The untold stories of World War I soldiers
In the planning for our annual Anzac exhibition, we came across three photos of soldiers posing in their World War I uniforms. These photos made us ponder – who are the men in the photos?
When starting the research, we were lucky enough to know the soldiers’ names. On further digging we discovered a sombre detail. In one photo in particular, there were five men dressed for war and during our research we discovered that only two of the men returned home to their families. Three of the men were killed and now lie overseas in a Commonwealth War Grave.
These are the stories of the men in that particular photo:
Top left: Service Number 21073 Alexander NORTON. He was born on 16 February 1896 at Whitianga. As a single man, he was employed as a farmhand by NA Wells of Whitianga. He was the son of Mr & Mrs Charles Norton, of Whitianga and then Ngāpuke in the King Country. He enlisted/attested on 11 April 1916 at Whitianga and embarked on 24 October 1916. He was wounded in action (WIA) during the first battle of Passchendaele and then later was killed in action (KIA) when the hospital he was in near Gravenstafel was bombed on 12 October 1917. He was 21 years of age. He is interred in the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
Top right: Service Number 20999 Raymond HAMILTON. He was born on 6 February 1892 at Whitianga. As a single man, he was employed as a farmhand by John Sullivan of Gumtown (now Coroglen). He was the son of John and Mary Hamilton of Mount Eden, Auckland. He enlisted/attested on 3 May 1916 at Trentham Camp and embarked on 24 October 1916. He was accidentally killed on 25 January 1918, along with two others, whilst loading salvaged bombs. He was 25 years of age. He is interred in the Menin Road South Military Cemetery, Leper, West Vlaanderen, Belgium, III.O.38.
Bottom left: Service Number 21032 Otto Lee. He was born on 11 June 1890 in Whitianga. As a single man, he was employed as a farmer in Whitianga. He was the son of William and Catherine Lee of Owen Street, Whitianga. He enlisted/attested in 1916 and embarked on 24 October 1916. After the war, he returned to New Zealand and on 7 July 1927 he married Esther Beryl Evans in Auckland. He died on 18 May 1979 in Thames and is interred in the Mercury Bay Cemetery.
Bottom centre: Service Number 20997 John HAMILTON. He was born on 21 May 1888 at Whitianga. As a single man, he was employed as a farm manager in Whitianga. He was the son of David and Jane Hamilton of Whenuakite, Whitianga. He enlisted/attested on 3 May 1916 at Trentham Camp and embarked on 24 October 1916. After the war he returned to New Zealand and in 1919 he married Annie Stephens. He died on 7 August 1955 and is interred in the Mercury Bay Cemetery.
Bottom right: Service Number 20998 Percy HAMILTON. He was born on the 21 August 1895 at Whitianga. As a single man, he was employed as a sawmill hand at the Kauri Timber Mill in Whitianga. He was the son of John and Mary Hamilton Mount Eden, Auckland. He enlisted/attested on 3 May 1916 at Trentham Camp and embarked on 24 October 1916. As a Private serving with the 3rd Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment (AIR), he was killed in action (KIA) on 15 October 1917, during the first battle of Passchendaele. He was 25 years of age. He is interred in the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Zonnebeke, West Vlaanderen, Belgium.
lt’s interesting to note that all three Hamilton men (two brothers and a cousin) enlisted/attested on 3 May 1916 at Trentham Camp and subsequently had sequential service numbers 20997, 20998 & 20999.
This and the two other photos are now centrepieces for our annual Anzac exhibition. This year’s exhibition is proudly sponsored by the Mercury Bay RSA. It will run from 1st April 2024 until 24th May 2024. The exhibition also has memorabilia from World War I and the Mercury Bay Roll of Honour takes pride of place.
Words by Becs Cox.
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