Title: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]

Author: Cyclopedia Company Limited

Publication details: The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1897, Wellington

Part of: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

Share:

Captain William Henry Kidley, R.N.R., Commander of the s.s. “Gothic,” was born at Clifton, near Bristol, England, on the 31st of January, 1845. At eleven years of age he ran away from home and went to New York, but on arrival he was promptly placed on board another ship and sent home to his parents. He was then apprenticed on board the ship “Venus,” owned by Mr. Thomas Daniels, which traded to the West Indies. After completing his time, Captain Kidley was engaged in various ships, trading to many parts of the globe. In 1870 he joined the White Star line, and has sailed on such vessels as the “Gaelic,” “Coptic,” “Ionic,” “Adriatic,” and the “Gothic,” the latter being the flagship of the fleet. Captain Kidley opened the trade to New Zealand for the Company in the “Coptic” in 1884, and has been trading to and fro ever since. He is married, and has two sons and two daughters.