All houses have different stories of the people who lived in them. 26 Preston Street was home to Elizabeth Blackham and her family. Originally from Invercargill, Elizabeth and her husband Richard had a large family with 11 children. Sadly, as was common in those days, three of them died in infancy. After Richard also died, in 1912 Elizabeth moved the family to Timaru where they settled at the house on Preston Street. The Blackham family were living there in 1915 when World War I broke out, changing their lives forever.
Several of Elizabeth and Richard’s sons enlisted and served overseas with the NZ Armed Forces: Rifleman John Blackham, Private William Blackham, Private Harry Blackham, and BQMS George Thomas Blackham. Here we are able to tell John’s story.
John trained and worked as a motor and cycle mechanic. In 1915 he was 31, single, living at home with his mother and siblings, and working at Brehaut Brothers Cycle & Motor Dealers in Timaru.
On 13 October 1915 he enlisted in the NZ Armed Forces. After his initial training, he left from Wellington on 5 February 1916 for Suez, Egypt. On 13 March 1916 he arrived at Alexandria to serve with the 3rd Battalion, C Company, NZ Rifle Brigade.
In April 1916, after only a short period in Egypt, he left for France to continue fighting on the front lines. Once in France he trained as pigeon handler before returning to the trenches on the Somme. Carrier pigeons played a very important role in WWI – they were used for military communications, relaying messages from the front lines.
On 15 September John’s battalion took part in the Battle of Flers-Courcelette. According to the records, John was shot in both in left thigh and his right shoulder. Although he was evacuated and moved to a hospital in England, sadly John died from his wounds on 26 of September. He wrote his will in his pay book, leaving all his possessions to his siblings.
Although buried in England, John is commemorated on the Timaru War Memorial, at St Mary’s Anglican Church, the family grave at the Eastern Cemetery in Invercargill (Block 4, Plot 139) and at the Invercargill War Memorial.
You can find out more:
Read: his profile on the South Canterbury Museum website: museum.timaru.govt.nz/1095
Read: Remembering the sacrifices of those with South Canterbury connections who served their country 100 years ago. Published in the Timaru Herald 11 March 2017 By Ted Hansen: museum.timaru.govt.nz/Great-War-Stories-Rifleman-John-Blackham-Timaru-Herald-1-April-2017.pdf
Visit the Memorial wall, Timaru, St Mary's Church Timaru
See his grave on the Auckland Museum website: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C1239