Cook Island Soldiers - 100 Year Commemoration

The Cook Islands Returned Services Association,
in collaboration with the Government of the Cook Islands
REMEMBERING THE COOK ISLANDS

SOLDIERS OF WORLD WAR ONE
PART 1 - 25TH APRIL 2015
ODE TO THE FALLEN
Kre rtou e Ruaine ia

Penei ia ttou e ora nei
Kre te tutau e akaroiroia rtou
E te au mataiti e akaapairoia ia rtou
E te au mataiti e akaapa ia rtou
I te opuanga o te r
E tau ua atu ki te popongi
Ka akamaara ua ri ttou ki rtou.
Ka akamaara ua ri ttou ki rtou
They shall grow not old;

As we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn;
At the going down of the sun
And in the morning;
We will remember them
We will remember them
REPRODUCTION, COPYING, OR REDISTRIBUTION FOR COMMERCIAL PURPOSES OF THIS DOCUMENT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF WOVEN PACIFIC COMMUNICATIONS.
CONTENTS
Message from from the President of the Cook islands RSA......................................... 02
Message from the Queens Representative........................................................................... 03
Message from the Prime Minister............................................................................................. 04
ANZAC message from the Government of New Zealand.............................................. 05
World War One Timeline............................................................................................................... 06
Nominal Rolls...................................................................................................................................... 12
Four Cook Islands soldiers who went to Gallipoli............................................................. 16
100 years Ago...................................................................................................................................... 18
Roll of Honour the soldiers who lost their lives in service....................................... 20
Ataturk Tribute................................................................................................................................... 21
Apu Tepuretu death notice....................................................................................................... 22
John Apa citation re being awarded a Military Medal................................................. 23
We remember them......................................................................................................................... 24
Graves of some of our fallen soldiers....................................................................................... 26
War Memorials................................................................................................................................... 28
The growth of ANZAC Day Cook Islands........................................................................... 30
Our troops visit the House of Representatives................................................................... 31
History of the Poppy........................................................................................................................ 32
Moeroa Bens winning speech Was it worth it?.............................................................. 34
Acknowledgements.......................................................................................................................... 36
100TH ANZAC ANNIVERSARY
PAGE 01
MESSAGE FROM THE

PRESIDENT OF THE COOK ISLANDS RSA
My warmest greetings to those of you who have joined for this 2015 ANZAC
Service, especially to the men and women who have served with commitment
and those who continue to serve in the New Zealand & Australian Defence Forces.
This year we commemorate 100 years since the
Remembrance Services and ANZAC Day, we honour
landings of Australian Imperial Forces and New
their sacrifice, and acknowledge those who are still
Zealand Expeditionary Forces at ANZAC Cove. Wars
serving, so that we can hold fast to our values.
affect communities, in the Cook Islands we too

have felt the horrors of war. However, we should
celebrate the fact that sometimes when freedoms,
liberties and our quality of life are threatened
there are people who choose to fight to protect us.
During the Gallipoli campaign four young men
who identified their home location as the Cook
Islands served on the Peninsula. Sadly one did not
leave but lies resting at Walkers Ridge Cemetery,
above ANZAC Cove in Turkey.
Cook Islanders have served in the New Zealand
Forces in both war and peace. Through
This booklet is not intended to be a complete

chronological sequence of events of the Great War.
However over the next three years future booklets
will be printed highlighting important information
on the Great War years.
May the Holy Spirit be with you all on this ANZAC
Day Saturday 25 April 2015.
Kia manuia
Tuoro Henry Wichman

President
Cook Islands Returned & Services Association
PAGE 02
MESSAGE FROM THE

QUEENS REPRESENTATIVE
Kia Orana, this 100th Commemoration of the ANZAC is more than a
tradition of recognition, it is a beheld belief in the lives of the befallen
Soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect the virtues of peace and
freedom that we so enjoy today.
H.E Tom Marsters and Mrs Marsters with the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge.
Photo taken 4 August 2014 in Lige, Belgium at commemorations of the
100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.
I stand in the presence of this commemoration,
noble in recognizing the lives whom were in
proud to represent my forefathers, the people and
conflict. Accordingly, and on behalf of the Island
Government of the Cook Islands that amongst,
Nation of the Cook Islands, we share the faith of
the New Zealand and Australian compatriots,
our fallen heros as we commemorate the lives of
our Cook Islands Soldiers volunteered to join
all both known and unknown of their deeds and
the movement of defending what we hold most
their sacrifices reminding us of the invincible
precious today, the freedom of association.
Spirit of ANZAC.
Last year, August the 4th , I joined with world
Lest we forget!
leaders to commemorate the 100th Year of the

Great War in the township of Liege, Belgium where
the significance at the global level of honouring
the sons and daughters of humanity was most
H.E Tom Marsters

Queens Representative
Cook Islands
PAGE 03
MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER

Sacrifice is a word we dont often
use in everyday life because our
hardships today rarely involve
the surrender or the giving up of
something we hold very dear.
In commemorating ANZAC Day each year, the
highest sacrifice one can make is at the very heart
of our remembrance of those, who gave so much
of themselves during World War I. Scripture tells
us that:
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay
down ones life for his friends. [John 15: 13]
The teachings of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
hold true for those, who fought in the Great War.
They gave for their families, their friends, their
countries. And they shall never be forgotten.
Cook Islanders made tremendous sacrifices
alongside the servicemen and women of Australia
and New Zealand, and we recall their lives with
love, with pride, and dignity.
This year, in marking the 100th Anniversary of the
landing at Gallipoli, we remember the fallen and
those who served.
I know that in the Cook Islands, ANZAC Day
has become more and more special to us all,
particularly because over the passage of time,
we are saying goodbye to more and more of our
elderly veterans.
At home, and in New Zealand, the memory of

Cook Islands servicemen in World War I will be
part of special ceremonial events, and it will be
a proud occasion for the families and friends of
those no longer with us.
To those that are still with us today, you will never
be forgotten as we will be forever in the debt of all
returned servicemen and women.
In that regard, our spirit of ANZAC binds us with
the many servicemen and women of Australia and
New Zealand all of whom we count as brothers
and sisters in arms friends and mates alongside
whom we share this day and all that it means.
Lest we forget.
Hon. Henry Puna

Prime Minister
PAGE 04
ANZAC MESSAGE FROM THE

GOVERNMENT OF NEW ZEALAND
On 25 April each year, we pause to remember and acknowledge the service
and sacrifice of all New Zealanders who have served in military conflicts.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the day
Our special relationship is also commemorated
when brave ANZAC soldiers scaled the cliffs at
this year through the 50th anniversary of Cook
Gallipoli. It was the beginning of an eight month
Islands self-government in free association with
ordeal that has become of enduring importance
New Zealand. New Zealand is honoured to have
to all New Zealanders and Australians. The spirit
shared in such a long and warm partnership, based
of the ANZACs was forged on those foreign
on strong people-to-people and cultural links.
battlefields many years ago, yet it lives on today.
It is with great pride that we honour the
The Cook Islands contingents that joined the
commitment, courage, and comradeship of all our
New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in training
service men and women, who exemplify the true
and in battle during World War One are also
ANZAC spirit.
commemorated each year on ANZAC Day. Our

soldiers fought side by side, as comrades and
Lest we forget.
as friends. The enduring bonds formed during
Aimee Jephson
that time continue to be reflected in the close

relationship between our two countries.
Acting High Commissioner for New Zealand
PAGE 05
WORLD WAR ONE TIMELINE

