MATHIESON, John McArthur 31519

MATHIESON, John McArthur 31519

MATHIESON, John McArthur 31519 Onward v4 edited (Custom)

John was working on the family farm at Cheviot in Canterbury when he joined up in 1916, along with his brother Alexander Duncan Mathieson (whose army serial number was 31520, just one different).  They were sons of Alexander Mathieson and Jessie Mathieson (née McArthur); more family history is outlined on the page for Alexander Duncan Mathieson.

John went overseas in November 1916 with the Canterbury Infantry Regiment.  He was killed in action on 31 July 1917, and is buried in Ploegsteert Wood cemetery in Belgium.  John is commemorated on the Cheviot war memorial in Canterbury.

Sources:
Portrait from the Weekly Press of 12 September 1917, reproduced in Onward: portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force volume 4, by P J Beattie and M J Pomeroy, 2017.
Headstone photo from New Zealand War Graves Project.
Photo of Cheviot war memorial from nzhistory.govt.nz

NZ War Graves headstone (Custom)