PETER STANDISH SAVILLE (Savill, Savile, Saveill ??) - England & New Zealand

[mrnz2014]

Dear Forum Sleuths

This a tricky quest, one which involves a well to do English family and their son, a Remittance Man who was sent to New Zealand just prior to WW2.  My biggest fear is that this man may have altered his name in order to conceal his family's identity?

My reason for starting this trace is that I have a set of New Zealand WW2 medals named to "PETER STANDISH SAVILLE" whose descendant family I would like to return his medals to.

Peter S. SAVILL arrived in NZ approx 1937 and resided for the remainder of his life as a single man in the port city of Timaru in the South Island of NZ.  The information he gave on enlisting in the NZ Army for WW2 service shows variations which may be significant to uncovering his identity (there appears to have been a conscious attempt to fabricate his background to conceal family identity).

The one rumour that persisted during his life and long after his death from those he interacted with in Timaru, was that he was in some way connected to the SHAW, SAVILL & ALBION families???  I have not been able to establish any such connection which may just be part of an overall fabricated facade.

I should also point out that the spelling of Saville started as SAVILL and finished up as SAVILLE.  I have copied the spellings as they appear in each of the various records:

The following is what is in the public record, taken mainly from his New Zealand Army war service file, hospital records and Electoral & Census information.  This information was recorded in 1939 at enlistment:

ENLISTMENT

Name:   Peter Standish SAVILL               
DOB:    There are TWO - Death Cert states: 06 Jan 1907; Enlistment record states: 08 Jan 1913
POB:     Channel Islands - Sark (no existing records of this name according to Sark Archives, or Guernsey)
Occupation:   Seaman (it is unknown if this was a long term occupation - may relate to SAVILL?
Education:     English Public School (UK) - name not stated
Location & Level: not stated
Last Employment:  c/o CLAYTON STATION, Fairlie, South Canterbury
Employer:       A. McKenzie
Occupation:    Farm Labourer
Current Address: c/o 42 Gray Road, Timaru
NOK 1939:        Mrs Pauline SAVILL (mother)
NOK Address:    La Belle, Hautgarde, Nice, France
Father:              Peter SAVILL (taken from Death Cert/Hospital Record) - states "born in France"
Father's Occup:  Tailor
Mother:              Pauline SAVILL       

DOD:                25 Jan 1991, Timaru, New Zealand - 84 yrs.
Buried:              Timaru Cemetery (Returned Services Section)
Cause:               Rectal Cancer

NZ MILITARY SERVICE

Regt No. 22422
Rank:   Gunner
Unit:     5 Field Regiment(Reinforcements) 2NZEF - 2nd NZ Divisional Artillery.
Corps:  RNZ Artillery
Post:    RHQ - Clerk
Embarked:  April 1940 > Egypt
Campaign:  North Africa
POW in Germany:  11 Feb 1942 - Interred at Campo 57 at Gruppignano near Udine, Italy.   
                           3200 prisoners, mainly Aust & NZ Warrant Officers and soldiers.
POW Released to UK:  27 Apr 1945
Returned NZ:  Dec 1945 - admitted Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer on arrival NZ - "Anxiety and
                     Malnutrition" - 3 mths in care.  Mother could not be contacted to advise.
Court Martial pending:  Required to return to UK when released fm Hanmer
Declared unfit to stand trial.
Discharged:    Apr 1946

CIVIL EMPLOYMENT

1938-39:  Clayton Station, Fairlie - Farm Hand
Note: known as P.S. SAVILLE from this time.
Boarding Address: 62 Otipua Road, Kensington, Timaru

Electoral Roll entries below:
1949:     Clerk at Otekaieke Special School for Boys (boys with delayed & learning difficulties) - Waimate, South Canterbury                                                                             
1954      Otekaieke Special School, Oamaru   Clerk
1957      Waipiata, Otago, Central Otago      Attendant (petrol station?)
1963      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Seafarer
1972      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Seafarer
1981      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Retired
1990      Timaru Public Hospital
1991      Death - Timaru Public Cemetery records his occupation as: "Retired Gentleman"

WILL:     Bequest of $3000 to Timaru Hospital, $2000 to NZ Red Cross, $2000 to Cancer Society,
              balance "to my friend Mary Nicol" of 68 Bowker St. Kensington, Timaru. 

Note:  Mrs Nicol was SAVILLE's carer and housekeeper during the last years of his life, and lived in the same street with her husband.