28 June
16 September
Assassination of Archduke
Franz Ferdinand
Mori Contingent formed
The assassination of Archduke

Franz Ferdinand of AustriaHungary and his wife in Sarajevo
triggers the build-up to the First
World War. By 4 August, Europes
major powers are at war.
The government announces the

formation of a Mori Contingent
of 200 men for service with the
NZEF. This is expanded to 500 at
the suggestion of the British War
Office.
4 August
Britain declares war on
Germany
New Zealand receives the news
of the outbreak of war at 1 p.m.
on 5 August (NZ time). It is
announced by the Governor, the
Earl of Liverpool, on the steps of
Parliament to a crowd of 15,000.
and France declare war on

the Ottoman Empire on 5
November.
8 December
ANZAC name introduced
The NZEF combines with
Australian Imperial Force
units to form the
Australian and New
Zealand Army Corps
(ANZAC). Anzac
is adopted as the
label for Australian
or New Zealand
soldiers following the
Gallipoli landings.
Mori Pioneer Battalion flag
1914
16 October
NZEF Main Body departs
NZ troops arriving to support the

occupation of German Samoa
29 August
NZ forces capture German
Samoa
A 1400-strong Advance Party
NZEF captures German Samoa,
the second German territory,
after Togoland in Africa, to fall to
Allied forces during the war.
The NZEF Main Body and 1st

Reinforcements, consisting of
about 8500 soldiers and more
than 3000 horses, departs
Wellington in 10 troopships.
They arrive in Egypt on 3
December and establish a camp
at Zeitoun, near Cairo.
2 November
The Ottoman Empire enters
the war
Russia declares war on the
Ottoman Empire, an ally of the
German and Austro-Hungarian
empires. The British Empire
(including New Zealand)
German-made version of the Ottoman

War Medal, often mistakenly referred
to as the 'Gallipoli Star' by Anzac and
British troops.
PAGE 06

3 February
New Zealand soldiers see their

first combat of the war when
they help defend the Suez Canal
against an attack by Ottoman
troops. Private William Ham,
severely wounded during the
fighting, becomes the NZEFs
first combat fatality two days
later.
OFFENSIVE LAUNCHED 6 AUG 1915

CHUNUK BAIR CAPTURED 8 AUG
Ag hyl D e re
AEGEAN
SEA
Ottoman
reinforcements
Bauchop's
Hill
Little
Table Top
ere
5 Hill Q
Old No. 3 Post
ANZAC PERIMETER
5 AUG 1915
25 April
Gallipoli landings
Anzac Cove
Hill 971
Table Top
Ari Burnu
The ANZAC landing near Ari

Burnu at what has become
known as Anzac Cove on the
Gallipoli peninsula of Turkey.
Ch a i lak D
1000 m
Damakjelik
Bair
A zm a Dere
New Zealand soldiers see

first combat
Destroyer
Hill
e nd ro n S p
d
R ho
Russell's Top
The Sphinx
The
Nek
od
CHUNUK BAIR
RECAPTURED BY
OTTOMAN FORCES
10 AUG
The
ur Apex
Chunuk
Bair
Battleship
Hill
A
R R
I
A
SARI B
Baby 700
NG
E
Ottoman
reinforcements
Sari Bair offensive, August 1915 map
1915
The first New Zealand troops
land in the late morning.
58 May
Second Battle of Krithia
The New Zealand Infantry
Brigade deploys south to Cape
Helles, Gallipoli and takes part
in a series of unsuccessful
attacks toward the village of
Krithia on the slopes of Achi
Baba. They suffer over 800
casualties.
Zealand units hold the summit

for two days until relieved by
British troops on the night of 9-10
August. Chunuk Bair is recaptured
by the Turks the next day.
12 August
National coalition
government takes office
8 August
The Reform and Liberal parties

join together to form a National
ministry under the leadership of
Prime Minister William Massey
and Sir Joseph Ward. The
coalition lasts until August 1919
NZ troops capture Chunuk

Bair
September
The Wellington Battalion

captures Chunuk Bair during
the Battle of Sari Bair. New
1520 December
Evacuation of Gallipoli
The authorities in London
decide to withdraw from the
Gallipoli peninsula. New
Zealand troops are evacuated
from the Anzac area between
15 and 20 December. The
campaign has cost New
Zealand nearly 7500 casualties,
including 2779 dead.
First Contingent leave

Rarotonga for Auckland
Anzac troops return to Gallipoli
PAGE 07

1 March
1 August
15 September
New Zealand Division

formed
Conscription introduced
NZ Division goes into action

on the Somme
A New Zealand Division is

formed with three infantry
brigades. Major-General Sir
Andrew Russell is given
command. The division is sent to
the Western Front and arrives in
France from Egypt in April 1916.
Conscription is introduced in
New Zealand by the Military
Service Act. As a result 24,000
conscripts serve overseas
with the NZEF alongside
72,000 volunteers. The first
conscription ballot is held on
16 November 1916.
25 April
4 August
First Anzac Day service
Battle of Romani
The first Anzac Day services are

held in New Zealand to mark
the anniversary of the Gallipoli
landings. The government had
announced the establishment of
Anzac Day as a half-day holiday
on 5 April.
Following service on Gallipoli,

the New Zealand Mounted Rifles
Brigade takes part in campaigns
against Ottoman forces in Sinai
and Palestine, 1916-1918. They
see their first major action near
Romani in the Sinai.
The New Zealand Division takes

part in its first major action
near Flers during the Somme
offensive (July-November 1916).
Over the next 23 days, the
division suffers approximately
8000 casualties, including more
than 2000 killed.
But all that my mind sees
Is a quaking bog in a mist
stark, snapped trees,
And the dark Somme flowing.
Vance Palmer (18851959),
The farmer remembers the Somme
1916
31 May1 June
HMS New Zealand takes
part in the Battle of Jutland
In 1909 New Zealand offered
a battleship to Britain to help
strengthen their naval fleet.
The battle cruiser HMS New
Zealand joined the British
battle fleet in 1912 and took
part in the Battle of Jutland
against the German High Seas
Fleet.
6 July
Second Contingent leave
HMS New Zealand.
PAGE 08

