Peter Cleary
Peter Cleary's birth was recorded as occurring on 2 March 1885 at Gundowring, Victoria, Australia. He was the son of Peter Cleary, a farmer, and Mary (nee Connell). The event was birth registration number 3159 in 1885 in Victoria.
Based on information in his death certificate, it is calculated that he relocated to New Zealand in approximately 1905, when he would have been about 20 years of age. In the 1911 electoral roll for New Zealand, he is recorded as residing in King Edward Av., Epsom in the electorate of Manukau in Auckland and his occupation was ”tram conductor”. Peter joined the army in August 1917 and the recruitment record shows that he was residing at Green Lane, Epsom in Auckland and was employed as a "motorman" by Auckland Tramways. The record also states that he was married at the time of enlistment but the marriage registration shows they were not married until three months later. It is poosible they were cohabiting and Anne may have been known as "Mrs Cleary" before the legalities of marriage were completed. On enlistment, Peter was recorded as being 32 years and 4 molnths old, 5 feet 6 1/2 inches tall, with blue eyes, medium complexion and dark hair. In one document dated 3 July 1917, he is recorded as weighing 156 pounds (equivalent to approx 71 Kg.) while another document dated 30 July 1917 shows 164 pounds (approx 74.5 Kg.) It would appear that he put on some weight during his initial military training while eating army food. In more than one place, his date of birth is recorded as 22 March rather than 2 March as shown on his birth registration. Defence records include two documents, both signed by Peter, confirming 22 March as his date of birth. There are two possibilities : perhaps he went through life not knowing his actual date of birth and it never made any difference, or the registered date was wrong. The infant's father was the informant for registration and it is possible he made an error. The registration occurred on 2 April and it is possible that the registrar incorrectly wrote 2 March as the date of birth instead of 22 March. It is not of particular importance as there is no doubt about his identity.
On 16 November 1917 Peter Cleary married Anne Frances Jane Stock at St Johns Church of England, Trentham, in Wellington, New Zealand. Anne had been born and had lived in Napier. Her father was William Stock (hotelkeeper) and her mother was Elizabeth Mary Codlin. Peter and Jane did not have any children. When Peter was discharged from the army in 1919, their address was 69 Nelson Crescent, Napier.
Within four months of recruitment Peter was sent to Great Britain. on 31 August 1918 he was posted to 14 Company and apparently served in France (military record unclear - perhaps a reader of this website may help interpret information in the military record). This was a bitter and hard-fought war with many casualties. Peter Cleary was wounded in action after just four weeks and returned to Britain. He served a total of two years in the army and was discharged in August 1919. Full details may be found in his New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Record preserved by Archives New Zealand. Archives Reference: AABK 18805 W5530 0025804. See http://archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewFullItem.do?code=21895078 and then select "digitised record" (one of three choices on the horizontal menu part-way down the page). Peter was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
In later years, he was publican at Tiniroto in New Zealand. His father-in-law had been a publican and perhaps that connection may explain how he came to this occupation.
Peter died on 14 August 1949 at Cook Hospital, Gisborne. He was 64 years of age. The cause of death was stated to be heart complications after appendicectomy surgery. Probate documetns shos that Peter left estate of .. pounds. 8270, a substantial sum in 1949. (mopre than NZ$560,000 in 2011 (using the calculator on website of NZ Reserve Bank.
Peter's widow, Anne, lived a further ten years and died on 25 August 1959 at 14 Lincoln Rd., Napier. She was aged 75 years and the cause of death was congestive cardiac failure. She was buried at Park Island Cemetery in Napier.
gravestone for Peter Cleary
click on image for enalrgement
See:
Birth registration of Peter Cleary in 1885 (0.2MB, small file)
Marriage registration of Peter Cleary and Anne Stock, 1917 (0.1MB, small file)
Death registration of Peter Cleary, 1949 (0.2MB, small file) or more detailed image (1.0MB larger file)
Probate for will of Peter Cleary, 1949 (11.7 MB, extremely large file)
Death registration of Anne Cleary (nee Stock), 1959 (1.0MB, large file)
The above information was provided by Peter Cleary of Melbourne, Australia, whose grandfather was the brother of Peter Cleary (1885-1949).
