Charles Leggate Stark born 2nd March 1880 at Mataura and named after a son of Charles Thomas and Rosina Leggate who boarded and cared for his mother as Rosina Steel during troubled times while she was working as a seamstress in a cotton factory in Hamilton, Lanarkshire, from an early age and into her teens during the mid 19th century.
He was the first son born in New Zealand to James and Rosina.
The Boer War – or Second African War
On the 16th January 1901, Charles enlisted into the Boer War as a Lance Corporal and was placed in the 6th Contingent. The Contingent left NZ on the 14th February and sailed for Cape Town, arriving 6 weeks later.
Charles saw action in Transvaal and Orange free states. He was transferred to the 10th Contingent and promoted to Quarter Master Sergeant. The conditions were horrific and the 6th Contingent held a strike in June 1901 to protest their uniforms and poor food. His service number was 3796.
In October 1901, he fell sick and by 18th December 1901 discharge was recommended on the grounds of sickness – enteric dysentery (Typhoid). He returned to New Zealand on 19th August 1902 onboard the “Montrose”, docking at Auckland. The ship was placed in quarantine upon arrival, but shortly after, the sicker men, including Charles, where transferred to the mainland into hospital barracks at Motuihi.
Charles’ war effort would not escape him as when he returned to Gore, staying with his parents, he ran up quite a few medical bills, culminating in being summonsed before a Resident Magistrate. The doctor who had treated him was paid for some of the amount, but then committed suicide. It would seem that the estate was owed a lot of money and Charles was part of the collection. Charles was owed money by the Military which covered his medical expenses. He was awarded the New Zealand Defence Clasps and Imperial South African War Medal, which his sister Ethel witnessed.
On his return from Africa he moved to South Canterbury- Morven near Timaru – to continue his trade as a coachbuilder and blacksmith, setting up shop on 10th March 1905. Unfortunately for him, this venture did not quite work out and on 13th March 1908 he was declared bankrupt, owing over £309. This had far reaching problems not only for himself, but one of his sisters too. After the failure of the business at Morven, Charles moved to Christchurch.
The Caversham Hotel on Madras Street and High Streets, Christchurch.
In 1907 his sister Margaret approached him about getting into the hotel business. She put £400 into the Carversham Hotel with Charles acting on her behalf, as she was not entitled to hold a licence based on her sex. Charles became manager and licensee at 30’- per week. Margaret’s £400 could have been compensation for the death of her husband, but that is speculation. It would seem that the £400 was not enough to cover the total cost of the licence and sureties were taken over the chattels of the hotel to cover the shortfall.
Temporary licensee status was transferred to CL Stark at the regular meeting of the Licensing committee on 15th October 1907 by licence application number 97/07. This was then renewed on 5th December 1907, 4th June 1909 and 10th June 1909.
At this point a temporary transfer to John Thomas Browne was granted on 10th June 1909 and confirmed on 14th June 1909. By the time of the next meeting on 2nd September 1909 Charles is mentioned as agreeing to transfer at no stamp duty with the final and total transfer to the new licensee on the 18th September 1909. In other words, the Stark connection with the hotel would end. There is no reason stated for the loss of managerial status, but could it have something to do with his bankruptcy?
During this 2 year period, the hotel also changed owners. The latter licensee seemed to only last 1 session as he seeks temporary transfer in the next meeting of the Licensing committee. According to Charles, the owner took over the role of manager too.
His mother, Rosina, in 1909 took up residence with him in the Hotel, as can be evidenced from Electoral Rolls.
During his stint at the hotel, a claim of theft was filed with the police for several hundred pounds. I have been unable to find the outcome of this. The safe seems to have been opened at night and the contents removed. Several cheques had to be stopped at the banks to protect the customers and so on.
Move to Invercargill and Masterton
In 1912, Charles moved to Invercargill to take up a position as salesman for J. B. McEwen in agricultural machinery. While in Invercargill, Charles was drum major of the Southland Pipe Band during 1913.
In 1914, he registers for the general election as living in Hamilton.
In the 1916 Army Reserve Rolls, Charles is living in Palmerston North care of the “Harvester Company”
Following his brief time in Invercargill, Charles moved to Masterton to become the representative for Alfa Laval cream separators. He also worked with his brother Robert at the Masterton Farmers’ Implements as can be seen in a newspaper article when Charles acted as a witness in a court case. He was working at MFI from at least 1916 onwards. He resided in Worksop Rd. and then Casel St. with his mother. It was while in Casel St. that Charles’s mother died of heart Failure in 1919.
After his mother died, Charles and his father can be found living at 56 Cornwall Street, Masterton.
Move to North Carolina, USA
On the 18th March 1920 Charles sailed from Wellington on the “Megantic” for New York, arriving on 15th April (photo, left, of ship in 1908). On the ship’s manifest it gives his father’s name as being c/- Implement Coy Masterton, which is where Robert was manager at the time. It certainly begs the question about his relationship with his father, seen in the light of his father is living with Jessie and a gravely ill man.
On arriving in the United States of America he was soon in the employ of the DeLaval Company where he met and married Hester ‘Hessie’ Shiland in 1921. Following a world cruise, in 1924 which included New Zealand, they settled in Mountain Home, North Carolina, USA, where he was the American representative of the DeLaval Company until his retirement. Family gossip suggests that Hessie was tied into the Dodge motor company. When they came to NZ after marriage, they toured around a motorcycle.
In 1930, Charles is the Vice President of a finance company – curious considering his previous ‘problems’. There are several records of Charles and Hessie travelling into the Caribbean at various times, suggesting a reasonable standard of income.
He became a US citizen in 1932. He visited New Zealand at least once between his emigration to the USA and his passing. Some in the family suggested that he traveled around New Zealand on a motorcycle, but that is not proven at this point.
Charles became seriously ill about 1939 – 1940, not long after his retirement, and became associated with the Home and Garden Realty Company, no doubt to pursue his love of flowers and gardens.
He died at his home on 29th November 1942 after a long and serious illness and was survived by his wife Hessie.
In a letter to his sister Ethel dated 5th December 1942 from Mountain Home, North Carolina, U.S.A. Mrs Elizabeth P Dickison, a professional nurse and family friend of many years and who had personally nursed Charles continuously over the last 5 months of his lifetime wrote of his illness over the previous 2 years.
He had suffered Cancer of the Throat and had had a large growth removed from behind the tongue. After this and further specialist treatment he improved wonderfully for a time. Then his condition deteriorated again and the specialist advised that the Cancer had reoccurred and there was then no hope of recovery. Nurse Dickison, in all her experience had never encountered such a devoted wife who spared nothing to give Charles the best care in the country at the expense of her own health.
Charles was a wonderful patient and died in the home he so loved at 11-30pm 29th November 1942. His Casket was covered with flowers he so loved. His wife Hessie was completely heartbroken and felt so lonely and desolate that she stayed with friends until her affairs were put in order.
Hessie died 10 years later, 21st April 1952, at the “Cedars”, which was a hospice at the time and exists today as a function centre.
There were no children.
Some collected notes
Charles stayed at Warners Hotel when visiting Christchurch. Jessie would visit him with her kids, and the kids were “seen but not heard” on these visits. Jessie kept a photo of Charles on her mantelpiece. It seems that he was not an infrequent visitor to Christchurch.
Charles paid regularly into the 6th Contingents fund right up to death. There was a periodic magazine produced in commemoration of the returned servicemen. The payments were made whilst he lived in NZ and in the USA.