4 October
Third Battle of Ypres
New Zealands 1st and 4th
(Rifle) brigades take part
in a successful attack on
Gravenstafel Spur, which runs
off Passchendaele ridge. The
attack costs more than 320
New Zealand lives, including
that of former All Black captain
Dave Gallaher.
12 October
New Zealands blackest day
New Zealanders firing a Vickers machine gun from a captured Turkish

trench during the Battle of Rafa.
The 2nd and 3rd (Rifle) brigades

suffer around 3700 casualties in
a disastrous attack on Bellevue
Spur, Passchendaele. About 845
men are left dead or dying.
1917
9 January
Left - The German auxiliary cruiser

(converted freighter) SMS Wolf
Battle of Rafah
New Zealanders become the
first Allied troops to cross into
Ottoman Palestine. A charge by
the New Zealand Mounted Rifles
Brigade results in the capture of
Rafah and its Ottoman garrison
on the Sinai-Palestine border.
7 June
Battle of Messines
The New Zealand Division takes
all its objectives, including
the village of Messines. The
New Zealanders suffer 3700
casualties, including 700 killed
during the battle.
25 June
German raider lays mines
off NZ
The German armed merchant
cruiser Wolf lays mines off
the Three Kings Islands and
off Farewell Spit two nights
later. These mines sink the
merchant ships Port Kembla (18
September 1917) and Wimmera
(26 June 1918).
PAGE 09

14 February
11 November
Third Contingent leave

Armistice Day
Fighting on the
Western Front
stops when an
armistice with
Germany comes
into effect at 11am.
2630 March
Back to the Somme
A massive German attack on 21
March tears a hole in the British
front. The New Zealand Division
is among several units rushed
to fill this gap near the Somme.
They fight off several German
attacks and hold their line.
20 December
Occupation
duties
Kiwi soldiers taking a breather on the front

line at La Signy Farm on 6 April 1918, the
day after the major Battle of the Ancre.
13 June
31 October
Fourth Contingent leave

Ottoman Empire sues for

peace
With its armies defeated and
its German ally on the verge of
The New Zealand Division

crosses into Germany to take
part in the occupation of the
Rhineland and is stationed near
Cologne. This is a short-lived
assignment and the division is
disbanded on 25 March 1919.
1918
29 October
Fifth Contingent leave
23 September
Success in the Middle East
New Zealand mounted troops
help capture Es Salt and Amman
(25 September) in Jordan.
29 September5 October
Breaking through the
Hindenburg Line
New Zealand troops help break
through the Hindenburg Line
- the main German defence
system on the Western Front.
collapse, the Ottoman Empire

seeks an armistice with the
Allies which comes into effect
on 31 October.
4 November
Liberation of Le Quesnoy
New Zealand troops liberate
the walled town of Le Quesnoy,
advancing 10km and capturing
nearly 2000 prisoners in the
process. This is the last major
action of the war for the New
Zealand Division.
Capture of the walls of Le Quesnoy
by George Edmund Butler, 1920.
PAGE 10

1516 March
28 June
Troops riot at Sling Camp
Treaty of Versailles
New Zealand troops at Sling

Camp in Wiltshire, England riot
over delays in their repatriation.
Shortage of transport and the
influenza pandemic mean that
the last group of New Zealand
soldiers does not arrive home
until May 1920.
The Treaty of Versailles peace

