George Mulford1

He married Annie Keogh.1

Family

Annie Keogh
Child

Citations

  1. [S928] BDM NSW Registry, marriage record, Reg. No. 5810/1905.
  2. [S189] International Genealogical Index (IGI), Ireland Births and Baptisms, C70160-1, film 255938.

Georgina Mary Mulford1

(1875 - 1961)
Father*George Mulford2,1
Mother*Annie Keogh1,2
Georgina Mary MITCHELL (nee MULFORD)(1875-1961)
Georgina Mary Mulford was born in Queenstown (Cobh), Co. Cork, on 5 September 1875. Her father held the rank of Gunner.3,4,5 She was baptised at the Cathedral in Queenstown (Cobh), Co. Cork, on 12 September 1875.5

She married William John Dunstan Mitchell, son of William John Mitchell and Jessie Dunstan, at St James Church in Sydney, New South Wales, on 8 July 1905.2

She was widowed at age 42 on the death of her husband William on 2 October 1917.6,7

Georgina died on 24 July 1961 in Balmain, Sydney, New South Wales, at age 85.8,9 She was cremated at the Eastern Suburbs Cemetery in Matraville on 26 July 1961.10

Family

William John Dunstan Mitchell (1875 - 1917)
Children
ChartsMitchell descendant chart
Dunstan descendant chart

Citations

  1. [S189] International Genealogical Index (IGI), Ireland Births and Baptisms, C70160-1, film 255938.
  2. [S928] BDM NSW Registry, marriage record, Reg. No. 5810/1905.
  3. [S928] BDM NSW Registry, marriage record, Reg. No. 5810/1905; her claimed age suggests a birth in 1877; maybe wishing to be younger than her husband?
  4. [S871] FamilySearch, at https://www.familysearch.org/en/, Ireland Births and Baptisms, C70160-1, film 255938 and Irish Civil Registrations, Vol 15, p200, digital folder 4193453.
  5. [S541] National Archives of Britain, at https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk, British Army and Navy Birth, Marriage and Death Records, 1730-1960, WO69, Piece 569 (1856-1877), Baptisms, entry #2.
  6. [S196] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at https://www.cwgc.org, In Memory of WILLIAM JOHN DUNSTAN MITCHELL, Lance Corporal, 2844, 36th Bn., Australian Infantry, A.I.F, who died on Tuesday, 2nd October 1917.
    Memorial: YPRES (MENIN GATE) MEMORIAL, Ieper, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium
    Grave Reference/Panel Number: 7 - 17 - 23 - 25 - 27 - 29 - 31

    Also Panel 127 of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra.
  7. [S507] Family Bible - Evelyn Jessie Paul (nee Mitchell).
  8. [S284] Index - New South Wales BDMs online, at https://www.nsw.gov.au/births-deaths-marriages, Death Reg. No. 19969/1961 - this entry gives father's name as William John, mother as Mary - both of these are wrong, but may be due to misunderstanding by the information providers.
  9. [S396] Ryerson Index to Australian Newspaper Death and Obituary Notices, at http://sites.rootsweb.com/~nswsdps/dpsindex.htm
  10. [S715] Eastern Suburbs Sydney Cemetery Index, at https://www.smcnsw.org.au/eastern/find-a-loved-one, Ashes at the Rose Gardens, Garden 13.
  11. [S284] Index - New South Wales BDMs online, at https://www.nsw.gov.au/births-deaths-marriages, Birth Reg. No. 15851/1906.
  12. [S284] Index - New South Wales BDMs online, at https://www.nsw.gov.au/births-deaths-marriages, Birth Reg. No. 15784/1907.
  13. [S714] World War 1 Australian Service Records, at https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/…, Series B2455, item barcode 7984073.

Alan Edward Mulgan1

(1881 - 1962)
Father*Edward Ker Mulgan1 b. 1857, d. 1920
Mother*Frances Maria Johnston1 b. 1859, d. 1944
Alan Edward MULGAN
(1881-1962)
Alan Edward Mulgan was born at Katikati in Bay of Plenty on 18 May 1881.2,1,3

He married Marguerita Blomfield Pickmere, daughter of Ralph Pickmere and Serena Hannah Matthews, in Auckland on 9 April 1907.4,1,5,6

The following biography is taken from the NZ Dictionary of Biographies and serves as a good summary of his career: -

Alan Edward Mulgan was born at George Vesey Stewart's Irish Protestant settlement in Katikati, in the Bay of Plenty. He was the son of Frances Maria Johnston and her husband, Edward Ker Mulgan, a farmer who was later a journalist, newspaper editor and teacher, and who eventually became a chief inspector of schools. Both sides of the family were involved in the foundation of the settlement: the Johnstons remained important members but in 1879 Alan's paternal grandfather moved to Auckland and in 1890 his father obtained a teaching position there. Alan attended Katikati School, Parnell School, and then Auckland College and Grammar School from 1892 to 1899 on a Rawlings Scholarship.

