Fletcher, Arthur

Arthur Stanley Fletcher, known as Bob, was born on 28 February 1920, the eldest child of Waitara butcher George Harry Fletcher (1886-1959) and Annie Fletcher (nee Wright) (1888-1927). Sadly, Arthur’s mother died when he was only seven, leaving her husband to raise five young children on his own. 

Arthur was working in his father’s butcher shop when he was called up to attend Trentham Military Camp in January 1942. He served as a Trooper with the 4th Armoured Tank Brigade during the Second World War and was later awarded the War Medal 1939-1945 and the New Zealand Service War Medal.

Arthur’s father George had served with the New Zealand Medical Corps in France during the First World War. He was an active member of the Returned Soldiers’ Association in Waitara during the Second World War, raising funds and organising welcomes for local soldiers when they came home.

Arthur’s younger brother Leslie George Fletcher (1924-1995) was also called for service but George seems to have successfully appealed on his behalf, presumably as he had already lost Arthur’s help in the family store.

Arthur married Shirley Griffin in 1948 and the couple had three daughters, Winifred, Linda and Beverly. They farmed on Okoki Road near Urenui. Arthur died on 6 November 2016 at the age of 96 and is buried in the services section of Waitara Cemetery.