12th IEE Member to Fall in World War 1 – Sapper P A E Warburton

Sapper Piers Acton Eliot Warburton of the New Zealand Engineers, New Zealand Expeditionary Force, died 2 May 1915, the 12th member of the IEE to die in World War 1.

P A E Warburton moved from New Zealand to British Columbia, Canada, in June 1912 where he had obtained an appointment with the West Kootenay Power Company. He was working for this company when war was declared with Germany. When in August 1914 the Canadian Government announced its intention to raise troops for service in France, he offered himself as a recruit for the First Contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Being rejected on account of his eyesight, he resigned his position immediately and moved to England where he applied to be enrolled in the Divisional Engineers, Royal Naval Division. Again he was refused on account of his eyesight.

Strong representations were made on his behalf to the Military Authorities and he was eventually permitted to enlist in the British Section of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force which sailed for Egypt in December 1914. Sapper Warburton’s Division was then allotted to the newly created Mediterranean Expeditionary Force which was intended to invade the Gallipoli Peninsula in Turkey, and his Division sailed for Turkey from Egypt in early April 1915. Whilst ‘on the sap’ at Quinn’s Post, Turkey, on April 30 1915, he was mortally wounded, being shot in the head by a sniper. He immediately became unconscious and was conveyed to the Hospital Ship Mashobra. Sapper Warburton succumbed to his wounds 2 days later (May 2nd).

Sapper Warburton’s obituary was published in the IEE World War I Honour Roll and these details have been reproduced below.