MEDALS:  These were located wrapped and in a Pal Mall tin, in the hot-water cupboard of a rural
               farm property at HUIA, a seaside coast area north west of Auckland.  They had NOT
               been stolen and clearly had been left by someone who had stayed/lived in the residence
               whilst still a working farm.  Medals were privately engraved with his name spelled as
               SAVILLE.   NZ WW2 medals were issued in blank, owner responsibility for naming.

Please go to my next post, "SAVILLE No 2" for the remainder as I have exceeded the maximum characters for one post.

Kind regards,

Ian D. Martyn
Nelson, NZ

[mrnz2014]

PETER STANDISH SAVILLE continued .....

Anecdotal evidence from Saville's acquaintances and a deceased friend note the following:

* Was in New Zealand for approx 24mths before enlistment for WW2 service in 1942.
* Visited his home in England after released from POW Camp, enroute back to NZ - Butler turned him away from the house at father's instructions.
* Was exceptionally well dress at all times, tailored suits, silk ties, brogues etc.
* Spoke several languages
* Could recite long passages of Robert Burns with ease
* Enjoyed alcohol, regularly, but always a gentleman when imbibed
* Spoke "beautiful" English
* Received a monthly cheque from England (mother),cashed at the ANZ Bank, Timaru.
* Was known to make idle threats to return to England if additional funds were not made available on demand.
* Two separate nominees who agreed to be his Next of Kin whilst overseas during WW2, withdrew their support while he returned to NZ and hospitalised at Hanmer.
* Saville was adjudged at Hanmer Hospital to be unfit to return to the UK to face a Court Martial he had been called to, for altering his Paybook and Falsifying a travel warrant.
* The nature of Saville's sea service is unknown.
* It is suspected he may have lived either in Sussex or Greater London - tenuous suggestion at best?

If anyone out there can connect any dots or verify any connections, I would be most interested to hear from you as I am now well and truly stuck on this one!

Kind regards,

Ian D. Martyn
Nelson, NZ

[trish1120]

There is a Pauline Saville on the 1939 register.

Cant give details as copyrighted.

I cant see her anywhere in England before that or a Death Reg.

Trish

[mckha489]

There is a Pauline Saville on the 1939 register.

Cant give details as copyrighted.

I cant see her anywhere in England before that or a Death Reg.

Trish

1934 electoral roll Pauline Saville and Frederick Saville at 48 Epple Road. Fulham

And they are still there in 1960

1965. Just Pauline.

[mrnz2014]

Dear Forum Sleuths

This a tricky quest, one which involves a well to do English family and their son, a Remittance Man who was sent to New Zealand just prior to WW2.  My biggest fear is that this man may have altered his name in order to conceal his family's identity?

My reason for starting this trace is that I have a set of New Zealand WW2 medals named to "PETER STANDISH SAVILLE" whose descendant family I would like to return his medals to.

Peter S. SAVILL (note spelling - I believe this to be the correct spelling) arrived in NZ approx 1937 and resided for the remainder of his life as a single man in the port city of Timaru in the South Island of NZ.  The information he gave on enlisting in the NZ Army for WW2 service shows variations which may be significant to uncovering his identity (there appears to have been a conscious attempt to fabricate his background to conceal family identity).

The one rumour that persisted during his life and long after his death from those he interacted with in Timaru, was that he was in some way connected to the SHAW, SAVILL & ALBION families???  I have not been able to establish any such connection which may just be part of an overall fabricated facade.

I should also point out that the spelling of Saville started as SAVILL and finished up as SAVILLE.  I have copied the spellings as they appear in each of the various records:

The following is what is in the public record, taken mainly from his New Zealand Army war service file, hospital records and Electoral & Census information.  This information was recorded in 1939 at enlistment:

ENLISTMENT

Name:   Peter Standish SAVILL               
DOB:    There are TWO - Death Cert states: 06 Jan 1907; Enlistment record states: 08 Jan 1913
POB:     Channel Islands - Sark (no existing records of this name according to Sark Archives, or Guernsey)
Occupation:   Seaman (it is unknown if this was a long term occupation - may relate to SAVILL?
Education:     English Public School (UK) - name not stated
Location & Level: not stated
Last Employment:  c/o CLAYTON STATION, Fairlie, South Canterbury
Employer:       A. McKenzie
Occupation:    Farm Labourer
Current Address: c/o 42 Gray Road, Timaru
NOK 1939:        Mrs Pauline SAVILL (mother)
NOK Address:    La Belle, Hautgarde, Nice, France
Father:              Peter SAVILL (taken from Death Cert/Hospital Record) - states "born in France"
Father's Occup:  Tailor
Mother:              Pauline SAVILL       
DOD:                 25 Jan 1991, Timaru, New Zealand - 84 yrs.
Buried:              Timaru Cemetery (Returned Services Section)