In January 1900, having missed out on a university scholarship, Mulgan became a reporter for the Auckland Star. Although not a student, he was active at Auckland University College, helping to edit the Collegian, publishing verse in the Kiwi, and writing a capping play. He remained with the Star until 1904, when he became sub-editor with the Press in Christchurch. On 9 April 1907 at Auckland he married Marguerita (Rita) Blomfield Pickmere, an honours graduate in English and Latin from Auckland University College. Their three children: Dorothea, John and David, all were to write books.

Alan Mulgan returned to the Auckland Star in 1916 as chief leader writer, remaining there until 1935. He was also a columnist (under the pen-name 'Cyrano') and literary editor. He presided over a literary page that, while conservative, published work by some of the foremost writers of the next generation, including Robin Hyde and A. R. D. Fairburn. From 1924 to 1935 he was foundation lecturer in journalism at Auckland University College. In 1926 he travelled to England for the first time; the experience resulted in his most popular book, 'Home: a New Zealander's adventure' (1927). Mulgan was a prolific writer of books and was active in the New Zealand Centre of PEN from its foundation in 1934, serving as president from 1940 to 1942.

In 1935 Mulgan accepted the newly created position of supervisor of talks for the New Zealand Broadcasting Board (later the National Broadcasting Service), and he and his wife went to live in Wellington, settling in York Bay in 1937. These years saw the new Labour government's expansion of state broadcasting under James Shelley. Working with radio stations throughout the country, Mulgan wrote talks (mainly on literature and the arts) and found and instructed speakers.

Recognisable by his shock of white hair in later years, Alan Mulgan was a memorable individual. Friends and associates recalled his excitable nature, which exacerbated a speech impediment, and a tendency to forget the ash on his cigarette. His outlook combined volatile feeling with gentleness. In 1946 he retired from the Broadcasting Service, and was appointed an OBE in 1947. He remained active as a writer, reviewer, freelance journalist (he wrote regular Saturday features for the Dominion), and occasional broadcaster until his death in Lower Hutt on 29 August 1962.7,8


Alan died on 29 August 1962 in Wellington at age 81.9,1,10 He was buried on 31 August 1962 at the Karori Cemetery.11

Family

Marguerita Blomfield Pickmere (1879 - 1965)
Children
ChartsStephen Blomfield (c1750?-1809) descendancy

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S297] Funeral Card - Held by Judy Robinson.
  3. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Birth Reg. No. 1881/16204.
  4. [S291] Book - Dr Claudia Orange General Editor Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 4, 1998, Entry M67, p362.
  5. [S443] CD - NZ Marriages, CD - NZ Marriages 1836-1956 V2, NZ Registrar General's Folio 2053.
  6. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Marriage Reg. No. 1907/1931.
  7. [S291] Book - Dr Claudia Orange General Editor Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 4, 1998, updated 4 April 2003.
  8. [S598] NZ Dictionary of Biographies, at https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies
  9. [S297] Funeral Card - Held by J Robinson.
  10. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1962/38603, aged 81.
  11. [S570] Wellington City Cemeteries database, at https://wellington.govt.nz/cemeteries/…, Section Lawn, plot 43Z/2, record no. 39006.

David Kennaway Mulgan1

(1915 - 1999)
Father*Alan Edward Mulgan1 b. 1881, d. 1962
Mother*Marguerita Blomfield Pickmere1 b. 1879, d. 1965
David Kennaway Mulgan was born in New Zealand on 22 February 1915.1,2

David's marriage to Annie Dickinson was registered between April 1945 and June 1945 in Liverpool, Lancashire. There were no children from this marriage.1,3

He was widowed on the death of his wife Annie between October 1956 and December 1956.1,4

His book on the story of the Walsh brothers and the New Zealand Flying School, titled The Kiwi's First Wings was published in 1960.