agreement is signed between
Germany and the Allies. Prime
Minister William Massey signs
for New Zealand.
1919
PAGE 11
NOMINAL ROLLS
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
FIRST CONTINGENT
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
16/1200
Sgt
Tepuretu
19252
Pvte
Mateora
16/1183
Pte
Aiaia
16/1222
Cpl
Tepuretu
19261
Pvte
Meau
16/1205
Pte
Angene
16/1221
Pte
Tipoki
19267
Pvte
Moriaiti
16/1321
Pte
Apa
16/1219
Pte
Tivini
19266
Pvte
Muiti
16/1139
Pte
Arii
16/1217
Cpl
Totoroaere
19262
Pvte
Muiti
Pte
Tupu
19271
Pvte
Naka
16/1206
Pte
Ataatavi
16/1197
16/1184
Pte
Inga
16/1220
Pte
Tutavake
19250
Pvte
Nati
16/1033
Cpl
Isaacs
16/1203
Pte
Vavia
19343
Pvte
Ngaata
16/1333
Lcpl
Kaipati
SECOND CONTINGENT
19268
Pvte
Ngaia
16/1185
Pte
Kamati
19236
Sgt
Ah Kew
19277
Pvte
Ngarea
16/1208
Pte
Kavae
19243
Sgt
Akatauina
19272
Pvte
Ngavaarua
16/1207
Pte
Kopungaiti
19237
Sgt
Aki
19295
Pvte
Ngoroio
Pvte
Nio
16/1212
Pte
Mahoa
19270
Sgt
Angene
19297
16/1214
Pte
Makaroa
19289
Cpl
Aperau
19278
Pvte
Okore
16/1182
Cpl
Manuella
19257
Cpl
Aupini
19292
Pvte
Paitai
16/1187
Pte
Mataia
19429
Cpl
Banaba
19280
Pvte
Paora
16/1211
Pte
Mataira
19265
Cpl
Iaveta
19242
Pvte
Paua
16/1213
Pte
Mataputa
19276
Cpl
Iorangi
19283
Pvte
Pepe
16/1189
Pte
Matau
19264
LCpl
Kakeparu
19286
Pvte
Piapo
Pvte
Pio
16/1188
Pte
Metua
19247
LCpl
Kapi
19259
16/1210
Pte
Metua
19269
LCpl
Karika
19260
Pvte
Pita
16/1191
Pte
Metua
19281
LCpl
Karotana
19321
Pvte
Po
16/1190
Pte
Moeau
19282
LCpl
Kaurevai
19291
Pvte
Puati
16/1209
Pte
Mou
19293
LCpl
Ke
19348
Pvte
Rae
16/1192
Pte
Nena
19240
LCpl
Kirikiri
19290
Pvte
Raki
16/1227
Pte
Ngapo
19275
LCpl
Kopaki
19347
Pvte
Rigot
Pvte
Roi
16/1215
Pte
Patu
19339
LCpl
Kopu
19287
16/1193
Lcpl
Pita
19335
LCpl
Koria
19288
Pvte
Ruaporo
16/1216
Pte
Pori
19233
Pvte
Kuo
19300
Pvte
Ruavai
16/1218
Pte
Remuera
19322
Pvte
Kuraia
19298
Pvte
Ruka
16/1217
Pte
Rere
19232
Pvte
Ma
19263
Pvte
Simeona
16/1195
Pte
Rima
19246
Pvte
Makiru
19274
Pvte
Taianu
16/1194
Cpl
Ropu
19231
Pvte
Mamanu
19303
Pvte
Taiki
Pvte
Takake
16/1196
Lcpl
Solomona
19244
Pvte
Mana
19305
16/1198
Pte
Takaroka
19254
Pvte
Mani
19325
Pvte
Takoto
16/1201
Pte
Taneao
19258
Pvte
Mania
19313
Pvte
Tangata
16/1224
Pte
Tanga
19350
Pvte
Maratai
19301
Pvte
Tangitoru
16/1228
Pte
Tararo
19299
Pvte
Marsters
19332
Pvte
Taori
16/1199
Pte
Taringa
19251
Pvte
Mata
19302
Pvte
Taote
16/1223
Pte
Tauarua
19253
Pvte
Mataio
19331
Pvte
Tapapa
16/1202
Pte
Taura
19248
Pvte
Mataiti
19239
Pvte
Tarai
PAGE 12
NOMINAL ROLLS
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
19314
Pvte
Tau
60699
Pvte
Amoa
60672
LCpl
Mitchell
19336
Pvte
Tautahana
60691
Pvte
Amupoe
60682
Pvte
Mitchell
19317
Pvte
Tavaka
60725
Pvte
Anaupou
60758
Pvte
Moearo
19318
Pvte
Teapai
60784
Pvte
Aneru
60744
LCpl
Motu
19320
Pvte
Teariki
60683
Pvte
Aniva
60669
Pvte
Mua
19311
Pvte
Tei
60647
Pvte
Arapai
60769
Pvte
Naeiti
19309
Pvte
Tekia
60755
Pvte
Aria
60705
Pvte
Ngaau
19304
Pvte
Tekiri
Pvte
Ariana
60705
Pvte
Ngaau
19319
Pvte
Temaru
60701
Pvte
Avanui
60772
Pvte
Ngatama
19307
Pvte
Tepuretu
60751
Pvte
Heather
60770
Pvte
Ngati
19344
Pvte
Terepii
60656
Pvte
Heremanate
60717
Pvte
Ngatitautu
19315
Pvte
Tete
60742
Pvte
Imene
60690
Pvte
Ngatoi
19284
Pvte
Tetua
60715
Pvte
Iro
60731
Pvte
Ngauiti
19323
Pvte
Tiputa
60767
Pvte
Iro
60718
Cpl
Nicholas
19312
Pvte
Tiria
60721
Pvte
Ka
60677
Pvte
Nicholas
19329
Pvte
Toroa
60800
Pvte
Kainuku
60712
Pvte
Niovara
19330
Pvte
Toroma
60694
Pvte
Kaivanai
60763
Pvte
Nooiti
19234
Pvte
Totoroaere
60648
Pvte
Kakaua
60655
Pvte
Okiruaiti
19337
Pvte
Tu
60735
Pvte
Kaokao
60654
Pvte
Omao
20841
Pvte
Tuaine
60739
Pvte
Kino
60756
Pvte
Opetaia
19327
Pvte
Tuakeo
60676
LCpl
Kiriau
60764
Pvte
Pa Ariki
19285
Pvte
Tuikaa
60721
Pvte
Kopukoao
60649
Pvte
Paiti
19245
Pvte
Tumu
60778
Pvte
Kopukoao
60640
Pvte
Pakipaki
19308
Pvte
Tungane
60711
Pvte
Koringo
60668
Pvte
Parau
19316
Pvte
Tuoe
60748
Pvte
Koroitiai
60641
Pvte
Potai
19310
Pvte
Tupa
60659
Pvte
Mai
60723
Pvte
Puati
19306
Pvte
Tutai
60704
Pvte
Makimou
60664
Pvte
Puati
19326
Pvte
Tutara
60773
Pvte
Makitae
60664
Pvte
Puri
19273
Pvte
Tutara
60799
Pvte
Makitira
60759
Pvte
Putoko
19341
Pvte
Upokokeu
60779
Pvte
Makitira
60709
Pvte
Raeametua
19340
Pvte
Uri
60663
LCpl
Mani
60689
Pvte
Rangimakea
19338
Pvte
Urikapu
60687
Pvte
Maoate
60726
Pvte
Ratia
19342
Pvte
Uu
60716
Cpl
Marama
60746
Pvte
Rau
19294
Pvte
Vakatini
60733
Pvte
Marotai
60697
Pvte
Ria
19345
Pvte
Varovaro
60713
Pvte
Matapo
60765
Pvte
Rima
19346
Pvte
Vavia
60774
Pvte
Matapo
60734
Pvte
Roikino
19328
Pvte
Vavia
60657
Pvte
Mauore
60754
Pvte
Rota
60666
Pvte
Metuamate
60714
Pvte
Rua Vaikatau
THIRD CONTINGENT
60768
Pvte
Aerenga
60671
LCpl
Metuatane
60786
Pvte
Samuel
60696
Pvte
Aerengamate
60761
Pvte
Miria
60786
Pvte
Samuel
60685
Pvte
Akeau
60680
Pvte
Miria
60771
Pvte
Simiona
PAGE 13
NOMINAL ROLLS
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
60753
Pvte
Smith
60695
Pvte
Tuanu
84580
Pvte
Mateatea
60750
Pvte
Solomona
60745
Pvte
Tuatiaki
84551
Pvte
Mauke
60708
Pvte
Strickland
60775
Pvte
Turi
84549
Pvte
Mitiau
60743
LCpl
Taaki
60650
Pvte
Tutai
84522
Corp
Monga
60781
Pvte
Taero
60684
Pvte
Tututoa
84500
Pvte
Mose
60881
Pvte
Tangitoru
60667
Pvte
Uaongo
84509
Pvte
Nau
60741
Pvte
Taomia
60766
Pvte
Uriarau
84511
Pvte
Ngaa
60679
Pvte
Taomia
60670
Pvte
Uriarau
84503
Pvte
Ngaipu
60780
Pvte
Taopua
60747
Pvte
Vaevaeongo
84566
Pvte
Ngatama
60728
Pvte
Taopua
60700
Pvte
William
84583
Pvte
Ngataua
60727
LCpl
Taripo
84526
Pvte
Niotamanu
60665
Pvte
Taua
84604
Pvte
Okore
60749
Pvte
Taumaa
84584
L.Corp
Alo
84548
Pvte
Ongoroati
60736
Pvte
Taunga
84516
Pvte
Apa
84544
Pvte
Paku
60732
Pvte
Tavero
84578
Pvte
Aratai
84518
Pvte
Panu
60662
Pvte
Teaea
84547
Pvte
Aruake
84556
Pvte
Pe
60652
Pvte
Teaitu
84588
Pvte
Ata
84576
Pvte
Peiaa
60786
Pvte
Teakotai
84561
Pvte
Ata
84560
Pvte
Peni
60678
Pvte
Tearetoa
84546
Pvte
Atai
84502
Pvte
Pira
60707
Pvte
Teariaroa
84512
Pvte
Browne
84507
Pvte
Poaza
60702
Pvte
Tearikiroa
84535
Sergt
Cowan
84538
Pvte
Purau
60740
Pvte
Teau
84581
L.Corp
Cuthers
84520
Pvte
Raka
60782
Pvte
Tehui
84515
Pvte
Elia
84555
Pvte
Reke
60710
Pvte
Tepei
84514
L.Corp
Gelling
84552
Pvte
Rua Moana
60777
Pvte
Tepei
84545
Pvte
Ingatu
84521
Corp
Sataraka
60846
Pvte
Tera
84517
L.Corp
Iseraela
84577
Pvte
Taku
60639
Pvte
Teretai
84530
Pvte
Joseph
84525
Pvte
Tamaau
60720
Pvte
Teriti
84572
Pvte
Kaiwaievai
84506
Pvte
Tamapeni
60680
Pvte
Teuruaa
84524
Pvte
Kake
84513
Pvte
Taria
60698
Pvte
Tia
84542
L.Corp
Kea
84573
Pvte
Taria
60653
Pvte
Tipe
84562
Pvte
Keraiti
84533
Pvte
Tau
60644
Pvte
Toarere
84568
Pvte
Kiriiti
84553
Pvte
Taura
60690
Pvte
Toi
84587
Pvte
Kita
84575
Pvte
Teaioiti
60674
Pvte
Tokoronga
84557
L.Corp
Koroa
84567
Pvte
Teakaiti
60776
Pvte
Tongia
84523
Pvte
Mairaro
84565
Pvte
Tearii
60688
Pvte
Tongia
84527
Pvte
Maka
84572
Pvte
Teauiti
60645
Pvte
Toru
84539
Pvte
Maka
60651
L.Corp
Tei
161217
Pvte
Totoroaere
84508
Pvte
Makotupu
84543
Pvte
Teipo
60762
Pvte
Tuaine
84537
Pvte
Manoa
84579
Pvte
Tena
19290
LCpl
Tuakana
Oruru
84528
Pvte
Mataiti
84540
Pvte
Terepai
60741
Pvte
Tuakanaiti
84574
Pvte
Mateatea
84536
Pvte
Terongo
FOURTH CONTINGENT
84569
Pvte
Aererua
PAGE 14
NOMINAL ROLLS
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
REG. NO
RANK
FAMILY
FIRST
84559
Pvte
Teuruaa
Pvte
Matenga
19109
Pvte
Black
84586
Pvte
Thompson
Pvte
Mokenga
2/746
Lieut
Lance
84532
Pvte
Tiaure
Pvte
Mokoenga
16/1378
Pvte
Mitchell
84541
Pvte
Tima
Pvte
Mokotupu
Lcpl
Northcroft
84529
Pvte
Toki
Pvte
Ngariu
71673
Sergt
Reid
84570
Pvte
Totaere
Pvte
Nui
161386
T/Sergt
Shearman
84519
Sergt
Tou
Pvte
Paite
16/1335
Cpl
Taliauli
84571
Pvte
Trego
Pvte
Paiti
13836
Rfln
Wilkinson
84531
Pvte
Tuakana
Pvte
Pako
6 2968
Pvte
Worral
84534
Pvte
Tuakana
Pvte
Pariau
84554
Pvte
tuakana
Pvte
Peu
Pvte
Aneva
84564
Pvte
Tuakana
A.Sergt
Pori
Pvte
Arapo
84558
Pvte
Uaonga
Pvte
RoiKino
60661
Pvte
Campbell
85463
Pvte
Uria
Pvte
Rua
Pvte
Hau
84550
Pvte
Vainemaki
Pvte
Rua
60688
Pvte
Kainana
84510
Pvte
Vaopaaki
Pvte
Strickland
Pvte
Kau
60839
Corp
Vea
Pvte
Taai
60722
Pvte
Kokaua
84585
Pvte
Winchester
Pvte
Takareu
Pvte
Maoa
84501
Pvte
Wycliffe
Pvte
Tamaaua
60724
Pvte
Moe
Pvte
Tangi
Pvte
Natana
Pvte
Taoata
FIFTH CONTINGENT
RTCI FM NZ
Pvte
Aria
Pvte
Ngatokorua
Pvte
Ata
Pvte
Tavaitai
Pvte
Pepe
Corp
Bishop
Pvte
Teipo
Pvte
Peru
A.Sergt
Henry
Pvte
Tekii
Pvte
Peta
Pvte
Iakoba
Pvte
Tetuaru
Pvte
Piani
Pvte
Ieremia
Pvte
Teupuorango
Pvte
Pirangi
Pvte
Tikaroa
Pvte
Reo
Pvte
Tiki
Pvte
Reva
Pvte
Tini
Pvte
Iro
Pvte
Isaac
A.Sergt
Kainuku
60703
Pvte
Ruatea
Corp
Kainuku
Pvte
Tiotoru
Pvte
Samuela
L.Corp
Kaora
Pvte
Titoru
Pvte
Takiau
Pvte
Kapatiau
Pvte
Toki
Pvte
Tangata
Pvte
Kautai
Pvte
Tomanuanua
Pvte
Tangi
Pvte
Topaiti
Pvte
Teavae
Pvte
Turu
Pvte
Teina
Pvte
Turu
Corp
Pvte
Kete
Kita
Pvte
Kitai
Pvte
Teiva
Pvte
Koroiti
Pvte
Uangakore
60673
Pvte
Titia
Pvte
Manuela
Corp
Vati
T.J
Pvte
Tua
Pvte
Marama
CSM
Wright
Pvte
Maruae
Pvte
Mataiti
PAPAA COOK ISLANDS

