The Couldreys
VINTAGE VIEW
Bill’s grandfather George Couldrey was born in 1834 in Abingdon in Berkshire, from a Huguenot family. He went to sea in 1852 at the age of 18. In June 1859 he was awarded the Royal Humane Society’s Medal for rescuing a woman who fell overboard from the ship Copenhagen in the Indian Ocean into shark-infested waters. He was discharged in 1863 as an able seaman.
George married Maria Hyde on 25th May 1863, and three days later they left for Auckland as immigrants in the White Star ship Annie Wilson. After four months at sea they reached Auckland – there had been nine deaths, five of them children with scarlet fever.
The Couldreys proceeded to Clevedon and were surprised to find that not only was the country at war
