Profile

HOPA, Murphy
(Service number 16/1478)

Aliases	Horomona Mouhe HOPA (name in death registration)
First Rank	Private	Last Rank	Private

Birth

Date	4 May 1899	Place of Birth	Temuka

Enlistment Information

Date	28 February 1916	Age	20 yrs - declared age, but believed to be only 16 yrs old.
Address at Enlistment	Tuahiwi, Kaiapoi
Occupation	Labourer
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status	Single
Next of Kin	Mrs COSGROVE (mother), Tuahiwi, Kaiapoi. Previously in Linwood & Addington, Christchurch
Religion	Church of England
Medical Information	Height 5 feet 6 inches. Weight 142 lbs. Chest measurement 32-35 inches. Complexion dark. Eyes brown. Hair black. Eyes both 6/6. Hearing, colour vision, heart and lings all normal. Limbs and chest well formed. Full movement of joints. No illnesses. Free from hernis, varicocele, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, inveterate or contagious skin disease. Vaccinated. Good bodily and mental health. No slight defects. No fits. Declared Fit.

Military Service

Served with	NZ Armed Forces	Served in	Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation	Maori Contingent
Unit, Squadron, or Ship	4th Reinforcements No. 2 Platoon
Date	26 June 1916
Transport	Tahiti
Embarked From	Wellington	Destination	Devonport, England

Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With	New Zealand Pioneer Battalion

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals	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	7 May 1919	Reason	Termination of period of engagement

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

On 23 December 1916 he was wounded in action in the Field and admitted to the Field Ambulance. He rejoined his unit from hospital on 27 December 1916. On 22 December 1917 he was admitted to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station in France, with Otitis Media.

Post-war Occupations

Death

Date	23 August 1921	Age	23 yrs
Place of Death	Cashmere Military Sanatorium
Cause	Result of war service
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery	Urupa, Te Uru Ti (main cemetery), corner of Tuahiwi Road & Greens Road, Tuahiwi, Waimakariri District
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

Murphy was born in Temuka and was the son of Emma Lea COSGROVE (COSSGROVE) formerly HOPA. His mother married Osbert Lamond COSSGROVE in 1914 and thereafter lived at Tuahiwi in the Waimakariri District. His brother Tane HOPA also served in WWI. Murphy commenced duty on 28 February 1916, when he enlisted at Narrow Neck, at just 16 years of age, and was discharged on 7 May 1919, only 20 years old, after 3 years and 69 days of service. His year of birth was not stated on Attestation. Murphy twice incurred punishments during his service - on 18 September 1917 for being outside corps area without a pass and on 28 October 1917 for drunkenness. He had two periods of leave (1917, 1918). Murphy returned to New Zealand per S. S. Westmorland, embarking at Liverpool on 28 February 1919. His medals were authorized to go to his mother (1 September 1922), but she had moved from recorded address. His brother Tane was written to for her address.

Sources

Cenotaph Database [27 June 2014]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5541 0056475) [27 June 2014]; CWGC [27 June 2014]; New Zealand Electronic Text Collection (Cause of Death) [28 June 2014]; Press, 26 February 1916, Timaru Herald, 5 January 1917, Otago Daily Times, 5 January 1917, Wanganui Chronicle, 5 January 1917, Oamaru Mail, 4 January 1917 (Papers Past) [27 June 2014]; Tuahiwi Maori Cemetery monumental inscriptions (South Canterbury Branch NZSG Cemetery Records microfiches) [01 July 2014]

External Links

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