David died on 1 August 1999 at Hutt Hospital in Wellington at age 84.1,5 He was buried at the Akatarawa Cemetery.6
Grave - David Kennaway MULGAN (1915-1999), Akatarawa Cemetery, NZ

Family 1

Annie Dickinson (c 1921 - 1956)

Family 2

Children
ChartsStephen Blomfield (c1750?-1809) descendancy

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1999/16211 gives this birth date.
  3. [S190] Index - GRO and Office of National Statistics, England & Wales Civil Registration Qtrly Indexes, Marriage: District of Liverpool Sth, Vol 8b, p91, 2Q1945.
  4. [S190] Index - GRO and Office of National Statistics, England & Wales Civil Registration Qtrly Indexes, Death: District of Northumberland Central, Vol 1b, p217, 4Q1956, age 35.
  5. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1999/16211.
  6. [S974] Upper Hutt City Council cemetery database, at http://eservices.uhcc.govt.nz/cemeteries/plot_records/…, Area RSA 3, Plot 61, Warrant 4808, Location 1797.

Dorothea Frances Mulgan1

(1910 - 1997)
Father*Alan Edward Mulgan1 b. 1881, d. 1962
Mother*Marguerita Blomfield Pickmere1 b. 1879, d. 1965
Dorothea Frances Mulgan was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, on 4 April 1910.2,1,3

She married Alexander Kingcome Turner in New Zealand on 21 March 1934.2,1,4

She was widowed at age 83 on the death of her husband Alexander on 7 July 1993.5

Dorothea died on 13 August 1997 at Wellington Hospital in Wellington at age 87.6,1,7,8 She was cremated at the Karori Crematorium on 15 August 1997.7

Family

Alexander Kingcome Turner (1901 - 1993)
Child
ChartsStephen Blomfield (c1750?-1809) descendancy

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S275] Book - Alister Taylor, New Zealand Who's Who 1996.
  3. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1997/52712 gives birthdate of 8 May 1910.
  4. [S443] CD - NZ Marriages, CD - NZ Marriages 1836-1956 V2, NZ Registrar General's Folio 1078.
  5. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1993/41502.
  6. [S863] Newspaper - New Zealand Herald, issue of 15 Aug 1997.
  7. [S570] Wellington City Cemeteries database, at https://wellington.govt.nz/cemeteries/…, Record no. 66176.
  8. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1997/52712.

Edward Mulgan1

(1959 - 1999)
Father*David Kennaway Mulgan1 b. 1915, d. 1999
Edward Mulgan was born in 1959.2,1

Edward died in April 1999.2,3

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S295] Interview - A Robinson, From Helen Mulgan, Feb 2000.
  3. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence, Never married, no issue.

Edward Ker Mulgan1

(1857 - 1920)
Edward Ker Mulgan was born in Ballynahinch, Co. Down, in 1857.2

He married Frances Maria Johnston in New Zealand on 4 January 1881.1,3,4

The following biography is taken from the NZ Dictionary of Biographies: -

Edward Ker Mulgan was the son of Arabella Maria Stringer and her husband, the Reverend William Edward Mulgan, later rector of Dunaghy, County Antrim. Edward was educated at Portora Royal School and Armagh Grammar School. In 1875 the family embarked on the "Carisbrooke Castle" to travel to New Zealand, where they were to take up land at George Vesey Stewart's Katikati Special Settlement.

On arrival Edward Mulgan established a dairy farm on his father's property at Katikati. Although he was an energetic farmer, Edward was unable to make a decent living because of the economic recession. More financial pressure followed his marriage to Frances Maria Johnston at Tauranga, on 4 January 1881; their first son, Alan Edward, was born on 18 May. Faced with the increasing likelihood of ruin, about 1884 they shifted to Tauranga where Edward worked first in a store and later as the editor of the Bay of Plenty Times. A second son, Geoffrey William Douglas, was born in 1888.

In 1886 Edward Mulgan was accepted as a probationer teacher for the Auckland Education Board. This abrupt career change may have been prompted by his father, whose own interest in education was revived when he was elected a member of the Katikati District School Committee in 1876; in 1879--80 he served on the royal commission on the relationship between university and secondary education in New Zealand.

Whatever his reason for becoming a teacher, Edward Mulgan proved to be successful and ambitious. In 1887 he became first assistant at Otahuhu School and from 1888 to 1890 he was head teacher at Katikati School, thereby satisfying the three-year country service requirement for probationary teachers. In 1890 the family shifted back to Auckland and for the next four years Mulgan was first assistant master at Parnell School.

During his time at Parnell, Mulgan enrolled at Auckland University College. He graduated BA in 1894, and in 1896 gained an MA with first-class honours in natural science (geology). As assistant master at Newton West School from 1895 to 1898 Mulgan earned £170 a year, but he and his family were not well off. They had few possessions, only the scantiest of furniture, and were forced to shift from Parnell to Newmarket in order to reduce rental payments.

