4/1866 Allan Joseph Greig NZEF
WW1/WW2Group with NZTSM
The British War Medal, Victory Medal, 1939/45 War Medal, New Zealand War Service Medal and NZ Territorial Service Medal group of five awarded to Allan Joseph Greig.
Allan Joseph Greig was born in Wellington, New Zealand on 20th November 1893. Son of John Henry and Catherine Greig (née Dwyer). Prior to the First World War, Greig worked for the Post and Telegraph Department as a clerk. He also saw Territorial service with 5th (Wellington) Regiment and the Post and Telegraph Corps. During 1914-15 he served as a guard at the Wellington Wireless Station at Mt Wakefield.
Greig attested for service with the NZEF in November 1915, and was posted to the Postal Corps of the NZ Engineers, sailing with the 9th Reinforcements. He served in Egypt before transferring to the Western Front, where he served with the Headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Brigade in the field post office. He was promoted to lance-corporal, and then corporal in 1918, before returning to New Zealand in June 1919.
Greig returned to his job as a postal clerk, and in 1922 he married Isabella Morris, with the couple residing in Wellington. In 1940, Greig - by now a supervisor at the Post Office - attested for service with the National Military Reserve, Wellington Battalion. In 1940 Greig applied for the Territorial Service Medal in respect to his service up to and including the First World War. Despite this medal being defunct by 1940, his qualifying service occurred within the period when the medal was authorised, and he was subsequently issued the medal in early 1941 (AO1940/264). In 1942 he was struck off strength, returning to his civilian occupation at the Post Office. In 1943 Greig was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the Home Guard.
Allan Greig died 2nd November 1979 and was buried in Karori Cemetery.
The WW1 pair is correctly impressed 4/1866 CPL. A.J. GREIG. N.Z.E.F., the WW2 pair has been privately engraved 2/18/174 SJT. A.JH. GREIG. and the NZTSM is correctly impressed A.J. GREIG, LATE N.Z.E.F.