Bellevue bell
- Height 210 mm
- Width 254 mm
- Weight 11 kg
- Note A#
Bellevue
In Memory of George William Nias.
Given by his Mother.
The ‘Bellevue’ bell is dedicated to the memory of George William Nias, who died during the Passchendaele offensive.
George was born in Nelson on 4 July 1879, the only son of George and Sarah Nias. As a young man he had fought in the South African War. He was working as a storeman for the Post and Telegraph Department in Wellington when he enlisted for service in the First World War.
George departed New Zealand in December 1916 and arrived in England two months later. After final training at Sling Camp, he left for the Western Front in May 1917, arriving in time to take part in the capture of Messines Ridge.
Four months later, on 4 October 1917, George was among those New Zealanders who participated in the attack on Gravenstafel Spur. (The disastrous attack on Bellevue Spur, after which the bell is named, followed eight days later.) Though the attack was successful, it was also costly, and George was one of the day’s casualties. Initially reported as wounded and missing, a Court of Enquiry later ruled that he had been killed in action.
George’s body was never recovered, and he is among the men listed on the memorial to the missing at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium. In 1926 his mother gave one of the Carillon bells in his memory.
Further information
Auckland War Memorial Museum Online Cenotaph record – George Nias
Commonwealth War Graves Commission record – George Nias
Community contributions