George Craig Cruikshank (1881 – October 1951) was the seventh

Bishop of Waiapu The Diocese of Waiapu is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area around the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, including Tauranga, Tau ...

from 1945 to 1946. He used his second name, Craig, as can be seen in his final, poignant letter to his diocese, in which he closed "To one and all, my wife and I say farewell in grateful remembrance of all you have been to us. Ever your friend, CRAIG WAIAPU," adopting the traditional episcopal form of replacing his family name with that of his diocese. He was born in 1881 and educated at

Keble College, Oxford Keble College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its main buildings are on Parks Road, opposite the University Museum and the University Parks. The college is bordered to the north by Keble Road, to th ...

. He was ordained in 1908 and was a

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy w ...

at St Hilda's Church, Darlington and then

vicar A vicar (; Latin: ''vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pref ...

of Whangarei. This was a position he technically held twice, from 1910-1913, and then from 1914-1923, as during the war years he served as a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...

to the first

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

. From 1923 to 1932 he was vicar of Remuera. In 1932 he became Dean of Dunedin, a post he held until his ordination to the

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was elected Bishop of Waiapu in November 1944 and consecrated and enthroned (in the terminology of the day) in February 1945. Unfortunately he was affected by ill health, and forced on medical advice to resign only a little over a year after his enthronement. Bishop Cruickshank retired to Russell and was nursed by his wife Kate (née Stephenson) until her sudden death in Whanganui in December 1947. He died on 30 Sep 1951, his funeral service was held at St. Mark's, Remuera, and he is buried in the churchyard of the historic Christ Church Anglican church in Russell.Blain Biographical Directory: "CRUICKSHANK, GEORGE CRAIG"

References

1881 births People from Gisborne, New Zealand Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge New Zealand Anglican priests Anglican bishops of Waiapu Deans of Dunedin 20th-century Anglican bishops in New Zealand Year of death unknown New Zealand military chaplains 1951 deaths {{NewZealand-reli-bio-stub