Barrister's wig

item details

NameBarrister's wig

ProductionEde & Ravenscroft; manufacturer(s); circa 1905; England

Classificationwigs

Materialshorsehair, lacquer

DimensionsOverall: 150mm (width), 90mm (height), 255mm (depth)

Registration NumberGH017822/1

Credit lineGift of Dr Judy Malone, 2013

Overview

This barrister's wig (in its original tin box) was made in London for William George Malone (1859-1915). Malone qualified as a barrister in New Zealand in 1899 after several years of studying by night while farming by day.

In 1903 he formed a law partnership opening branches in several Taranaki towns, basing himself in New Plymouth. In 1911 he sold his share of the legal practice and returned to Stratford where he acted as a solicitor.

Malone is better known for his military achievements in the Gallipoli campaign in the First World War (1914-19). He was passionately interested in military history and a strong advocate of compulsory military training. On the outbreak of war in August 1914, Malone was appointed to command the Wellington Battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. He was the oldest man in the battalion, but was successful in building a strong and ordered force. He died in battle after briefly securing Chunuk Bair on 8 August 1915.