Alan Oswald Ainge

Sergeant

Conflict:

WW2

Additional Information:

Son of William Gilbert Horace Ainge and of Zealandia Mary Ainge (nee Kerr), of Timaru, Canterbury, New Zealand.

References:

CWGC

NZ WAR GRAVES

CONTRIBUTED

Public Contributions:

Alan Oswald Ainge was born in Dunedin on 8 December 1916. He was the third son of William Gilbert Horace Ainge and Zealandia (nee Kerr). His father was a sheep farmer at CRAIGROYSTON, Stoneburn, near... Dunback, in North Otago. In those days, it was very remote. The 1600 acre farm was on what is now “Ainges Road”. Sometime around 1919, the family moved north to farm at GLENLOGAN, near Waihao Forks, in the Waimate Gorge. He attended Kapua School, and played rugby for Humai Juniors. Alan was one of six brothers and two sisters. His father died in 1930, and the farm was lost in 1932 during the depression. They were resettled to Esk Valley, nearer Timaru. “This was during the slump, we were able to stay there for three years if we cleared the land” said my father. Alan had a love of dogs, and around then he began shepherding on high country runs. He worked on SNOWDON, up the Rakaia Gorge with his eldest brother, my father Joe. On the 1938 electoral roll records he was a shepherd at WAIKORA, Waihaorunga back in South Canterbury. Then he and my father went to the North Island. When Alan joined the army he was working at MANGAHONE sheep station near Taihape. He joined up on 14 April 1941, just before conscription was introduced, and was assigned number 43769. He and Joe embarked 26 June 1941 on the Aquitania, reinforcements for the 22nd Battalion. At that time, they hadn’t any news of their brother Bill (W.D.) Ainge who was missing on Crete. Alan and Joe survived the North African campaigns and went to Palestine and Syria with the Battalion. The 22nd Battalion suffered considerable losses at the Battle of El Alamein and became largely motorised after that. Alan was trained in Mortars, Promoted to Corporal on 3/10/43. Joe and Alan embarked from Alexandria for Italy on 17/10/43, and were part of that campaign from Messina, Cassino, to Bari and then north. He was promoted to Sergeant on 1/4/44. By Christmas 1944, Alan was one of five brothers serving overseas. His mother and sisters were in Timaru with Alan’s other brother, Trevor who worked at The Farmers Coop in town. His sister told me about the day they received the telegram from the Ministry of Defense. The Post Office took it to Trevor who went home to be with his mother and sisters when they were told. This was Christmas Eve 1944. Alan Oswald Ainge had died of wounds at Casa Elta, in the Battle for Faenza on 22 or 23 December 1944. Later a letter from his officers told the family that he never regained consciousness after the fatal injuries. I have visited his grave at Forli Del-Senio War Cemetery IIA, 12. He is also remembered on his parents’ headstone, in the Old Waimate Cemetery, NZ Five Ainge brothers served in WWII: Joseph (Joe) John Ainge (45239); William David Ainge (4423), Alan Oswald Ainge (43769) died of wounds, Russell Williden Kerr Ainge (800105) and Raymond George Ainge (NZ436128) RNZAF and RNZNVR (UK). Read More

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Casualty

Service Number:

43769

Name:

Alan Oswald Ainge

Rank:

Sergeant

Date of Birth:

Not known

Next of Kin:

Mrs Zealandia Mary Ainge (mother), 9 Sealy Street, Timaru, New Zealand

Date of Enlistment:

Not known

Enlistment Address:

C/o "Mangaohane", Private Bag, Taihape, New Zealand

Occupation on Enlistment:

Shepherd

Armed Force:

Army

Unit:

New Zealand Infantry

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Died of wounds

Date of Death:

23 December 1944

Day of Death:

Saturday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW2

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:

Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF)

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Forli War Cemetery

Cemetery Reference:

II, A, 12.

Cemetery Location:

Italy