LOOKER, James Henry
(Service number 78246)
Looker served with the 40th and 44th Reinforcements before joining the Canterbury Infantry Regiment, all in 1918.
Note that the man in the centre of the front row appears to have at least three service stripes on his left lower sleeve, indicating that the image would have been taken in late 1918. (Courtesy of L Naughton )
| First Rank | Private | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 4 January 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 | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
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 | |||
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 | 25 November 1980 | Age | 87 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Timaru Hospital | ||
| Cause | Heart attack | ||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Andersons Bay Crematorium, Dunedin - ashes scattered | ||
| 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]
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Researched and Written by
Tony Rippin, South Canterbruy Museum
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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