Pte. Andrew McBreen

Andrew McBreen was born at Blacks in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island on 9 July 1895 (reg. 1895/7993). Blacks Diggings was named so when gold was discovered on Charles Black's farm in 1863, later shortened to Blacks and then changed to Ophir in 1875 after one of King Solomons mines. Moa Creek is listed by Andrew as his birthplace on his Military Personnel File, and this settlement is only 18.3km from Ophir. Andrew's parents were William McBreen and Ellen Theresa McBreen (née McLaughlan) who had married in 1881 (reg. 1881/3133). Ellen's first husband was Griffith Thompson who had died in New Zealand in 1879. During World War I Andrew served with the Otago Infantry Regiment, 1st Battalion, D Company. He was wounded in action and died of his wounds at the No. 3 Canadian Stationary Hospital at Doullens. The hospital had just two months earlier been bombarded by German forces in the early hours of 30 May 1918, resulting in the deaths of three nurses and 29 patients and hospital personnel. Andrew was buried in the Gézaincourt Communal Cemetery Extension [I. O. 19]. Bio by Debbie McCauley (7 October 2024).

Sources

1. Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
2. New Zealand and World War One Roll of Honour: http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~sooty/genealogy/nzefrohMc.html / Ref 12.4.2021
3. New Zealand, Birth Index, 1840-1950