Talk:Les Pearce (general)

This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the Les Pearce (general) article.
This is not a forum for general discussion of the article's subject.

Put new text under old text. Click here to start a new topic.
New to Wikipedia? Welcome! Learn to edit; get help.

Article policies

Find sources: Google (books · news · scholar · free images · WP refs) · FENS · JSTOR · TWL

Biography: Military / Sports and Games

	Biography portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Biography, a collaborative effort to create, develop and organize Wikipedia's articles about people. All interested editors are invited to join the project and contribute to the discussion. For instructions on how to use this banner, please refer to the documentation.BiographyWikipedia:WikiProject BiographyTemplate:WikiProject Biographybiography articles
	This article is supported by the military biography work group (assessed as Low-importance).
	Sports portal This article is supported by the sports and games work group.

New Zealand Low‑importance

	New Zealand portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject New Zealand, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of New Zealand and New Zealand-related topics on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.New ZealandWikipedia:WikiProject New ZealandTemplate:WikiProject New ZealandNew Zealand articles
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Rugby union Start‑class Low‑importance

	This article is within the scope of WikiProject Rugby union, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of rugby union on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.Rugby unionWikipedia:WikiProject Rugby unionTemplate:WikiProject Rugby unionrugby union articles
Start	This article has been given a rating which conflicts with the project-independent quality rating in the banner shell. Please resolve this conflict if possible.
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Military history: Biography / South Pacific / World War II / Cold War

This article is within the scope of the Military history WikiProject. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks. To use this banner, please see the full instructions.Military historyWikipedia:WikiProject Military historyTemplate:WikiProject Military historymilitary history articles

This article has been checked against the following criteria for B-class status:
Referencing and citation: criterion met Coverage and accuracy: criterion not met Structure: criterion met Grammar and style: criterion met Supporting materials: criterion met

Associated task forces:
/
	Military biography task force
	Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific military history task force
	World War II task force
	Cold War task force (c. 1945 – c. 1989)

Parents

I'd thought that through a combination of PapersPast, BDM Online, and Ancestry (Wikimedia has given me an account; very useful), I could figure out his parents. And indeed, a birth search returns registration number 1918/1855 for the date of birth given in the article, with Leslie Arthur Pearce's parents listed as Frank and Bessie Jane. So far, so good. The Online Cenotaph lists "F. Pearce" as his father so that's fine. One entry on Ancestry, which is strange for a famous person; no parents listed; no children; just his spouse.

What I find next on PapersPast is weird. In September 1922, the Auckland Star has several articles on divorce proceedings between Frank Pearce and his wife, Bessie Pearce, and this one is the main one:

Married 12 June 1918
No children
She left him on 6 June 1919
Both had been widowed beforehand

This does seem to be a strange coincidence and they are in fact not his parents. Digging further, I find a marriage certificate 1904/7085 for a union between Bessie Jane Crespin and Frank Pearce. And yes, I can find them in the Manawatū Standard, having married on 4 August 1904 at the Wesleyan Church, New Plymouth: "Frank, fourth son of W. Pearce, of Wellington, to Bessie J., youngest daughter of A. J. Crespin, of Wellington."

It's safe to conclude that his parents were Bessie (née Crespin) and Frank Pearce. And I can find them on Ancestry:

Frank Pearce, born July 1874 in Bristol, died 24 August 1956 in NZ
Bessie Jane Crespin, born April 1879 in Bristol, died 29 Jan 1940 in Auckland

And indeed, there's a death notice for her in both the Auckland Star and The New Zealand Herald. Buried at Waikumete Cemetery. Schwede 66 10:26, 3 June 2021 (UTC)[reply]