Profile

RENNETT, Thomas
(Service number 8/472)

Aliases
First Rank Private Last Rank Private

Birth

Date 6 November 1884 Place of Birth Timaru, New Zealand

Enlistment Information

Date 15 August 1914 Age 29
Address at Enlistment Bluff, New Zealand
Occupation Labourer
Previous Military Experience Three years with Timaru Rifles
Marital Status Married
Next of Kin Mrs Julia Rennett (wife), care of Mrs W Murray, Telegraph-Office, Timaru, New Zealand
Religion Church of England
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation Main Body
Unit, Squadron, or Ship Otago Infantry battalion
Date 16 October 1914
Transport Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay
Embarked From Port Chalmers, New Zealand Destination Suez, Egypt
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With Otago Infantry Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns Gallipoli
Service Medals 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal
Military Awards

Award Circumstances and Date

No information

Prisoner of War Information

Date of Capture
Where Captured and by Whom
Actions Prior to Capture
PoW Serial Number
PoW Camps
Days Interned
Liberation Date

Discharge

Date Reason

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date 25 April 1915 Age 30
Place of Death Gallipoli, Turkey
Cause Killed in action
Notices In loving memory of 8/472 Private Thomas Rennett, Main Body, who was killed in action on Gallipoli on April 25th. Inserted by his loving wife and daughter. (Timaru Herald Volume CVIII Issue 16817, 25 April 1919, page 6)
Memorial or Cemetery Plugge's Plateau Cemetery, Anzac Cove Turkey
Memorial Reference C. 2.
New Zealand Memorials On Memorial wall, Timaru

Biographical Notes

Harry was born in Timaru 6 November 1884, the son of Harry and Florence Almeda Rennett nee Secord. On 20 February 1909 he married Julia Batchelor and they had one daughter, Margaret Ester (Enid) born in 1910.

Prior to his enlistment at Invercargill on 15 August 1914, Harry was working as a labourer for Ernest Jurss, mariner, at Bluff. He had some previous military service having served 3 years with the Timaru Rifles. Harry’s description on enlistment was age 29, chest 34 ½ inches, weight 141 lbs, height 5 foot 7 ½ inches, eyes grey/blue, hair brown and complexion fair. He served in New Zealand from 15 August to 16 October 1914 and embarked for Suez Egypt from Port Chalmers on either the Ruapehu or Hawkes Bay on 16 October 1914. He was killed in action at Gallipoli on 25 April 1915, one of more than 100 killed on that day. He was buried in the Plugged Plateau Cemetery Anzac Cove.

“Private T. Rennett. Mrs Thomas Rennett of Timaru, received cable advice on Friday that her husband, Private Thomas Rennett, was killed in action at the Dardanelles on the 25th April. The late Private Rennett was a grandson of Mrs Govier, Clyde Street, Timaru, and was for many years a keen member of the Timaru City Rifles. His mother, Mrs H. Rennett, resides at Waipawa, Hawkes Bay.” (Press, 21 June 1915, page 10)

In loving memory of 8/472 Private Thomas Rennett, Main Body, who was killed in action on Gallipoli on April 25th. Inserted by his loving wife and daughter.” (Timaru Herald, 25 April 1919, page 6)

Private Rennett was awarded the 1914–1915 Star, War Medal and Victory Medal which were forwarded with a scroll and plaque to his wife.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (October 2014); BDM Historical Records (bdmhistoricalrecords,dai.govt.nz); Press, 21 June 1915; Timaru Herald, 25 April 1919; Digitised Military Personal File at Archives NZ; Births, Death, & Marriages Online (www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz)

External Links

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

George Munro; Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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