This site is dedicated to exploring the life of Robert Kershaw, otherwise known as Robert William Kirkby.
Born in July 1841 in Burnley, Lancashire, Robert grew up in a working-class family. His father, a railway worker, ensured his children received an education. At 18, following his mother’s death, Robert enlisted in the 18th Royal Irish Regiment. As a fifer and bugler, he served in Aotearoa during the Waikato and Second Taranaki Wars, performing at high-profile events in Auckland.
Faced with the regiment’s return to the UK, Robert deserted and forged a new life in New Zealand. Under the name Robert Kershaw, he joined the Engineer Volunteer Militia, helped build railways, and fathered five children with Mauruuru Pango Tarawhiti of Ngāti Ruanui. He later served with the New Zealand Armed Constabulary, witnessing the Parihaka invasion, before working on dairy farms into his 80s.
Declining health forced him to reclaim his original identity to apply for a pension. He died on 19 February 1926 at the Hāwera Old Men’s Home and was buried the next day.
Robert’s life was one of resilience, reinvention, and survival—spanning two names, two worlds, and two histories.
Want to know more? Read his story here.