GOURIO, Captain Malo Edouard
Born 1884; died 23 November 1918; buried 25 November 1918; age 34
Malo GOURIO died of influenza and pneumonia on 23 November 1918 at Sydney Street Temporary Hospital Wellington, aged 34, and was buried in the Catholic section of Karori Cemetery on the 25th.
“The funeral took place yesterday of Captain M. Gurio, Master of the French barque Colonel de Villobois-Mareuil. It was attended by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, C.M.G.), Consul for France (Mr. James Macintosh) Mr. John Hutcheson, Mdlle. du Bosson, Mrs. T. Bourke, representatives of the Union Company (agents for the vessel), and as many of the crew as possible. As a mark of respect for the memory of the late captain, the flags at the Town Hall and the Union Company's office were flown at half-mast.”
Dominion, 26 November 1918: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
Malo was Captain of a French sailing vessel Colonel de Villebois Mareuil, 2287 tons, a three masted barque built in Nantes, France, in 1900, which frequently sailed to the USA. Sailing vessels continued to be used on trading routes all round the world up to and until shortly after WW2 as they provided a cheaper option for non-perishable cargoes such as wool.
Born 1884; died 23 November 1918; buried 25 November 1918; age 34
Malo GOURIO died of influenza and pneumonia on 23 November 1918 at Sydney Street Temporary Hospital Wellington, aged 34, and was buried in the Catholic section of Karori Cemetery on the 25th.
“The funeral took place yesterday of Captain M. Gurio, Master of the French barque Colonel de Villobois-Mareuil. It was attended by the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke, C.M.G.), Consul for France (Mr. James Macintosh) Mr. John Hutcheson, Mdlle. du Bosson, Mrs. T. Bourke, representatives of the Union Company (agents for the vessel), and as many of the crew as possible. As a mark of respect for the memory of the late captain, the flags at the Town Hall and the Union Company's office were flown at half-mast.”
Dominion, 26 November 1918: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/
Malo was Captain of a French sailing vessel Colonel de Villebois Mareuil, 2287 tons, a three masted barque built in Nantes, France, in 1900, which frequently sailed to the USA. Sailing vessels continued to be used on trading routes all round the world up to and until shortly after WW2 as they provided a cheaper option for non-perishable cargoes such as wool.
This photo features on a French language discussion forum "Pages-d-Histoire-aviation-marine/marine-1914-1918"
and ascribes it to Picture Australia. Undated.
and ascribes it to Picture Australia. Undated.
Crew of Colonel Villebois de Mareuil, date unknown. None of the crew are named.
Malo’s New Zealand death certificate, and a search on Family Search, indicate he was born in Binic, Cote du Nord in Brittany, in 1884.
“Once a little medieval village, Binic grew to become one of the most important ports in the French fishing industry. It was the expeditions of the ‘terre-neuvas’ - the fishermen that left France to fish in Newfoundland waters – that secured Binic its place in history, and the imposing granite and schist ship-owners’ houses lining the Quai Jean Bart are testament to this prosperous business. The town became a sailing resort as well as a charming seaside destination during the 20th century, and to this day boats shelter behind the 350 metre long main jetty referred to by locals as the ‘grande muraille’ (big stone wall).”
http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/saint-brieuc-bay-paimpol-les-caps/unmissable-sites/binic
“Once a little medieval village, Binic grew to become one of the most important ports in the French fishing industry. It was the expeditions of the ‘terre-neuvas’ - the fishermen that left France to fish in Newfoundland waters – that secured Binic its place in history, and the imposing granite and schist ship-owners’ houses lining the Quai Jean Bart are testament to this prosperous business. The town became a sailing resort as well as a charming seaside destination during the 20th century, and to this day boats shelter behind the 350 metre long main jetty referred to by locals as the ‘grande muraille’ (big stone wall).”
http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/saint-brieuc-bay-paimpol-les-caps/unmissable-sites/binic
Binic, Brittany - a little port with a lot of charm
http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/saint-brieuc-bay-paimpol-les-caps/unmissable-sites/binic
http://www.brittanytourism.com/discover-our-destinations/saint-brieuc-bay-paimpol-les-caps/unmissable-sites/binic
“In the 19th century, Binic flourished and becomes (sic), in 1845, the leading French port for Great Fishing. The port annually received 150 to 160 ships and the activity was divided between fishing in Newfoundland and cabotage (imported salt, wine, wood North, flour and vegetables). Binic was then the biggest port of Cod fishing.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binic
So far, no information has been found about Malo’s parents or whether he had siblings. Genealogy records reveal many members of Gourio families in the Binic area, including, not surprisingly, many mariners. There are also records of Gourio men in shipping sources. For example, an M E Gourio, aged 21 and born in Binic, is recorded as second mate on board the French vessel SS Guethary which arrived from the USA into Cardiff on 9 December 1905. The 1901 UK census for Barry, Glamorgan, Wales notes a V Gourio, age 16, as an ordinary seaman (OS)[i] on board the vessel Brizeux; an A Gourio, married, age 34, is the master. August Gourio age 17 (b 1889), boy, from St Brieuc [ii] arrived in Hobart, Tasmania in Dec 1906 on Notre Dame D’Arvor.
The New Zealand death certificate issued in Malo’s name in the first quarter of 1920 indicates that he had married in 1910. His wife’s name is not recorded but it does record that she was 26. It also indicates he had seven sons and five daughters, but this seems highly unlikely as he too would have only been about 26 when he married. It is more likely the death certificate informant knew he had a son aged 7, and a daughter aged 5. The details on the death certificate would presumably have been provided by someone in Wellington who knew a little, or could find out about Malo, including the correct spelling of his name. The agent for the Colonel de Villebois Mareuil was the Union Company, and their officials may have been called upon to complete official records at the time.
Unfortunately, but perhaps not surprisingly, the name on the headstone in Karori Cemetery is misspelt as GAURIO, and his name on the cemetery database is recorded as Dale Malo GAURIO.
Following Malo’s death there was obviously some difficulty recruiting a new master for the Colonel de Villebois Mareuil, which was reported to still be in port at Wellington on 12 December, loading wool for San Francisco. Several other crew members had also succumbed to the ‘flu while in Wellington, and they too were buried in Karori Cemetery.
Research conducted by John Boyd
Grave Information:
Section: ROM CATH
Plot: 27 W
Sources:
[i] The term ordinary seaman was used to refer to a seaman with between one and two years' experience at sea, who showed enough seamanship to be so rated by their captain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ordinary_seaman
[ii] St. Brieuc is a small town less than 10 kilometres from Binic.