Mjr Cribb NZEF

Major Charles William Edward CRIBB
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CRIBB
Major Charles William Edward
No. 6/1110 13th (North Canterbury & Westland) Company,
Canterbury Battalion, NZEF

Born 5th January, 1873 at Blenheim, New Zealand
[Birth certificate 1873 172 [Wairau dist. Mar qtr], NZ]

Educated: Unknown

Married; Senior Mail Clerk, of Greymouth, New Zealand

Next of Kin listed in different documents as: Wife; Nellie Cribb, of Greymouth NZ, and Mother; Mrs Mary Sowman, of Shakespeare Bay, Picton, NZ

Photos of Major Cribb are known to exist in the following locations:
Group photo: Ferguson p8. Canterbury Times 25 Aug 1915. Auckland Weekly News 26 Aug 1915 p38. Group photo* Otago Witness 8 Sep 1915 p45


Died of wounds
9th August 1915
at sea, aboard HMHS Delta
Aged 42




13th (North Canterbury & Westland) Company, Canterbury Battalion, NZEF

Kia Pono Tonu
(Ever Faithful)


No Known Grave

(Buried at Sea)


Notes:


Fought in South African (Boer) War, with the 4th New Zealand Contingent.

Married in 1902.

* Group photo captioned 'Veterans of the South African war in Egypt.'

25th April 1915:
'Some of the landing parties, I have related, had got ashore at the point of Ari Burnu, or even farther north, and were enfiladed by machine guns placed in some fisherman's huts about 200 yards along the beach. With magnificent gallantry, Captain Cribb, a New Zealand officer, led a party of men to the huts, which he captured at the point of the bayonet, killing or dispersing the Turks, who fled into the hills, leaving a quantity of ammunition and some stores to fall into our hands. Rid of this menace, the beach here suffered only from a frontal fire from the ridges, as it always did even in subsequent months.' (Schuler p111).

Raided Nibrunesi Point, at Salt Lake, Suvla area, on May 2nd; captured 15 Turks and destroyed Turkish artillery observers' telephone wires and huts. (Bean V1 p556).

'The intimation of the death of Major Charles Cribb (says the Grey River Argus) came in the form of a brief cablegram stating that Major Cribb had died of wounds on board the hospital ship. The news came as a great shock to the bereaved wife, who had not received any official notification that her husband had been wounded. ' (Marlborough Express, 21 Aug 1915 p5)

Fatally wounded during the advance on Chunuk Bair, 7th August:
' ...the enemy appeared to have occupied that hill later in strength; for when the order came for one company to move, Major Cribb reported that the fire was so heavy that it was impossible to bring the troops out. ...For a quarter of an hour the shells flew high, but the guns then lowered their range and burst their shrapnel again and again over the backs of the troops. There was no move or sound in the battalion, but within a few hours 7 officers and about 100 men had been hit. ...According to another account, the casualties were 11 officers and 200 men.' (Bean V1 p556; V2 p641 & 641n quoted).

Casualties amongst officers in the Canterbury Battalion for the four days' fighting for Chunuk Bair were 4 officers: Major Cribb, Major Houlker, Lieutenant Wright and Lieutenant Priest. (Ferguson p64).


Lest We Forget


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