STOKES, James Edward
(Service number 41148)
| First Rank | Second Lieutenant | Last Rank |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 11 August 1896 | Place of Birth | Waikuku, North Canterbury |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | Age | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | C/o H M Customs, Invercargill | ||
| Occupation | Customs Officer | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 8th Southland Infantry | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Edward STOKES (father), Morven, South Canterbury | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Expeditionary Force | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 30th Reinforcements, Otago Infantry Regiment, D Company | ||
| Date | 13 October 1917 | ||
| Transport | Corinthic | ||
| 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 | 6 April 1973 | Age | 76 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Wellington | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Cremated & ashes interred Karori Cemetery, Wellington | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
James Edward Stokes, who was born on 11 August 1896 at Waikuku, was the younger son of Edward and Elliss (née Whatman) Stokes. In mid-1905 the family moved from Waikuku to Morven, where Mr Stokes took up a farm, and James, his brother and sister transferred to Waihao Native School. James Stokes was awarded a prize for merit in Standard V at Morven School in 1907. James Edward Stokes, a pupil at Waimate was successful in the1911 junior university examinations.
By November 1915 James was in the employ of Customs at Ivercargill. In February 1916 an application for the exemption of Sergeant James Edward Stokes from the annual training camp went to the Magistrate’s Court because of conflicting views between the Customs Department and the Defence Department. It was stated that “the application was based on the allegation that the absence of the applicant from the Customs Office would cause inefficiency in the service of the public, and undue hardships to such officers as were left to carry on the work. The applicant in the box gave evidence that he personally desired to go to camp, but had to apply for exemption by order of the Customs Department, by which he is employed.” He magistrate found it strange that the issue was referred to him and ruled that, if some arrangement could be not arrived at, it would have to be settled by the Court.
James Edward Stokes was a customs officer at Invercargill when he enlisted, naming his father as next-of-kin – Mr Edward Stokes, Morven, South Canterbury. He had registered for Military Service at Timaru and he had served with the 8th Soutland Infantry. Second lieutenant J. E. Stokes embarked with the Otago Infantry Regiment of the 30th Reinforcements per the “Corinthic” on 13 October 1917, destined for Liverpool, England. One of 968 men in Returning Draft No. 273, 41148 Lieutenant J. E. Stokes returned to New Zealand by the “Somerset” which was due at Lyttelton on or about 12 August 1919.
After the war James was with the Customs Department in Wellington. He married Norma Rhys Blake at the Kibirnie Presbyterian Church in December 1925, his brother Harry being best man. He died on 6 April 1963 at Wellington, aged 76. He was cremated at Karori Crematorium, Wellington, his ashes being interred in the Rose Garden there. Norma died in June 1973. Theye were survived by a son and a daughter.
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [07 August 2021]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [07 August 2021]; School Admission records (Waimate Branch NZSG) [08 August 2021]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [08 August 2021]; Oamaru Mail, 23 December 1906, Waimate Daily Advertiser, 22 January 1912, Southland Times, 24 February 1916, Evening Post, 5 August 1919, 29 December 1925, Otago Daily Times, 6 August 1919 (Papers Past) [08 August 2021]; Karori Crematorium records (Wellington City Council) [08 August 2021]
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, SC branch NZSG
Currently Assigned to
TS
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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