Birth

Enlistment Information

Military Service

Embarkation Information

Military Awards

Death

Biographical Notes

Thomas Kane, known as Tom, was born on 11 September 1877 at Merton, Otago, the fourth and youngest son of Peter Kane and his first wife, Bridget née Scully, of Merton, Otago. Peter and Julia who were bote from Ireland, married at the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Dunedin in 1867 and had four sons and one or two daughters. Julia died possibly at Seacliff in July 1880, little Thomas not three years old. Peter then married Margaret Mulholland at the Roman Catholic Cathedral, Dunedin in 1881. Peter was probably a sheep farmer at Fairview Farm, Beaconsfield, Waikouaiti, Margaret there with him in 1893. Peter had a large family of 14 sons and one or two daughters. Mr P. Kane was elected to the school committee at Merton in May 1895. It was Mr Kane of Merton who provided his barn for a welcome home to a local soldier returning in May 1902 from service in South Africa.

Thomas who was a somewhat elusive character in his early years, was believed to be living in Timaru in 1911. He may have been at Waihao Downs in 1902. By June 1917 when his name was drawn in the ballot, he was a shepherd at Birch Hill, Marlborough. Thomas had been listed as a shepherd at Branch Point, Birch Hill in the 1916 Reserve Rolls. The Eighth Ballot to fill vacancies in the Thirty-second Reinforcements was published on 6 June 1917. At his medical examination at Blenheim by the Travelling Medical on 26 June, he was classed A in spite of some issues – flat feet, left testicle atrophied, rheumatic fever and mumps 15 years ago, slight varicosity of left leg below knee. One wonders at the failure to distinguish between a man whose purported age was 27 years 9 months and the man whose actual age was 39 years 9 months. Putting his age down by 12 years, Thomas Kane enlisted at Blenheim on 29 June 1917. A shepherd in the Wairau Valley, Blenheim, single and Roman Catholic, he named his brother as next-of-kin – Mr John J. Kane, St Andrews, near Timaru. John Joseph Kane was the eldest in the family of Peter and Bridget. Posted to the 30th Reinforcements on 23 July 1917, he was transferred to the 31st Reinforcements on 18 August, then on 20 September he was granted leave with pay until further orders on Demobilization. The Medical Board which had been assembled at Featherston earlier in September ruled that his disease was chronic rheumatism and premature senility. He stated that he had rheumatic fever 7 or 8 years ago and was in hospital two or three months; was re-admitted to hospital six weeks after discharge and was kept there 5 months. He was presently complaining of pains in the back and left hip and shoulder also in left leg. He had done only about one week’s drill. The physical examination recorded his cardiac condition as normal and the painful parts exhibiting no physical signs. “The man appears prematurely old however.” It was recommended that he be discharged C2 (permanently unfit for active service but fit for service in New Zealand).

So, Thomas Kane’s service was of only seven weeks duration. In 1922 he was a shepherd at “Ngapeka”, Blenheim, then by 1925 back at Birch Hill. He was a shepherd at Hanmer Springs through the 1930s, his brother Edward having lived there for many years. Thomas Kane died at Hanmer Springs on 24 August 1942, in his 65th year. Following a Requiem Mass at the Hanmer Springs Catholic Church, he was buried at Hanmer Springs Cemetery, alongside his sister-in-law and brother Edward. Thomas made specific bequests to his sister Mary Mitchell and to his sister-in-law Johannah Kane (wife of his brother John Kane), and also to St Andrews Roman Catholic Church, St Andrews, South Canterbury. After the payment of his funeral and testamentary expenses, the residue of his estate was to go to his brother John Kane. It was another brother, Peter Kane of Oamaru, who gave details of Thomas to the Public Trustee.

Four of his half-brothers served in World War One – Hugh, Joseph Constantine, James Augustine, who died in 1918, and Daniel. Bernard and Frank were called up. Edward Michael Kane (brother), a rabbiter at Hanmer, was called up in 1916, and Sidney Martin Jane (half-brother, known as Mark) enlisted for service but was also declared unfit. Mr Peter Kane (senior) died at his Merton residence in September 1928, close to 100 years of age. He had enlisted for service in the Crimean War but was rejected. Thomas was survived by his brothers Edward (Ted) and Peter, his sister Mary, and half-brothers Bernard (Barney), Hugh, Patrick, Henry (Harry), Joseph, Daniel (Dan)), Anthony and Francis (Frank).

Sources

Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph Database [ 14 July 2026]; NZ Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives NZ Collections – Record number 0062487) [14, 18 & 19 July 2026]; NZ BDM indexes (Department of Internal Affairs) [17 July 2026]; Hanmer Springs Cemetery headstone transcription [15 July 2026]; Hanmer Springs Cemetery headstone image (Find a Grave) [19 July 2026; reference to Personnel File at Archives NZ Collections; Otago Witness, 9 May 1895, Colonist, 7 June 1917, Press, 25 August 1942 (Papers Past) [18 July 2026]; NZ Electoral Rolls (ancestry.com.au) [14 & 19 July 2026]; Probate record (Archives NZ Collections – Record number 7449) [19 July 2026]

External Links

• Auckland War Memorial Museum Cenotaph record
• Military personnel file

Related Documents

No documents available. 

Researched and Written by

Teresa Scott, SC Genealogy Society

Currently Assigned to

Not assigned.