WHITTA, John Rix
(Service number 7/145)
Back: Rainey, G; Frost, R; Julian, W; Cochrane, John; Tennant, John; Cochrane, James; Nichol N; Cameron, C; Robins; Rickman, E A; ?
3rd R: McKenzie, J (alexander John); Duggan, M; Tobin ,J; Tavendale, W; Campbell, J; Gynes; Hodgson, J; McKenzie, R S (Percy?); Samuels, H [actually Henry Samuel Miniss]; Copland; Fitzharris, P; Gill, J
2nd R: Fraser; Whitta, J H; Carr, J; Manchester, A R; Wain, P J; Finlay, John; Bailey, G C; Sloan, P; Bell, N; Menzies, W; Spencer, E; Ryan, E
Front: McGrath, W; Keane, T; Wall, T; Hunt; ?; Hogan, H (Courtesy of Waimate Museum & Archives, P2183 )
| First Rank | Lance Corporal | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 25/03/1886 | Place of Birth | Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 13 August 1914 | Age | 28 years 4 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | Waimate | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | Kings Own Yeomanry - 1 year | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Albert WHITTA, Methwold, Norfolk, England | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | Main Body | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | Canterbury Mounted Rifles | ||
| Date | 16 October 1914 | ||
| Transport | Tahiti or Athenic | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | Balkan (Gallipoli, Mudros); Egyptian, Egyptian Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 10 July 1954 | Age | 68 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Isle of Ely, Cambridgeshire | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | |||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Rix Whitta, born on 25 March 1886 at Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, was the youngest in the family of Albert John and Sarah Elizabeth (née Rought) Whitta. In 1891 John was a five year old scholar at home with his family at Mrthwold, Norfolk. Still at home in 1901, 15 year old John was an assistant to his father, an auctioneer and valuer. He was an auctioneer's clerk, still living at Methwold with his parents and two sisters. It appears that John had been not long in New Zealand when he enlisted with the New Zealand Forces on the outbreak of war - on 13 August 1914 at Timaru. But he had been long enough to establish a link with the Waimate Methodist Church,
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [04 March 2017]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Ref. AABK 18805 W5557 0121852) [12 March 2017]; 1891, 1901, 1911 census returns for Methwold, Norfolk, England (ancestry.com.au) [06 March 2017]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 12 & 27 August 1914, 2 August 1915, Timaru Herald, 15 August 1914, 19 September 1914, Press, 24 August 1914, 18 September 1914, 22 December 1915, Sun, 5 September 1914, Evening Post, 20 March 1917, Otago Daily Times, 24 March 1917, Auckland Star, 24 March 1917 (Papers Past) [04 & 06 March 2017]
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