties – over 25% of those who took part.10 Walter was evacuated to hospital in

Alexandria in Egypt.

At Anzac Cove conditions began to deteriorate as summer arrived. After recovering

in Egypt, Walter returned to Gallipoli on 14 June to help with the huge increase in the

number of soldiers struck down by sickness caused by the unsanitary conditions. In

the first week of June alone 456 men had to be evacuated.11 It was during this time,

on 5 August, that Walter learned he had been mentioned in despatches – a great

6 Two of Walter’s sons also enlisted. Lance Corporal (later Sergeant) Herbert Campbell Pearless (7/257) was a

member of the Main Body which embarked in October 1914. He was repatriated home in 1917 being unfit for further service. He died in 1934. The other son, Second Lieutenant Reginald Pearless (WW1: 17162, WW2: 807424), enlisted in February 1916 and embarked for overseas service on 26 April 1917 with the New Zealand Field Artillery. He also served in the Second World War. 7 Carbery, A. D. (1924) The New Zealand Medical Service in the Great War 1914 – 1918, Christchurch,

Whitcombe & Tombs, p.45. 8 ibid.

9 ibid, p.54. Also see Military Record. It is unclear how Walter was injured but it is likely he sustained wounds

to his hip or legs. 10

Pugsley, C. (2008) Gallipoli: The New Zealand Story, North Shore. N.Z.: Penguin. P.200 and Carbery, p.54. 11

Carbery, p.59.

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honour.12 The appalling conditions at Gallipoli did not discriminate and at the end of

August Walter was suffering from enteritis and debility.13 On 1 September he was

taken on board the hospital ship „Maheno‟ and admitted to hospital in Malta a week

later. By now he was not a well man. To assist his convalescence he was again

transferred by ship (the Hospital Ship Panama) – this time to Endsleigh Palace

Hospital in London. Endsleigh Palace Hotel had been converted into a hospital for

officers in July 1915.14

Back in his home town of Wakefield the people were doing everything possible to

help their men overseas. In 1915 there was a monster fund-raising gala in Nelson to

help raise money for the troops. A float was made to represent the hospital ship,

„Maheno‟. It was built by Bill Newth on a truck owned by a local grocer called

Hodgson. The „ship‟ (truck) was driven to Nelson to take part in the Great Parade.

Figure 5: Wakefield Hospital Ship Float, 2nd August 1915. Photo: Tasman

Kete,

http://ketetasman.peoplesnetworknz.info/waimea_south_collection/images/sho

w/194-wakefield-hospital-ship-float

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See Figure 11. 13

Enteritis is a gastric complaint caused by eating contaminated food and debility refers to loss of strength. 14

The Endsleigh Palace Hospital (1915, 17 July). The British Journal of Nursing, p. 55.

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By the start of 1916 it seemed that Walter had recovered sufficiently to travel. He

boarded the „SS Ionic‟ in Britain and arrived in Alexandria on 2 January 1916. A little

over a month later he boarded the „SS Tahiti‟ as the Consulting Surgeon. The Tahiti

was carrying soldiers being repatriated to New Zealand. On his arriving home in

March he was granted 42 days leave. The relief must have been enormous – a

chance to see family after almost a year overseas. Walter undoubtedly would have

considered himself lucky to be home – and alive. Many other soldiers were less

fortunate – often not seeing their loved ones for many years.

On 5 April 1916 he reported for duty at Awapuni Camp near Palmerston North and

embarked again for overseas duty on 1 May – this time on the „SS Ulimaroa‟. His

trip took him to Suez and then onto Britain aboard the Hospital Transport ship

„Ivernis‟. He joined the New Zealand Medical Corps (NZMC) Reserve Group at Sling

Camp near Bulford on the Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire but was almost immediately –

on 8 August – detached to London. His past experience meant that he was needed

urgently and, on 29 August, he joined the New Zealand Command Group at Codford,

the huge transit camp where New Zealanders were stationed before going to France.

He was appointed Senior Medical Officer (SMO), a position he held for the next year

– until 2 July 1917 – when he joined the New Zealand Headquarters in London.

Figure 6: SS Ulimaroa. Photo Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. Publisher, John Dickie, Photographer, unknown.

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In June 1917, on the Western Front, the New Zealand Division had recently

successfully engaged the Germans at Messines Ridge. Walter transferred to

Etaples, the huge British training camp on the French coast, but his health began to

deteriorate again. Finally on 18 October he found himself back in Britain getting

ready to return to New Zealand – as it turned out for the last time. He set sail on the

SS Arawa on 10 January 1918 and arrived 8 March 1918.

The final stage of Walter‟s military career began with his appointment to the No 11

Travelling Special District Medical Board. The Board‟s role was to travel the country

certifying men – many of them by 1918 being conscripts – fit for service overseas.

This may have still not been exciting enough for Walter because in August of 1918

he attempted to embark for overseas for a third tour of duty. This time his request

was firmly but gratefully declined.

Walter‟s treatment after the war finished demonstrated the hardships that many

returned servicemen faced – even those with high levels of qualifications and sought

after skills. When his work with the Medical Board finished Walter was faced with

having to earn a living after four years away from his medical practice. His

application for a disability pension was dismissed by the War Pensions Board

because, in answer to a plea from the Director of Medical Services, Colonel J. R.

Purdy, it was stated: „there is no apparent disability which can be connected with the

officer‟s military service.‟15 This was despite an earlier recommendation that a

quarter pension should be granted. Walter‟s papers had been lost and the earlier

recommendation was ignored. Walter finished his work with the Medical Board in

October 1918 and set about re-establishing his medical practice. He was added to

the Retirement List 5 April 1921 and died 23 December 1924 at the age of 70. His

funeral was held with full military honours16 and was one of the largest seen in

Wakefield. He is buried at St John‟s Church and a number of memorials are dotted

around the town.

15

Commissioner of Pensions, Memorandum to Director of Medical Services, Wellington , June 6, 1919 in Military Record. Also see Figure 13 for list of pension percentages based on disabilities. 16

Obituary.

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Figure 7: Surgeon Lieutenant-Colonel Walter Relf Pearless VD, QSA, MiD.

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Figure 8: Pearless Flats and Pearless near St John's Church, Wakefield.

Figure 9: Memorial plague on the gate at

Wakefield Domain.

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The Pearless family today is spread out across the Nelson region but I would like to

give special thanks to the great grandchildren of Dr Walter Pearless, Hugh and Penny

Pearless for their help in researching Walter‟s story.

Vic Evans

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Figure 10: Cambridge entry results. Photo: Original in Penny Pearless collection.

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Figure 11: Certificate for Mention in Despatch. Photo: Original in Penny Pearless collection.

Figure 12: The signatures of members of the Pearless family on the reverse of the framed copy of Walter‟s certificate in Figure 11. Presented to the Wakefield Medical Centre by the Pearless family.

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Figure 13: War pensions percentages.