The scarce French Croix de Guerre group of three to 15888 Stanley Roy Furby, who was wounded whilst attached to the French 1st Army in July 1917 and subsequently awarded the Croix de Guerre.

 

Stanley Furby was born Christmas Day 1895 at Timaru, New Zealand. Son of Walter Charles and Alicia Susan Furby (née Ruxton). Walter had previously been married, to Charlotte Baker, with whom he had three children. Charlotte died in 1884, and in 1884 he married again, to Alicia Ruxton and had a further ten children. By 1914 Stanley was working as a farmhand on a property at Peel Forest. He attested for service with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in April 1916, and was posted to the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 15th Reinforcements. He embarked for the UK in July 1916, arriving in early October 1916. Stanley was posted to B Company, 3rd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade in France in early November 1916, and the following month was posted to the Lewis Gun Section.

 

Between April and early June 1917 Furby was detailed to work at the strategic railhead at Strazeele, near Hazebrouck. He returned to his unit on 1st June, and was present during the Battle of Messines which commenced a week later. B Company, 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade was on the left flank of the leading wave of this attack, which successfully captured all their objectives. Having survived Messines unscathed, Stanley was part of the 3rd NZ Rifle Brigade detachment, along with a company of the NZ (Maori) Pioneers detailed to support the 1st French Army in the digging of gun pits, building roads, carrying ammunition etc. The work took place between 6th and 15th July 1917, and was carried out to an exceptional standard as quoted in The Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade:

Colonel Barbier, one of the Group Commanders, expressed the opinion that "fifty New Zealanders could easily accomplish a piece of work for which he would ordinarily detail 250 French soldiers. In the work of cable-burying, in particular, our men, acting up to their reputation as “Diggers,” progressed so rapidly that the Director of Signals found it necessary to recast his plans in order to enable him to keep up the supply of cable at the same rate as the trenches were dug."

 

During these operations, on 13th July, Stanley suffered a severe gunshot wound to his left forearm. He was evacuated to a French hospital at Zuydecoote, and was posted as missing by NZ authorities until his whereabouts was confirmed. The French recognised a number of New Zealanders who were wounded during their service in support of the French forces, with the award of the Croix de Guerre. These were awarded in the field by General Francois Anthoine on a parade at HQ NZEF on 31st July 1917. It is likely that Stanley was not present for the award due to his wound, with reports saying it was the junior officer of the company to which the absent recipients belonged who received the award on their behalf.

 

Stanley was classified as unfit for further service, and returned to New Zealand on the hospital ship Marama in late December 1917. On arrival back in Timaru, they were met by members of the Borough Council, the Citizens’ Reception Committee, and a good number of the general public. Before they were driven to their homes in motor cars, Councillor H. Green extended to them a very hearty welcome home. After the war Stanley moved to Auckland, where he worked as a Theatre Manager. He married Rose Todman in 1924, and died on 16th April 1969. He is buried in Waikumete Cemetery, although the plot has no headstone.

 

The NZEF pair is correctly impressed 15888 RFLM. S.R. FURBY. N.Z.E.F. and the lower arm of the reverse of the Croix de Guerre has been privatetly engraved 15888. The groups also comes with Furby's Honourable Discharge Certificate (card mounted), entry card for a reception at Windsor Castle in October 1917, medical card from H.M. N.Z.H.S. Marama, photos of Furby in hospital and convalescing, and postcards written to Furby. There are also two photos of his brother John Richard 'Jack' Furby, who served with the 2nd NZEF during the Second World War.

 

Only 53 French Croix de Guerre of all grades awarded to the NZEF, and seldom seen with associated ephemera such as this. Note, the two studio portraits are digital copies from the Schmidt Collection, Auckland Library.