Miscellaneous documents
Reference: D/X 1138 Catalogue Title: Miscellaneous documents Area: Catalogue Category: Other Records Description: George Brier of 68th, or Durham, Light Infantry
Covering Dates: 1865-c.1996
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- Miscellaneous documents
Catalogue Description
Records given5 July 1996 Acc: 2383(D)
County Record Office
County Hall
DURHAM
DH1 5UL
George Brier (1846 - c.1882) enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry in Leeds, Yorkshire, on 23 May 1864. In October 1864, he sailed with his regiment to New Zealand, where he landed at Auckland on 21 January 1865. Three weeks later, he was part of the garrison at Tauranga designed to resist attack from the Maoris inland. He remained in New Zealand until 15 May 1866 when he sailed for England. He took his discharge from the army very soon after his arrival in England and worked as a stonemason in Halifax, Yorkshire. He died as the result of a fall from Halifax Town Hall.
Catalogue Contents
Ref: D/X 1138/1
Photocopy of typed transcript of the diary of George Brier entitled 'My Travels in New Zealand and Home again', 21 January 1865 - 6 September 1866; copy made 1996
(12 papers)
Ref: D/X 1138/2Copy description by Ethel Neal (née Brier) of the origin of the name Brier, of the Brier coat of arms, and of the 'Brier Diaries' kept by George and Ernest Brier and Ethel Neal, c.1990
(4 papers)
Ref: D/X 1138/3Photocopy of newspaper cuttings entitled 'Diary Described Soldier's Gate Pa Life', from the New Zealand Herald, 29 April 1964
(1 paper)
Ref: D/X 1138/4Photocopy of a cutting from an unidentified newspaper, entitled 'Chapters from History, VII: A Soldier Artist at the Gate Pa Battle, c.1964
(2 papers)
Ref: D/X 1138/5Family tree, compiled by Ethel Neal, showing the descendents of George Briers, describing part of his history after he returned from New Zealand, and the activities of a number of his descendents, c.1990
(1 paper)
Ref: D/X 1138/6Note by Ethel Neal concerning the history and location of the manuscript of George Briers' diary, c.1996
Endorsed: letter from Ethel Neal to W. Park enclosing photographs of the Durham Light Infantry Section at the Tauranga Historical Village, n.d., c.1996
(1 paper)