SSgt. Robert Bruton Atkinson

Robert Bruton Atkinson was born at Abbots Langley in the Three Rivers District of Hertfordshire, England in 1827. His parents were Robert Hall Atkinson and Selina Atkinson (née Bruton) who had married at Watford in Hertfordshire on 17 February 1826. Robert Bruton and Sarah Eliza Baker married at Hemel Hempstead on 9 July 1850. The couple emigrated to Australia where they had several children, and then on to New Zealand where Robert joined the 1st Waikato Regiment as a Staff Sergeant. By 1865 they were at Camp Te Papa in Tauranga where daughter Amy Alexandra Atkinson was born on 27 September 1865. Sarah died at Camp Te Papa on 8 May 1866 (reg. 1866/5231), seven months after giving birth to Amy. Her death notice reads: ATKINSON Died, age 39 years, at Camp Te Papa, Tauranga, Sarah Eliza Atkinson, late of Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, wife of Robert Bruton Atkinson, Staff Sergeant, 1st Waikato Regiment (New Zealand Herald, 18 June 1866, p. 3). Sarah was buried in Mission Cemetery (Ōtamataha Pā). Three-month-old Amy died on 15 January 1866. Robert remained in Tauranga. On 9 September 1872 he was found dead by his son, Robert Herbert Atkinson, at around 8.30pm (reg. 1872/9246). Robert was lying facedown on the floor, his nose broken, with one leg on the bed. The attending doctor thought that he had been dead for around two days. He surmised that Robert had suffered an epileptic fit during which he fell out of bed, catching a foot on his bedpost and was choked with blood from his broken nose before he could recover from the fit. Information from the inquest into his death mentions that when he lived at Victoria in Australia, he was subject to fits, but had not suffered any whilst in New Zealand. James Salt was the last person to see Robert alive at 7pm on 7 September 1872. Robert was buried in Mission Cemetery (Ōtamataha Pā) by Archdeacon Alfred Brown. He does not have a headstone. The Bay of Plenty Times reported: The funeral of Mr. Atkinson took place on Tuesday, the same day the inquest was held, several members of the Tauranga Light Horse, to which corps deceased belonged, as well as a number of the Rifle Volunteers under Lieutenants Samuels and Morrison, all in uniform, attending the procession to the Te Papa cemetery. The service was read by the Ven. Archdeacon Brown. A party of cavalry troopers, under Lieutenant Connor, at the conclusion of the service fired the customary number of volleys over the grave. As an instance of the good feeling existing between the two corps, it should be mentioned that some difficulty at first having been experienced in collecting a firing party from deceased's own corps, in consequence of most of the members residing out of town, at the suggestion of Sergeant-Major Downey, the infantry volunteered to supply the deficiency; but their services in this respect were not required, and were thankfully declined by Lieutenant Connor. Nevertheless, they assisted the bearers of the coffin to its resting place (14 September 1872, p. 3). Bio by Debbie McCauley (2 November 2016, updated 1 December 2024).

Sources

1. Bay of Plenty Deaths, 1872-1920: A-D.
2. Bay of Plenty Times (11 September 1872). Inquests.
3. Bay of Plenty Times (14 September 1872). Funerals.
4. Births, Deaths and Marriages Online (New Zealand).
5. New Zealand Herald (18 June 1866). Deaths.