16/1007
Pvte
Adam
PAGE 15
FOUR COOK ISLANDS SOLDIERS

WHO WENT TO GALLIPOLI
As ANZAC Day approaches many families reflect upon the service
of Pacific Islanders in the New Zealand Army in WWI.
Recent research conducted by two
New Zealand military historians
has identified four Cook
Islands residents or native born
individuals who fought on that
bloody peninsular at Gallipoli.
The identification of these
individuals is important as most
of the Cook Islanders joined the
New Zealand Army in 1916 to
A group of Cook Islanders of the 1st Rarotongan Contingent and Niuen soldiers at Narrow Neck
Camp on the North Shore of Auckland, undergoing training in 1916 as part of the 3rd Mori
Reinforcement Contingent. These soldiers left New Zealand for Egypt on February 5, 1916.
1918, by which time the ill-fated
Four soldiers from the Cooks faced the harshness
expedition to ANZAC Cove had finished with the
and privations on this campaign, they are:
withdrawal of the ANZAC, British, Indian and

French forces from Turkey.
2/1882 Sydney James Davis was born in New

Zealand but in 1915 he was employed as a fruiter
The contribution and sacrifice of the Cook Islanders
in Rarotonga.
has mainly been assumed into the larger New

Zealand Mori Pioneer Battalion official histories
Davis left his New Zealand wife and two year old
and the history and efforts of the Rarotongan efforts
daughter in Rarotonga and enlisted in the New
in Palestine has never been adequately recorded.
Zealand Field Artillery in April 1915 aged 25 years.
This is about to change as this current research
He arrived at ANZAC Cove in November 1915 and
project has now identified and recorded the service

of all Pacific soldiers and the campaign histories
are being prepared.
Their intention is to preserve the history and
contribution of over 460 Cook Islanders of a total
of 1000 Pacific Islanders who fought in Gallipoli,
France, Egypt and Palestine.
The soldiers who participated in the Gallipoli
campaign where not members of the Rarotongan
Contingents, rather they were individuals who left
the Cook Islands or where resident in New Zealand
returned to Egypt on December 22, 1915.

