FLETT, John Thomas
(Service number 6/3701)
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 9 December 1894 | Place of Birth | Timaru |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 81 Avenue Street, Timaru | ||
| Occupation | Post Office clerk | ||
| Previous Military Experience | |||
| Marital Status | |||
| Next of Kin | J. T.(?) FLETT (father), 81 Avenue Street, Timaru | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 9th Reinforcements, Canterbury Infantry Battalion, C Company | ||
| Date | 8 January 1916 | ||
| Transport | Maunganui | ||
| Embarked From | Destination | Suez, Egypt | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | |||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | |||
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 | 30 April 1947 | Age | 52 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Timaru Cemetery | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Thomas Flett was born on 9 December 1894 at Timaru, the second son of Scotsman John Flett and Irish-born Annie (Ann) née Delaney. Some of is siblings attended Sacred Heart School, Timaru. J. T. Flett was in a contingent of South Canterbury soldiers who came from Christchurch by a special train and were welcomed home on 9 May 1919. A great crowd gathered at the station and cheered loudly when they arrived. The soldiers expressed their appreciation to the ladies who gave them fruit and cigarettes. The Mayor congratulated the soldiers on their heroic achievements abroad, thanked them on behalf of the whole community and expressed the hope that they would soon regain their health, before calling for three hearty cheers for them. Mr Craigie, M.P., said that all were proud of what they had done in the struggle for liberty and freedom, and expressed the hope that “they would have many happy years in this prosperous land”. John Thomas Flett also saw service in World War II.
John Thomas Flett married Frances Ada Johnston in 1922 at Waimate. They had nine children (one dying in infancy and another at 10 years) before John died on 30 April 1947 at Timaru, aged 52 years. He was buried in Timaru Cemetery, joined by Frances nearly 46 years after. .
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [23 June 2020]; NZ BDM Indexes (Depratment of Internal Affairs) [24 June 2020]; School Admission records (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [23 June 2020]; Temuka Cemetery headstone image (Timaru District Council) [23 June 2020]; Timaru Herald, 16 October 1916, 10 May 1919 (Papers Past) [21 June 2020]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, 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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