Profile

LOOKER, James Henry
(Service number 78246)

Aliases Jim
First Rank Private Last Rank

Birth

Date 04/01/1893 Place of Birth Geraldine

Enlistment Information

Date Age
Address at Enlistment 80 Denmark Street, Temuka
Occupation Porter (NZ Railways)
Previous Military Experience
Marital Status Married
Next of Kin Mrs L.K. Looker (wife), 80 Denmark Street, Temuka
Religion Methodist
Medical Information

Military Service

Served with NZ Armed Forces Served in Army
Military District

Embarkation Information

Body on Embarkation New Zealand Expeditionary Force
Unit, Squadron, or Ship 44th Reinforcements, C Company
Date 13 June 1918
Transport HMNZT Athenic
Embarked From Destination Liverpool, Merseyside, England
Other Units Served With
Last Unit Served With

Military Awards

Campaigns
Service Medals
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 1919 Reason End of period of engagement

Hospitals, Wounds, Diseases and Illnesses

Post-war Occupations

Civil servant

Death

Date 25 November 1980 Age 87 years
Place of Death Timaru Hospital
Cause Heart attack
Notices
Memorial or Cemetery Andersons Bay Crematorium, Dunedin - ashes scattered
Memorial Reference
New Zealand Memorials

Biographical Notes

James Henry Looker was the son of Charles and Sarah Looker, born in Geraldine in 1893. His schooling was at Orton School where the family lived. James was a labourer in the area until about 1915 when he became a railway porter for NZ Railways. In 1915 he also married Kathleen Miniss (1893-1974) and the couple later had two children,

James entered training camp in April 1918 at Burnham, leaving for England in June with the 44th Reinforcements. With the war coming to a close however, James barely completed training in England before the fighting ended. He remaining in England unitl he returned home for his final disacharge in September 1919.

After the wear James continued to work for NZ Railways, being promoted and transferred to Dunedin, through to his retirment in 1957. After Lucy died Jim moved back to Temuka, where he lived until his death in 1980. Jim's ashes are scattered with Lucy's at Anderson's Bay Cemetery, Dunedin.

James' brothers George and William (Willie) Isaac Looker also served in World War I; brother John William Looker enlisted; and brother Charles was called up.

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [13 January 2017]; SCFRoll submission by L Baughton, 2016 (SC Museum L2016/004); NZ Defence Force Records (Archives NZ ref. AABK 18805 W5544 0069227) [26 September 2017]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [14 November 2017]; School Admission record (South Canterbury Branch NZSG) [14 November 2017]; Andersons Bay Crematorium record (Dunedin City Council) [14 November 2017]

External Links

Related Documents

Researched and Written by

Tony Rippin, South Canterbruy Museum

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.

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