Arnold Henfrey Watson (1882-1960)

From the 19th Mounted Reinforcements he was drafted into the 15th NZ Company of the Imperial Camel Corps, where he remained until it was disbanded in mid-1918.

All his life Arnold was interested in drawing, painting and natural history. Towards the end of the war he was co-opted by Lt-Col. James Mc. Carroll, commanding officer of the Auckland Mounted Rifles, as a semi-official war artist. In the last year of conflict and the more relaxed time after the Armistice in November 1918 he had enough free time to sketch the native wildlife of Palestine and Egypt. He filled the spare spaces in his diaries with tiny, carefully-observed drawings of plants and insects, some in full colour. He also had cartoons published in the 'Kia Ora Coo-ee', the magazine produced in Cairo for ANZAC troops in the Middle East.

After the war he married Christine Vingoe and they had two children, a son and a daughter. In the 1940s they retired from farming and moved to Mount Maunganui, where Arnold swam at the beach every morning. He drowned while surfing in 1960.

His obituary read as follows:

“The sudden death while bathing at Thames last week of Mr Arnold H. Watson, who was well-known and respected resident of Mt. Maunganui for the past fifteen years, following his enforced retirement from farm life owing to asthma, ended a long, hard and versatile life.

Born in Palmerston North, son of Mr Francis E. Watson, the — well known schoolmaster there, he intended to take up art, and studied under the English artist, G. H. Eliott, but on the latter going away, Mr Watson, who disliked office work and loved the open spaces, went to Australia and joined his uncle Norman, droving in New South Wales for about two years, then spending some time in Tasmania, where his grand-parents lived.

On returning to New Zealand he farmed for a time at Shannon, then went bush-felling in Hawkes’ Bay and on to Gisborne, where he shepherded on two large stations there until he and his brother Spencer took up a large block of virgin country in the Pongakawa Valley, Te Puke.

They felled a rimu and split slabs and shingles and built a two-roomed — shack down by the river, the only source of water, and over a mile back from the road. Then they started fencing and breaking-in the country—with no neighbours for miles—really true pioneering! Mr Watson volunteered for the First World War, going away in the Mounteds, and served in Egypt and Palestine in the imperial Camel Corps. His art teaching enabled him to make many sketches of the country there. His brother, Spencer, died while he was away, and the Gibbons family had taken over part of the block and built a large house. Mr Watson built a small house close to the road and married Miss Christine Vingoe, and they remained there until he had to retire and came to Mt. Maunganui.

He was a keen ornithologist, a member of the Society, and he painted many lovely butterflies and other insects. He was also a conchologist and made a valuable collection of shells, and also painted unusual fish caught in local waters—wonderful, beautiful and lifelike reproductions of the fish—and these, with the butterflies, are worthy of any art gallery. Mr Watson had been in indifferent health for some time, following a stroke and the loss of his wife thirteen months ago, but was improving slowly. He leaves a memory of a very busy, useful and interesting life well spent."

The following contrasts some diary entries just before the First World War, and then during the conflict.

April Sun 23 1916

• Easter Sunday-St. George
• NW.1 Change in weather. Helped Trevor to milk. went along to Wickhams in afternoon. Had dust up with gloves. Got back at 7 pm.

Mon 24

• - Bank Holiday Rain during Night. Raining in early morning &midday. Thunderstorm. Went out to fencing but knocked off at 2.30 owing to rain.

Tues 25

• Cloudy SW.1. Finished putting in posts on Fence

Wed 26

• SW. Fine day. Started running out &tightening wires. Finished Big gully portion of Fence. J.M. Edkins turned up.

1916 April

Thur 27

• SW 1 Nice day. Running out &tightening. 4 strains Back Fence. Edkins left.

Fri 28

• NW 1. Started raining at 8.30 am. Showery all day. Went out to Back but knocked of[f] on account of rain.

Sat 29

• Raining most of day NW 3. put most of day helping Gray pit saw.

One year later…


APRIL 1917

22 SUNDAY Cold Night hot day. Got to Deir el Belah at 7 am. Camped &put down lines. Had good wash &Clean up. Went over to evacuated L H [Light Horse] lines, for wood &Barley put bivvy up &turned in early.

23 MONDAY

Eight Hours Day, Melbourne

Hot day. Orders to move out 4 miles to fresh grazing ground, at 9 am. got away &got to spot at 10.30 am, fixing up camp.

24 TUESDAY SE Hottest day we Experienced. Went out to outpost at 7.30. Commenced trench digging. &went on till midday but knocked off owing to heat, but commenced again at 6pm &went on till midnight.

25 WEDNESDAY Very hot day SE Left outpost at 6.30 am got back to Camp. Cleaning lines, &getting tucker on go. Orders to Move out again at 5 pm on Line, near Tel el Jemmi. Camel Holding at night

26 THURSDAY Cold Day. On picquet at night. Went to Deir el Belah the trip taking from 7.30am till 4 pm. to water Camels. Got Ready for outpost. did first shift from 7 till 8 pm.

27 FRIDAY Cool day Trench digging till 10 am &again from 2 pm

28 SATURDAY Dull day. Thunderstorm in distance. Moved into camp for breakfast Digging Bomb trenches all day, On Outpost at night. Letters from Mother, Winks M. W. & Mrs ZBW. & parcels from Home &V. B.

29 SUNDAY Cool day got back from picquet. Had breakfast &went out Trench digging all day. went in at 3pm got tea &went out to relieve day post. On duty from 2 to 3 am.