George Ernest Berry BYRCH (1884-1952)

George Ernest Berry Byrch (1884-1952) was the son of a prominent Evesham solicitor who was friendly with the Sladden family.  When the Byrch family emigrated to New Zealand at the beginning of the 20th century, the two families kept in contact.  May Sladden stayed for a few days with the Byrches on a visit to New Zealand in 1906 and wrote about it in her diary.

George Byrch was born at Evesham on 4th July 1884, the fifth of ten children of Albert William Byrch, a solicitor, and his wife, Constance (née Bremmer).  He grew up at The Elms, Bengeworth and attended Christ College, Brecon, from March 1896 to July 1899.

In 1902, George emigrated with his family to the South Island of New Zealand.  They lived firstly at a sheep station at Mount Brown near Amberley, which was where May visited them in February 1906.  Soon after the Byrches moved to a sheep station at Motunau near Canterbury.

George died at Wellington, North Island, in 1952.