In 1898, a mere 12 years after becoming a teacher, Mulgan was appointed assistant inspector of schools for the Auckland Education Board. Two years later he was promoted to inspector, a position he held for the next six years. From 1907 to 1909 he was inspector for the North Canterbury Education Board and returned to Auckland in 1910 as chief inspector of schools.

Mulgan's duties as inspector involved visiting all of the primary and district high schools in his region. The travel schedule was especially demanding since all schools, including the most remote, had to be visited at least once a year for inspection and examination purposes. Like his colleagues, Mulgan kept a horse and spent much time riding from school to school.

Mulgan sought to break down the traditional idea of inspectors as sitting in judgement on teachers. Described by his son as a man of great integrity and kindness with a strong sense of justice, Mulgan tried to become a friend and mentor of teachers, and in his spare time wrote to them when they sought advice. Although a Protestant, he was extremely popular among teachers in the Catholic schools that he inspected. While at Christchurch he obtained permission for nuns to attend science classes at Canterbury College.

Mulgan's desire to assist teachers was demonstrated in his advocacy from 1910 onwards of a national grading system for teaching staff to ensure that promotions and appointments were made on the grounds of merit. His supportive approach was also evident in his writing of textbooks for use in schools. The first, published in 1905, was entitled The New Zealand nature-study book. In 1914 his second book, The New Zealand citizen, was released. Co-authored with his son, Alan Mulgan, this early civics text was used to teach topics later included under the general heading of social studies. In keeping with his liberal views on education, Mulgan was an enthusiastic supporter of kindergarten training and was said to have been one of the founders of the Auckland Kindergarten Association in 1908.

Following a visit to Great Britain in 1915 with his wife, Mulgan wrote a report on English and Scottish post-primary education which was well received back in New Zealand. He noted with approval that Scotland had introduced intermediate schools on an experimental basis; this system was not introduced in New Zealand until some years later. In 1915 he was offered the post of assistant director of education but had to decline it because of failing health. Edward Mulgan died at Auckland on 14 November 1920 from heart failure.5,6


Edward died on 14 November 1920 in Auckland.7,1,8

Family

Frances Maria Johnston (1859 - 1944)
Children

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S290] Book - Dr Claudia Orange General Editor Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 3, 1996, updated 4 April 2003, URL: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/.
  3. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Marriage Reg. No. 1881/223.
  4. [S443] CD - NZ Marriages, CD - NZ Marriages 1836-1956 V2, Folio 123.
  5. [S290] Book - Dr Claudia Orange General Editor Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 3, 1996, updated 4 April 2003.
  6. [S598] NZ Dictionary of Biographies, at https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies
  7. [S287] Book - Guy Scholefield Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 2, p108.
  8. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1920/1248, aged 62.
  9. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Birth Reg. No. 1888/1469.

Elaine Mary Mulgan1

(1961 - 1961)
Father*David Kennaway Mulgan1 b. 1915, d. 1999
Elaine Mary Mulgan was born in Wellington in June 1961.1

Elaine died on 22 September 1961 at Wellington Hospital in Wellington.1,2 She was buried on 25 September 1961 at the Karori Cemetery.1,3

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Death Reg. No. 1961/35937, aged 3mths.
  3. [S570] Wellington City Cemeteries database, at https://wellington.govt.nz/cemeteries/…, Section Lawn, plot 43Z/2, record no. 39008.

Geoffrey Mulgan1

(1888 - )
Father*Edward Ker Mulgan1 b. 1857, d. 1920
Mother*Frances Maria Johnston1 b. 1859, d. 1944
Geoffrey Mulgan was born in New Zealand in 1888.1

Citations

  1. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Birth Reg. No. 1888/1469.

John Alan Edward Mulgan1

(1911 - 1945)
Father*Alan Edward Mulgan1 b. 1881, d. 1962
Mother*Marguerita Blomfield Pickmere1 b. 1879, d. 1965
John Alan Edward MULGAN
(1911-1945)
John Alan Edward Mulgan was born in Christchurch, Canterbury, on 21 December 1911.2,3

