James Bodell (c.1831 – 23 September 1892) was a New Zealand soldier, businessman, local politician and writer. He was born in Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England and was Mayor of Tauranga between 1888 and 1889.[1]

Early life

The son of framework knitter William Bodell and his wife, Maria Margrom, James Bodell was baptized in Arnold – a town in the English ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire – on 3 July 1831. The family soon relocated to Leicester, a city around 30 miles (48 km) away, where Bodell attended school for three years.[1]

Enlistment

Bodell enlisted in the 59th (2nd Nottinghamshire) Regiment of Foot in 1848, the year of a series of revolutions in Western and Central Europe.[1]

Later life

Bodell served in the militia in Waikato from 1863 to 1866. He was briefly a photographer, in the 1870s.[2]

His memoirs, edited by Sir Keith Sinclair, were published in 1982 as A Soldier’s View of Empire.[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Keith Sinclair. "Bodell, James". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 27 May 2016.
  2. Payne, Brett (14 August 2015). "Tauranga Photographers: James Bodell". taurangahistorical.blogspot.com. Tauranga Historical Society. Archived from the original on 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  3. Sinclair, Keith, ed. (1982). A soldier's view of Empire: the reminiscences of James Bodell, 1831–92. London: The Bodley Head. ISBN 0370302249.
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