Grey Lynn School Pupils at War - 1939-1945

World War 2

Some former pupils from Grey Lynn School went to World War 2. About 200 pupils went and 180 came back.The pupils who died in World War 2 were:

R. G. D. Adlam, R. F. Edmonds, S. J. Ellis, R. Harden, R. H. Johnson, I. Johnson, E. G. McLachlan, A. McR. McLachlan, N. J. Newbold, H. C. Porter, G. Roy, H. S. Shearer, P. Shaw-Smith, J. Simpson, W. B. Wangford, R. H. Watson, C. L. Webster, B. Wilson.

Ten of the men who were killed were airmen, due to the fact that the airforce was the main source
of attack in World War 2.

My great-grandfather, Gilbert Maurice Watson (pictured left) and his sister Reata May Watson went to Grey Lynn School. They moved there from Nelson in the South Island. In Grey Lynn they lived at 82 Williamson Avenue. During World War 2 he was a Captain in the NZ Army Tactical School which was established in 1942 and was closed in 1943. He trained army officers.

Our school memorial boards show the names of the pupils, men and women who went to World War 2 and returned safely. Our school used to have other memorial boards but they were lost when the school was rebuilt in 1980. by George

Cenotaph link