After this service he was declared medically unfit
and returned to New Zealand in 1916 and was
discharged from the Army. He died in Auckland in
1938. No photo of this soldier is known.
16/398 Te Aurahi Kora was married with one
child and employed in Wanganui, New Zealand
prior to enlistment on 20/10/1914.
He stated that his next of kin was his father Kora
of Aitutaki.
when they enlisted.
PAGE 16
He enlisted into the New Zealand Native
formed in Auckland although he stated that his
Contingent and sailed for Egypt in early 1915
next of kin, his father was a resident of Aitutaki.
and in May 1915 was on the Island of Malta

performing garrison duties. Due to the heavy
casualties sustained by the New Zealand
Forces on the Gallipoli peninsular, the Native
Contingent who had changed its name to the
Mori Contingent, was called for and employed as
reinforcements for the Infantry Battalions.
He arrived at ANZAC Cove early July 1915 and
remained there in the front line until he was
admitted to hospital sick on the Island of Mudros
in October 1915. In April 1916 he left Egypt for
France with the Pioneer Battalion.
At some time in his service he was wounded, and
whilst this is acknowledged in his records no date
is provided. Later in 1916 he was graded unfit due
to sickness and returned to New Zealand on the
He sailed for Gallipoli from Alexandria on April 12,

1915 and landed at ANZAC Cove April 25, 1915.
He was wounded with shrapnel to his left thigh
and admitted to 17th General Hospital on May 19,
1915. He was then evacuated by hospital ship to
the Glymenopouls Hospital in Alexandria from
early June to late June 1915.
On discharge from hospital he was employed to
assist in his recovery as a storeman at the New
Zealand Advance Base Mustapha in Alexandra
from the end of June 1915 to February 1916 when
he rejoined his Battalion in Egypt.
He transferred from Auckland Infantry Battalion
to the newly formed Pioneer Battalion, which was
predominantly about 50 per cent made up from
Hospital Ship Maheno.
the Native Mori Contingent, then embarked for
In January 1917 he had a shell splinter removed
October 1917 and was evacuated for treatment
from left knee in Wanganui hospital and was
to the New Zealand Hospital at Brockhurst in
discharged no longer fit in March 1917. He died
the United Kingdom, and later the New Zealand
14/6/1961. No photo of this soldier is known.
Convalescent Hospital at Hornchurch. Upon
13/110 Harry Cuthebert Northcroft lived with

his parents in Rarotonga. He returned to New
Zealand to enlist in the Army in August 1914 into
the Auckland Mounted Rifles. He sailed from New
Zealand with the first troops in September 1914
and arrived at Suez in early December 1914.
He arrived at Gallipoli on May 12, 1915 and was
killed in action on May 19, 1915 and is buried at
Walkers Ridge Cemetery ANZAC Cove. No photo
of this soldier is known.
12/1812 George Tuaine was a seaman in the
Union Steam Ship Company and enlisted into
the 1st Battalion, Auckland Infantry Regiment at
France in April 1916. He contracted pleurisy in
his returned to France in May 1917 he was

compulsory transferred as it had been decided to
transfer all Pacific Islanders from the harsh climate
of France to Egypt. He was assigned to the Base
Camp of the New Zealand Mounted Rifle Brigade
at Moasar before being posted to the New Zealand
Rarotongan Company in Palestine in July 1918.
He returned to New Zealand with all the Pacific
Islanders who were serving in the Middle East on
the SS Malta and was discharged in New Zealand
on March 7, 1919. Subsequently he re-enlisted for
Home Service in Auckland in August 1919, but his
discharge date is not known. His date and place of
death is not known nor is any photo available.
Trentham Camp in December 1914. Interestingly
The researchers are keen to ensure that all the documentation,
he stated he was born at Aitutaki New Zealand,
diaries and photographs are recorded to ensure that this essential
presumably so he would not be sent to join the
service of islanders is not lost. Further information can be obtained
New Zealand Native Contingent that was being
or contributions made, at www.Soldiersfromthepacific.com
PAGE 17
100 YEARS AGO

Cook Islands and Niuean men volunteered for service in the First World
War soon after the war began, but their offer was initially turned down...
The unit they would later be assigned to the
paid a high price, 17 dead and 89 wounded. They
New Zealand Mori Contingent, later called the
were part of the battle that captured Chunuk Bair
Mori Pioneer Battalion was already filled with
the highest point the allies ever took but later
volunteers. However when it suffered heavy
lost. In all 461 men and 16 officers of the Mori
casualties in the bloody fighting at Gallipoli and
Contingent were landed at Gallipoli; when they left
recruiting in New Zealand couldnt keep up, the
four months later they were down to 132 men and
authorities turned to the two island countries for
two officers.
support.
The reconstituted Mori Pioneer Battalion with
Forty-five men enlisted from the Cook Islands and
Niuean and Cook Island reinforcements was sent
150 from Niue, they underwent initial training
to northern France in April 1916. After being
in New Zealand before being sent off to Egypt for
fighting men for a few months at Gallipoli, the
further training and to join the New Zealand Mori
Mori New Zealand and Cook Islands some
Pioneer Battalion.
Pakeha and a few other Pacific islanders, reverted
The attempt to capture Gallipoli, which began

today 25 April exactly a hundred years ago,
was a disaster; and after eight months of heavy
loss of life on both sides, the allies secretly and
successfully withdrew under cover of darkness.
The Mori Contingent which was the original
name of the New Zealand Mori unit was not
meant to be a fighting force. The British authorities
did not think it was appropriate for coloured
troops to be fighting white men. Instead the Mori
were expected to perform garrison duties guarding
places behind the lines, and carrying out other
non-combat roles.
But with mounting casualties at Gallipoli, and
continued nagging by Mori leaders of the New
Zealand government, and that nagging being
passed on to the British the Mori unit was
landed at Gallipoli and went into action in August
1915. They acquitted themselves well in their
first battle, charging the Turkish trench they were
sent to capture with fixed bayonets. But they
to their Pioneer role basically military labourers.

