COPPIN, John
(Service number 8/1440)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank | Private |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 23 January 1891 | Place of Birth | Geraldine New Zealand |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 15 December 1914 | Age | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Dannevirke | ||
| Occupation | Labourer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs W W Nichols (sister) Fairfield Estate, Levin | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | 3rd Reinforcements | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Otago Infantry Battalion | ||
| Date | 14 February 1915 | ||
| Transport | Aparima | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington, NZ | Destination | Suez,Egypt |
| Other Units Served With | Wellington Battalion | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Otago Infantry Battalion | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Gallipoli | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal | ||
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 |
Death
| Date | 16 June 1915 | Age | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Courtney's Post Gallipoli | ||
| Cause | Killed in action | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Shrapnel Valley Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | Levin War Memorial; 2015 additions to the Tiimaru Memorial Wall | ||
Biographical Notes
John, the eldest son of James & Grace Coppin nee Herdman of Dunedin, was born at Geraldine on 23 January 1891. He was educated at Geraldine, Horowiki and Petone schools.
John’s last NZ address was given as Dannevirke where he was working as a labourer for E. Brown. He joined the Wellington Battalion 15 December 1914, later transferring to the Otago Infantry Battalion. He served under the name “Jack” in NZ from 15 December 1914 to 14 February 1915 before leaving with the 3rd reinforcements for Suez, Egypt on the Aparima, departing Wellington 14 February 1915, arriving 27 March 1915. He was described on enlistment as being aged 23, 5 foot 8 inches tall, weighing 155 lbs, chest 34 ½ inches, eyes blue, hair red, of fair complexion, having one decayed tooth and tattoos on both arms (including a Union Jack on the left).
John served at Gallipoli and was killed in action at Courtney’s Post 16 Jun 1915, aged 24. Jack is buried in the Shrapnel Valley Cemetery. At wars end his scroll and plaque were sent to his father at 459 George Street Dunedin and his medals to his sister, Mrs W.W. Nichols, Fairfield Estate, Levin.
Jack had two other brothers who also served. 24/378 Enoch Coppin served with the NZ Rifle Brigade, twice wounded, but survived the war. Sergeant James Herdman Coppin served with the Australian Infantry Force anddied of wounds in France 23 August 1918.
Sources
Paul McNicholl's list of additional names for the Timaru Memorial Wall (August 2013), Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph database (March 2014); Military service record, Archives NZ; NZSG Index V5; Otago Daily Times, 6 Jul 1915 & 7 Sep 1918
External Links
Related Documents
No documents available.
Researched and Written by
Liz Shea, (SC branch NZSG); Ted Hansen (SC branch NZSG)
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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