24/10/2026
Today we remember Constable James Shields on the 93rd anniversary of his death while performing his duty. Moe mai rā James, you will always be remembered.
Name & rank: Constable James SHIELDS
Police number: 2461
Born: c.1896
Years in New Zealand Police: 11
Died: 25 October 1933
Age: 37
Married with one child
James's story:
Constable James Shields spent most of his 11 years as a Police officer in Auckland, serving at the Queens Wharf and Ponsonby Stations. In 1928 he married Alice Bemrose, and they had one child. Constable Shields was transferred to Huntly in 1933, only a few months before his death.
On 25 October 1933, Shields was a passenger in a car driven by another Police officer, Constable Robertson. The car was moving slowly over a level crossing when it was hit by the Rotorua Express train, bound for Auckland. The crossing was a very dangerous one, where train whistles were not always heard. Constable Robertson was concentrating on a coal train arriving at the station and did not notice the approach of the fast-moving express train. Both officers were injured and were trapped inside the car. Constable Robertson eventually recovered, but Constable Shields received severe internal injuries and died five hours after the crash. An inquest into the collision cleared all those involved of any blame.
Constable Shields was given a full Police funeral, with over 100 uniformed officers escorting the funeral cortege. He was remembered as a good man with a keen sense of justice, who went beyond the call of duty in helping those in need.
