BLAKE, John Henry
(Service number 26/956)
| First Rank | Rifleman | Last Rank | Rifleman |
|---|
Birth
| Date | 18 March 1879 | Place of Birth | Waimate |
|---|
Enlistment Information
| Date | 1 October 1915 | Age | 36 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address at Enlistment | 30 Bay Road, Kilbirnie, Wellington | ||
| Occupation | Clerk (Railway Department) | ||
| Previous Military Experience | 4 years Waimate Rifles - disbanded | ||
| Marital Status | Single | ||
| Next of Kin | Mrs W. BLAKE (mother), 30 Bay Road, Kilbirnie, Wellington | ||
Military Service
| Served with | NZ Armed Forces | Served in | Army |
|---|
Embarkation Information
| Body on Embarkation | New Zealand Rifle Brigade | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Unit, Squadron, or Ship | 4th Battalion, D Company | ||
| Date | 5 February 1916 | ||
| Transport | Ulimaroa or Mokoia or Navua | ||
| Embarked From | Wellington | Destination | |
| Other Units Served With | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Last Unit Served With | Rifle Brigade | ||
Military Awards
| Campaigns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Service Medals | 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 | 1 May 1952 | Age | 73 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place of Death | Levin | ||
| Cause | |||
| Memorial or Cemetery | Tiro Tiro Road Cemetery, Levin | ||
| New Zealand Memorials | |||
Biographical Notes
John Henry Blake was born on 18 March 1879 at Waimate, the eldest son of William and Elizabeth (née Mann) Blake. William and Elizabeth had married in 1878 at Waimate and went on to have eleven children born there. John was surely educated at Waimate District High School.
He was a clerk with the Railways Department, living at home, when he was called up and enlisted on 1 October 1915. Single and Methodist, he named his mother as next-of-kin – Mrs W. Blake, 30 Bay Road, Kilbirnie, Wellington. He had served for four years with the Waimate Rifles until the unit was disbanded. Rifleman J. H. Blake embarked with the New Zealand Rifle Brigade, departing from Wellington on 5 February 1916. He was wounded in action on 12 October 1917 and was admitted to hospital. After being in a serious condition, he was discharged from Hospital on 20 October and rejoined his unit. J. H. Blake, 26/956, of Kilbirnie, was one of more than 1150 who were due to arrive home in February 1919 by the “Oxfordshire” (Draft 207). He was discharged on 2 March 1919 and was awarded the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.
John married Ethel Lillian Maude Tustin in 1921 and they had one son. He died on 1 May 1952 at Levin and was buried in the Old Levin Cemetery (also known as Tiro Tiro Road Cemetery. His grave in the RSA block is marked by a services plaque. Ethel died in 1984 and is buried in the Old Levin Cemetery with her sister.
Four of his brothers also served in World War One – Charles Edward Blake, Leslie Walter Blake, George Stanley Blake and Allan Blake. His nephew, Flying Officer Eric George Blake, lost his life in World War Two. The name of Lance-Corp. J. H. Blake appeared regularly on the Waimate Daily Advertiser Roll of Honour under the sub-title of "Answered the Call".
Sources
Auckland War Memorial Museumm Cenotaph Database [04 July 2022]; NZ BDM Indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [04 July 2022]; Tiro Tiro Road Cemetery, Levin burial record & headstone image (Horowhenua District Council) [09 July 2022]; Waimate Daily Advertiser, 30 May 1918, NZ Times, 29 January 1919 (Papers Past) [18 September 2019; 09 July 2022]
External Links
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Researched and Written by
Teresa Scott, Teresa Scott, South Canterbury Genealogy Society
Currently Assigned to
Not assigned.
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License unless otherwise stated.
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