Profile

O'CONNOR, James Joseph
(Service number 6/1676)

Temuka War Memorial, pictured in 2007 — (South Canterbury Museum 2013/155.25 #01)

Temuka War Memorial dedication inscription, pictured in 2007 — (South Canterbury Museum 2013/155.25 #05)

Temuka War Memorial plaque, names M-Y, pictured in 2007 — (South Canterbury Museum )

St Josephs Parish memorial, Temuka — (Courtesy of L Naughton )

Sacred Heart Basilica memorial plaque, photographed about 2010 — (South Canterbury Museum )

Aliases
First Rank	Private	Last Rank	Private

Birth

Date	08/07/1884	Place of Birth	Seadown, S. Canterbury

Enlistment Information

Date	18 January 1915	Age	30
Address at Enlistment	Seadown
Occupation	Labourer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	Michael O'CONNOR (father), Seadown, South Canterbury
Religion	Roman Catholic
Medical Information	Scar of appendicitis operation & scars back & front right thigh. False teeth.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	3rd Reinforcements
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	Canterbury Infantry Battalion
Date	14 February 1915
Transport	Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	Canterbury Infantry Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	1914-15 Star
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	5 June 1915	Age	30
Place of Death
Cause	Killed in action
Notices	Auckland Star, 18 June 1915 (p. 6) & NZ Herald, 19 June 1915 (p. 9) - reported missing
Memorial or Cemetery	Lone Pine Memorial, Lone Pine Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey. Memorial stone Temuka Cemetery (parents's plot)
Memorial Reference	75. Temuka Cemetery - General Section, Row 224, Plot 351.
New Zealand Memorials	On Memorial wall, Timaru (as J J); Basilica of the Sacred Heart (as James); Temuka RSA Roll of Honour; St Joseph's Church, Temuka; Temuka War Memorial

Biographical Notes

Son of Michael James & Mary (Minnie; nee DOWER) O'CONNOR, of Seadown. 5 Jun 1915 missing Dardanelles; 21 Jan 1916 'Now believed killed' (Court of Enquiry). Brother of Thomas Raphael O'CONNOR, DCM, also served in WWI. James's name is engraved on a brass shield, mounted on an oaken honours board, which was unveiled in a ceremony at the Seadown School in August 1920. A large gathering of Seadown residents and visitors from neighbouring districts took part in the unveiling and the accompanying musical service, which concluded with the sounding of the "Last Post'. .

Sources

Cenotaph Database [21 July 2013]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5549 0087658) [04 August 2013]; CWGC [O3 August 2013]; TDC Headstone image Temuka Cemetery [18 August 2013]; Timaru Herald, 21 August 1920 (Papers Past) [16 September 2014]

External Links

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