Their job was to dig and repair trenches and make
roads and light railways to facilitate military
traffic. It wasnt a soft job; most of the work was
conducted at night and often under fire. They
regularly suffered casualties, medals were awarded
for their bravery and they were highly thought of
for their work.
As well as the deprivations and shelling and the
general dangers of warfare, for the pacific island
soldiers army life brought other tribulations
too. Many of them struggled with the poor
military diet. Wearing boots for men used to
going barefooted was a trial, being exposed to
new European diseases for which they had no
immunity, laid many low; having little or no
English language was also a major difficulty. And
the very cold weather was too much for many of
them. Within a month of arriving in France, 82% of
the Niueans were hospitalised and eventually had
to be withdrawn, first to England and then back to
New Zealand; many died from illness and disease.
PAGE 18
A smaller number of Cook Islanders were affected
were reunited with their fellow countrymen in
by the conditions, and the troops already in France
the Rarotongan Company in Palestine; when the
stayed with the Mori Pioneer Battalion; but it was
last reinforcement of Cook Islanders arrived from
decided that no further Pacific Island troops would
New Zealand in August 1918 it took the company
be sent to France. Instead they went to the Middle
strength to 280 men.
East to serve in a unit called the Rarotongan

Company attached to British troops in Sinai and
Palestine, acting as ammunition carriers and
supporting British heavy artillery.
Later that year they returned to New Zealand, but

because of the influenza pandemic which was
sweeping the world, they were quarantined on
Sommes Island in Wellington harbour until 1919.
In each theatre
When their quarantine
whether in
ended most of them
Europe or the
returned home to the
Middle East
Cook Islands.
they served with

distinction.
Pa George Karika had to
A Cook Islands
his Distinguished
soldier Sgt Pa
Conduct Medal was
George Karika
presented to him at a
was awarded the
ceremony in Rarotonga.
Distinguished
But that didnt bring to
Conduct Medal;
a close his soldiering
the highest award
days, during World
an enlisted man
War Two he was back
can win short of
in harness again as a
a Victoria Cross.
member of the Cook
The citation
Islands Local Defence
awarding the
Force.
wait until 1921 before
DCM says it was
Over the course of the
for, conspicuous
First World War Mori
gallantry and
enlisted in a number
devotion to
duty while in
command of a platoon.
Clipping from the Melbourne Herald newspaper
of regional Battalions,
but 2227 served in the
two dedicated Mori units along with 458 Pacific
His DCM was the highest award to a Pacific Island
Island troops; 336 of them died and 734 were
soldier in Word War One but other soldiers were
wounded.
also decorated for their bravery too.
It was called the war to end all wars, but just 21
Pa George was hospitalised late in 1918 and
years later World War Two broke out with largely
returned home.
the same combatants lined up against each other.
In February 1918, the remaining Cook Islanders
Cook Islanders answered the call then too
serving with the Pioneer Battalion in France
but thats another story.
PAGE 19
ROLL OF HONOUR
THE SOLDIERS WHO LOST THEIR LIVES IN SERVICE

This Roll of Honour is limited to men from the Cook Islands who served
in the contingents formed on these islands.
Name
Number
Rank
Date of Death
Adam, Kiro Luke
16/1007
Private
7.10.1917
New Irish Farm Cemetery, Belgium
Anthony, Manuel
16/1182
Corporal
10.5.1917
ONeills Point Cemetery, Auckland
Arii, Ara
16/1139
Private
24.8.1916
Hazebrouck Communal Cemetery, France
Banaba, Beni
19236
Sergeant
16.9.1917
Inga
16/1184
Private
12.12.1918
Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel
Kamati
16/1185
Private
4.10.1918
Gaza War Cemetery, Palestine
Mataiti, Kai
19250
Private
16.2.1918
Ramleh War Cemetery, Israel
Matapo, Kaka
60713
Private
14.8.1919
Featherston Camp Cemetery, Featherston
Mataputa
16/1213
Private
5.3.1916
Matau, Manavaroa 16/1189
Private
29.8.1916
Wimereux Communal Cemetery, France
Ngaia, Kapao
19281
Corporal
29.10.1917
Kantara War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt
Ngaipu, Ingatu
84503
Private
10.11.1918
Pirangi
19296
Private
14.10.1916
Rota, Rota
60754
Private
16.1.1919
At sea. Karori Memorial Arch, Wellington
Ruka, Willie
19303
Private
28.1.1917
Rookwood Necropolis Cemetery, Sydney
Solomona, Peter
16/1196
Lance-Corpl
Tapapa, Akava
19239
Private
19.10.1918
Taringa
16/1199
Private
15.8.1916
Taura
16/1202
Private
7.1.1917
Teipo, Pai
84543
Private
10.2.1919
Teiva, Teaumarae
19234
Private
14.9.1916
Tepuretu, Apu
16/1222
Private
30.9.1916
Quarry Cemetery Montauban, France
Tete, Nikau
19284
Private
12.10.1918
Kantara War Memorial cemetery, Egypt
Tutavake, R.
16/1220
Private
15.10.1918
Gaza War Cemetery, Palestine
Vavia, W.
16/1203
Private
1.10.1916
Flatiron Copse Cemetery, France
Wycliffe, Peau
84501
Private
27.3.1919
3.4.1917
Where buried
Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland

Cairo War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt
Trois Arbres Cemetery, France
Walton-on-Thames Cemetery, England
This list was compiled from information on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website.
PAGE 20
ATATURK TRIBUTE
GALLIPOLI - MEMORIAL AT ANZAC COVE
Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the
Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by
side here in this country of ours
You, the mothers, who sent their sons from faraway
countries wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in
our bosom and are in peace, after having lost their lives on
this land they have become our sons as well.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,

First President of the Republic of Turkey, 1934
PAGE 21
APU TEPURETU
First Cook Islands soldier to die in Active Service (one of 2 brothers)
death notice
PAGE 22
JOHN APA
Citation re being awarded a Military Medal
PAGE 23
WE REMEMBER THEM
Private Taringa Matenga
Reg No. 16/1199
Mori Contingent
Rarotongans, attached A Company
Private Taringa was the first Cook Islander to die while on
active service overseas. He died from disease in France on 15
August 1916, nearly 3 years to the day the last Cook Islander
died. He is buried at the Trois Arbres Cemetery, France.
Ka akamaara ua rae tatao ia ratou
Corporal Ropu John

Reg No. 16/1194
Mori Contingent
Rarotongans, attached A Company
Embarkation Date 5 February 1916.
Private Mare Amoa

From Ngatangiia, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Body on Embarkation - Mori Contingent
Embarkation Unit - 3rd Rarotongan Contingent
Private Mare Amoa died in Rarotonga on
19 February 1945
Sergeant Major Carl Marsters

Reg No. 19237
Mori Contingent
11th Reinforcements, Rarotongans
Embarkation Date 16 November 1916
Died on 1 June 1953 in the Cook Islands
Military Awards
British War Medal (1914-1920)
Victory Medal
PAGE 24
WE REMEMBER THEM
Clockwise from top-left:

Private Martin Mitchell, Reg No. 60682
Photo of Pa George Karika, Iaveta Karika,
and Piat M. Mani
Private William Caffery was the husband
of Rongomate, Mangaia, Cook Islands.
He was killed in action in Somme, France,
30 September 1916.
Cook Islands soldiers Apu Tepuretu, Anthony
Manuel, Angene Angene and Raitia Tepuretu.
This photo was taken at Narrow Neck Training
Camp in Devonport Auckland prior to
embarkation.
Corporal Angene Angene World War I, 1914-1918
Lest
we
t
e
g
r
o
F
PAGE 25
GRAVES OF SOME OF OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS
Gaza War Cemetery, Israel
Private Kaka Matapo