NZ MILITARY SERVICE

Regt No. 22422
Rank:   Gunner
Unit:     5 Field Regiment(Reinforcements) 2NZEF - 2nd NZ Divisional Artillery.
Corps:  RNZ Artillery
Post:    RHQ - Clerk
Embarked:  April 1940 > Egypt
Campaign:  North Africa
POW in Germany:  11 Feb 1942 - Interred at Campo 57 at Gruppignano near Udine, Italy.   
                           3200 prisoners, mainly Aust & NZ Warrant Officers and soldiers.
POW Released to UK:  27 Apr 1945
Returned NZ:  Dec 1945 - admitted Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer on arrival NZ - "Anxiety and
                     Malnutrition" - 3 mths in care.  Mother could not be contacted to advise.
Court Martial pending:  Required to return to UK when released fm Hanmer
Declared unfit to stand trial.
Discharged:    Apr 1946

CIVIL EMPLOYMENT

1938-39:  Clayton Station, Fairlie - Farm Hand
Note: known as P.S. SAVILLE from this time.
Boarding Address: 62 Otipua Road, Kensington, Timaru

Electoral Roll entries below:
1949:     Clerk at Otekaieke Special School for Boys (boys with delayed & learning difficulties) - Waimate, South Canterbury                                                                             
1954      Otekaieke Special School, Oamaru   Clerk
1957      Waipiata, Otago, Central Otago      Attendant (petrol station?)
1963      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Seafarer
1972      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Seafarer
1981      62 Otipua Rd, Kensington, Timaru   Retired
1990      Timaru Public Hospital
1991      Death - Timaru Public Cemetery records his occupation as: "Retired Gentleman"

WILL:     Bequest of $3000 to Timaru Hospital, $2000 to NZ Red Cross, $2000 to Cancer Society,
              balance "to my friend Mary Nicol" of 68 Bowker St. Kensington, Timaru. 

Note:  Mrs Nicol was SAVILLE's carer and housekeeper during the last years of his life, and lived in the same street with her husband.

MEDALS:  These were located wrapped and in a Pal Mall tin, in the hot-water cupboard of a rural
               farm property at HUIA, a seaside coast area north west of Auckland.  They had NOT
               been stolen and clearly had been left by someone who had stayed/lived in the residence
               whilst still a working farm.  Medals were privately engraved with his name spelled as
               SAVILLE.   NZ WW2 medals were issued in blank, owner responsibility for naming.

Please go to my next post, "SAVILLE No 2" for the remainder as I have exceeded the maximum characters for one post.

Kind regards,

Ian D. Martyn
Nelson, NZ

[mrnz2014]

PETER STANDISH SAVILLE continued .....

Anecdotal evidence from Saville's acquaintances and a deceased friend note the following:

* Was in New Zealand for approx 24mths before enlistment for WW2 service in 1942.
* Visited his home in England after released from POW Camp, enroute back to NZ - Butler turned him away from the house at father's instructions.
* Was exceptionally well dress at all times, tailored suits, silk ties, brogues etc.
* Spoke several languages
* Could recite long passages of Robert Burns with ease
* Enjoyed alcohol, regularly, but always a gentleman when imbibed
* Spoke "beautiful" English
* Received a monthly cheque from England (mother),cashed at the ANZ Bank, Timaru.
* Was known to make idle threats to return to England if additional funds were not made available on demand.
* Two separate nominees who agreed to be his Next of Kin whilst overseas during WW2, withdrew their support while he returned to NZ and hospitalised at Hanmer.
* Saville was adjudged at Hanmer Hospital to be unfit to return to the UK to face a Court Martial he had been called to, for altering his Paybook and Falsifying a travel warrant.
* The nature of Saville's sea service is unknown.
* It is suspected he may have lived either in Sussex or Greater London - tenuous suggestion at best?

If anyone out there can connect any dots or verify any connections, I would be most interested to hear from you as I am now well and truly stuck on this one!

Kind regards,

Ian D. Martyn
Nelson, NZ