This is one of a series of posts to mark the international Rugby players who died during The Great War. If anyone has further information on the men concerned, I’d be most grateful if it could be added to the thread. Gareth McNeece, James played for New Zealand Internationals: 5 : 1913 A+ A- ; 1914 A+ (1t) A+ A+ James McNeece was born on 24 December 1885, son of James and Edith McNeece of Waikiwi, Invercargill, New Zealand. Played as a Flanker for: Middle School Invercargill, Waikiwi, Southland, South Island Profession: Farmer Remarks: He played 11 matches for the All Blacks, including 5 Internationals. Represented Southland at Cricket. His brother A M McNeece played for Southland. War service: 27561, Private, 2nd Battalion, Otago Regiment, 2nd NZ Brigade, NZ Division, New Zealand Expeditionary Force He died of wounds on 21 June 1917, at Messines, Belgium, and is buried in St Sever Cemetery Extension, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France [Grave P. II. G. 3b].
James (Jim) McNeece was a Southern man, born 1885 in Invercargill, NZ, to his Irish born parents, James Snr and Miss Flinn. He was one of four siblings - three brothers and one sister. His father was a gardener in Ireland and subsequently, when he arrived in NZ in 1877 onboard the 'Wiltshire', he went on with gardening trade in Temuka and Geraldine before settling in Invercargill and marrying Miss Flinn in 1883. In 1893 he was appointed store man for J.H. Kirk & Co and then in 1899 he purchased a lodging house called 'The Retreat'. James' father spent time on the local council and was an active member of the Ancient Foresters Order (which was a flourishing Freemasonry society in the 19th century) http://www.nixonpictures.co.nz/All_Blacks_WWI_Jim_McNeece.html
