Dannevirke soldier remembered
"It's really to honour him and to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice to give your life in the name of King and country." Russ Rimmington
The courage and sacrifice of a Dannevirke soldier in World War I is being remembered by his grandsons a century later.
Former Hamilton mayor Russ Rimmington and his brother Kevin Rimmington, will attend Dannevirke’s Anzac Day commemorations on Tuesday.
Their grandfather, Private Arthur Madox Major, joined the war effort in 1916 and was killed by machine-gun fire in July 1917.
Russ Rimmington said back then, there was huge pressure for men to enlist and replenish soldier numbers. So, at age 36, Major left his farming life in Dannevirke, as well as his wife Phillis and their five children, and went to war.
Their youngest child, Russ Rimmington’s mother, was just two weeks old when he departed.
Major fought at the Battle of Messines, in Belgium, as part of the Wellington Second Regiment. As he fought, he carried a picture of his family with him in his wallet.
Rimmington said his grandfather was killed on July 31, 1917 – the beginning of the Battle of Passchendaele. The fatal bullet pierced through the top pocket of his uniform, leaving a hole in his wallet and family photo.
It was the first time the Rimmington brothers had come together in Dannevirke with their wives to commemorate Anzac Day.
Russ Rimmington said they simply wanted to remember the courageous efforts of their grandfather and his comrades. ‘‘It’s really to honour him and to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice to give your life in the name of King and country.
‘‘I don’t think you can do anything greater than that.’’
Rimmington has visited Flanders Fields, where his grandfather is buried, three times over the years.
Kevin Rimmington, who was visiting from New Plymouth, said it was also important to recognise the struggles of the wives left to feed and raise their children alone.
Many families would have gone through hard times when their husbands and fathers did not return from war, he said.