RICHARDSON, SIR GEORGE SPAFFORD (1869-1938) was born in England. Disliking commercial life, he enlisted in the artillery at Woolwich in 1887. For 16 years he served in the ranks, rose to master-gunner, and after a gunnery course at Shoeburyness was appointed gunnery instructor to the New Zealand Government in 1891. In 1907 he retired from the army, and was gazetted a captain in the New Zealand defence force. In 1912 he entered the Camberley Staff College in England, graduating the following year. Just before the war of 1914-18, with the rank of major, he represented New Zealand at the War Office, and after hostilities commenced he helped to organise a force of 25,000 men (mainly of the Royal Naval Division) for the defence of Antwerp. He served as quartermaster-general of the Naval Division at Gallipoli, and in 1917 was appointed general officer commanding the New Zealand forces in England. (C.M.G. 1915; C.B. 1917; C.B.E. 1919; Legion d'honneur; Belgian Croix de Guerre.) From 1919 to 1923 he was in charge of administration in the Dominion, and from 1923 to 1928 (when he attended the mandates committee and Assembly of the League of Nations) he was administrator of Western Samoa (K.B.E. 1926). Returning to live in Auckland, Richardson was elected to the City Council, and was active in the cause of ex-servicemen. He died on 1 Jun 1938, and was survived by his wife, Caroline, daughter of William Warren of Wellington (married 1892).

Who's Who N.Z., 1924, 1932; Studholme; The Dominion and Evening Post, 13 Jun 1938.

Reference: Volume 2, page 120

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