Rupert Christie Letters

This collection contains letters written home by Sapper Rupert James Christie, NZ Divisional Signallers, from the time he entered camp at Featherston in August 1916 until he was killed in action at the Battle of the Somme, France, on 28 March 1918, at the age of 22 years. The final letter in this collection (11 April 1918) is written from Sapper R. Collins to Rupert Christie's mother describing the circumstances of his death.

Rupert Christie biography   Born on the 9th of February 1895, Rupert was living at the Christie family home in Britomart Street, Berhampore, Wellington, at the time he enlisted in August 1916. He had previously attended Island Bay School and prior to enlistment had been working as a warehouseman. He underwent training at Featherston Camp as a Divisional Signaller in the New Zealand Engineers before embarking on HMNZT Tahiti as part of the 18th Reinforcements on the 15th November 1916. He had shore leave at Albany, Western Australia, and Cape Town, South Africa, before arriving at Devonport, England, in February 1917 after a 3 month voyage. In England he spent time at Signalling School at Dunstable, Bedfordshire, and on an instruction course at Haynes Park, Bedfordshire, as well as time in London and other places in Southern England. He arrived in France in August 1917 and was sent to the front in September. The last of his letters in this collection was written on the 18th March 1918. In this he discusses his plan to transfer to the Royal Engineers in the hope of putting himself in a better position for a post-War career. He was killed in action at the Somme just over a week later on March 28th.He is buried in the Euston Road Cemetery, Colincamps, France. 

The Christie Family   Like the rest of his family Rupert was born in Australia (in Wickham, New South Wales). The Christie family appear to have migrated to New Zealand sometime around 1900 and were living in the Wellington suburb of Berhamphore at the start of the War. Rupert's father and mother, Robert Douglas Christie and Grace Wisdom Parsons, married in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1892. They had nine children altogether but four of these died in infancy. Father Robert Christie was a mechanic with the Wellington Gas Company at the start of the War. He enlisted and served in Samoa before being discharged as medically unfit in 1915. However he appears to have re-enlisted and ended up in Headquarters Staff at Trentham, rising to the rank of Quarter Master Sergeant. He and Grace settled in Upper Hutt after the War and died there in the 1950s. Both are buried at St John's Churchyard, Trentham.

Rupert's eldest sister Grace (b.1891) married Leonard "Len" Tomlin in 1915. Formerly a watchmaker, Len served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the NZ Field Artillery during WW1. He and Grace settled in Upper Hutt after the War. Rupert's eldest brother George (b.1894), previously a Post office messenger, married Nellie Bennett in 1915. He served in Samoa and then in Egypt with the NZ Mounted Rifles. Youngest sister Enid (b.1904) married Edward Messenger in 1926 and subsequently lived in Masterton. Youngest brother Robert (b.1902), known as "Bob", married Vera Maungoven in 1926. He also settled in Upper Hutt, farming at Kaitoke. He served on the Hutt River Board 1956-1973, as President of the Upper Hutt Cosmopolitan Club 1962-1967, and as an Upper Hutt City Councillor 1971-1983. He died in 1988 and, like his parents, is buried in St John's Churchyard, Trentham. His widow is presumably the Mrs R. D. Christie who donated Rupert Christie's letters to the Upper Hutt City Library.