He married Angela Gabrielle Wanklyn in Oxford, Oxfordshire, on 10 July 1937.2,4

The following is taken from the NZ Dictionary of Biographies: -

When John was four, his father was appointed a leader writer for the Auckland Star and the family moved to Auckland. John attended Maungawhau School, and, after boarding at Wellington College from 1925, went on to Auckland Grammar School in 1927. He did well at school academically and in sport, especially rugby, boxing and cricket. In 1929 he won a university scholarship. He wrote prolifically for student publications in Auckland.
In 1931 he was nominated for a Rhodes Scholarship, but the selection committee thought him too young and advised him to come back the following year. When nominations were called for at Auckland University College in 1932, Mulgan's name was submitted by the students' association. Inexplicably, the professorial board gave the nomination to two other men. The selection committee in Wellington refused to award any scholarship, the chairman, Lord Bledisloe, expressing the view that all the applicants were inferior to Mulgan. He graduated BA in 1933, but again missed selection. In October, backed by his father, he sailed for England and took up residence at Merton College, Oxford.

In July 1935 he was awarded a first in English, and accepted a position with the Clarendon Press. There he was responsible for commissioning and overseeing the production of scholarly works. The impulse to publish found outlet in his anthology 'Poems of freedom' (1938), and also in 'The emigrants' (1939), an account of early travellers to New Zealand, in which he collaborated with Hector Bolitho. He also wrote his novel 'Man alone' at this time.

During these years Mulgan followed with close interest the progress of fascism in Europe. In 1936 the New Zealand government had appointed him an observer at the League of Nations in Geneva, and in collaboration with his close friend, Geoffrey Cox, he contributed regular articles on foreign affairs to the Auckland Star under the title 'Behind the cables'. His perception that war was inevitable impelled him to volunteer for the Territorial Army in 1938, and he was gazetted second lieutenant in the Oxford and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry. When war came in 1939 he reported immediately to his regiment. His wife and child he sent to safety in North America in June 1940; they eventually reached New Zealand in 1941 and remained there.

In 1942 he succeeded in getting himself transferred to the 4th Battalion of the Queen's Own Royal West Kent Regiment, which was proceeding to the Middle East. Now a major, he became the battalion's second in command. Over the next eight months Mulgan witnessed the mostly poor performance of a series of commanding officers from the regular army. The final appointee, it seemed to him, was the worst of all, and a danger to his men. He conveyed his opinion to general headquarters, at the same time seeking a transfer for himself.

In May 1943 he accepted a posting to Force 133, the British unit assisting the Greek partisans to harass the German occupation forces. Mulgan parachuted into Thessalía in September 1943 and set up his command post on Mt óthris. He gained the confidence of the local bands, mounting sabotage operations against road and rail traffic. The climax came in September and October 1944, when the German withdrawal was in progress. Mulgan's men, armed only with small arms and mortars, halted an entire German division for several days, destroying much of its transport and inflicting heavy casualties. Subsequently Mulgan was awarded the Military Cross.

Recalled to Cairo in November, Mulgan was negotiating a transfer to the 2nd New Zealand Division in January 1945 when he received promotion to the rank of temporary lieutenant colonel, and orders to return to Athens to locate and compensate the Greeks who had fought for Force 133. It proved a melancholy task. The civil war had raged in his absence; the English were now disliked. Mulgan seems to have become increasingly disillusioned as he observed the chaos resulting from war and what seemed to him the failure of socialism. He completed at this time the manuscript of his memoir, 'Report on experience', which he posted to his wife in New Zealand.

In mid April 1945 he was back in Cairo, billeted at a hotel. On 26 April he was discovered dead in his bed: he had taken an overdose of morphia. In December a consular court brought in a verdict of suicide. He was buried in the military cemetery at Heliopolis.5,6


John died on 26 April 1945 in Cairo at age 33.2,7,1 He was buried in 1945 at the Heliopolis War Cemetery in Cairo.8,1

Family

Angela Gabrielle Wanklyn (1917 - 2008)
ChartsStephen Blomfield (c1750?-1809) descendancy

Citations

  1. [S312] Electronic Files - A Robinson, and subsequent correspondence.
  2. [S274] Book - Paul W Day, John Mulgan biography.
  3. [S542] Index - New Zealand BDMs online, at https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/, Birth Reg. No. 1912/3148.
  4. [S190] Index - GRO and Office of National Statistics, England & Wales Civil Registration Qtrly Indexes, Marriage: District of Oxford, Vol 3a, p5297, 3Q1937.
  5. [S291] Book - Dr Claudia Orange General Editor Dictionary of NZ Biography, Vol 4, 1998, updated 4 April 2003.
  6. [S598] NZ Dictionary of Biographies, at https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies
  7. [S196] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at https://www.cwgc.org
  8. [S196] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at https://www.cwgc.org, Grave 6.J.1.