Embarkation Unit - 3rd Rarotongan Contingent
Embarkation Date - 13 June 1918
The youngest known Cook Islander to have served
during WW1 was Private Kaka Matapo, listed as
being age 18 on his headstone. If this is true it means
that he was only16 when recruited. His personal
records state that he was around 19 years old.
Matapo is buried with other service personal
in a part of the cemetery dedicated to military
personal, probably due to the fact that there was
Matapo had served in Egypt and had been
a large military camp in Featherston, Waiararapa
returned to New Zealand aboard the hospital ship
NZ during the Great War, which had a hospital,
Malta in January 1919. He died of Tuberculosis
attached to it.
(TB) on the 14 August 1919, the last serving Cook

Islander to do so.
PAGE 26
GRAVES OF SOME OF OUR FALLEN SOLDIERS

Private Tutavake - below
Private Tutavake was the son of Mrs Raa Vaine
from Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
Private Tutavake served in the New Zealand
Pioneer Battalion, he died from disease on the
15th of October 1918.
Private Kamate Mamanu - above

Private Kamate Mamanu served with New Zealand
Pioneer Battalion in France and Palestine where
he died from disease on the 4th of October 1918 at
the youthful age of 26. Gaza War Cemetery, Israel
Corporal Manuel Anthony - left

Embarkation Unit - Rarotongans, attached
A Company
Embarkation Date - 5 February 1916
Age on Enlistment - 21
Military Awards - British War Medal (1914-1920)
- Victory Medal
Corporal Manuel Anthony died from Phthisis and
tuberculosis in the Auckland hospital on 10 May
1917. He is buried at ONeills Point Cemetery
Bayswater North Shore Auckland.
PAGE 27
WAR MEMORIALS
Unveiling of the
Cook Islands
soldiers memorial,
Avarua, Rarotonga,
5 May 1926.
Below - The
memorial today
PAGE 28
WAR MEMORIALS
Left - War memorial commemorating the men of
Atiu Island in the Cook Islands who served with
the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF)
during the First World War.
Wellington Provincial War Memorial Karori Cemetery.
Private Rota Rota

Reg No. 60754
Private Rota Rota, was from the Island of
Pukapuka.
Private Rota was aboard the hospital ship Malta,
he died from TB on the 6th January 1919, at sea
en route back to New Zealand.
Private Rota was the only other Cook Islander to
die before returning to the Cook Islands at the
end of the war
Ka akamara ua rae tatou ia ratou
PAGE 29
THE GROWTH OF ANZAC DAY

COOK ISLANDS
During the Second World War Anzac Day
In the Cook Islands a Cabinet minute of 21 April
continued to be observed in Rarotonga with a
1966 declared that Anzac Day would be observed
church service, but there were no ceremonial
as a Sunday until 1 p.m., after which it would be an
parades. These were resumed after the war with
ordinary public holiday. In 1967 the Cook Islands
observances that followed the format in New
News reported on an Anzac Day cricket match.
Zealand. A dawn service at the cenotaph was
Poppy Day was also introduced at this time, on the
followed by a mid-morning church service and
Friday before Anzac Day.
then a march
From the 1960s
of returned
there were repeated
servicemen and
unsuccessful
other community
attempts to obtain
groups to the
funding from
war memorial for
New Zealand for
a short service
the improvement
and the laying of
and upkeep of
wreaths. A bus
the servicemens
made a circuit
cemetery on a plot
of Rarotonga
of Crown land near
collecting
the international
servicemen for the

observance.
In 1965 the Cook
Islands achieved
Returned servicemen marching during an Anzac Day parade in

Rarotonga, early 1970s. Included in this group are Araitia Tepuretu,
Ngarea Titi, Vaevae Tamarua, Reboama, Tamaiva Ironui, Tangiia,
J.D. Campbell, and Jim Teruaau.
airport. This
cemetery was
used mainly for
New Zealand ex-
self government. Early the following year the
servicemen who had moved to the Cook Islands
Premier, Albert Henry, informed New Zealands
in retirement or to work for the Administration.
Department of Island Territories in Wellington
In the 1980s there were requests for help to
that his government planned to limit Anzac Day
turn this area into a lawn cemetery and to build
observance to the morning of 25 April and allow
RSA clubrooms. Men from the United Kingdom,
sporting fixtures to take place in the afternoon.
Canada, Australia and the United States were
The reply from Wellington confirmed that this was
also buried here. Cook Islanders from the First
the pattern being adopted in New Zealand: picture
World War contingents were buried on family
theatres would be open in the afternoon and
land in accordance with local custom, or in service
sports fixtures arranged. Next year much broader
cemeteries in New Zealand if they had emigrated.
liberalisation of Anzac Day has been approved by

the RSA. It is now over to Parliament to ensure
that this is so by passing the necessary legislation.
The growth of Anzac Day, URL: http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/

anzac-day-pacific/growth-of-anzac-day, (Ministry for Culture and
Heritage), updated 3-Sep-2014
PAGE 30
OUR TROOPS VISIT

THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
EARLY OCTOBER 1915
There was a unique change of programme in

the House of Representatives this morning. The
hustled legislation and the end of the session
rush were for the time forgotten as the politicians
and those engaged in the precincts of the house
witnessed a most unusual and striking spectacle.
The occasion was a welcome to 45 natives of
the South sea Islands, mostly Rarotongans who
have left their islands of the Blest for the stern
realities of warfare.
The Islanders, prior to the ceremony, attracted a
good deal of attention and caused a large amount
Mori, Niuean and Cook Island soldiers enjoy a days

swimming in the sea off Narrow Neck camp in
Auckland, 1916.
of conjecture as they marched through Wellington
A tuneful ditty, Here We Are, Here We Are, Here
singing Tipperary and Are We Downhearted?
We Are Again. was sung in excellent English by
in their native tongue. A drizzling rain did not
the Islanders. The Mori members A.T. Ngata,
dampen their light-heartedness, although they had
C. Parata and Tau Henare briefly addressed the
not topcoats and wore white canvas shoes.
guests in Mori, and their remarks were listened
The most noteworthy features of their dress were

the shells evidently charms, which they wore
round their necks.
When the Islanders reached Parliament House they
were marched into the Chamber and lined up in a
semi-circle round the back of the members seats.
They melodiously sang a native Rarotongan war song
after which they were addressed by the Hon James
Allen, Minister of Defence, through an interpreter.
Mr Allen said that the men were gathered not
only from Rarotonga, but from several of the Cook
Islands, and as far afield as Tahiti. They had come
to join hands with their Mori brothers in New
Zealand, and would go into camp at Auckland
to prepare themselves to go to the front to fight
alongside the Moris and pakehas for the Flag
which represented to them and to us freedom.
to with close attention. The small coterie of Native

members then danced a Mori haka with much
grimace and great enthusiasm, making the floor of
the building tremble.
The Speaker of the House Mr F.W. Lang delivered
a brief address of welcome. The Polynesians
sang Tipperary in their own language, and after
the Speakers address God Save the King was
fervently sung by pakeha and natives alike. The
ceremony concluded with cheers for the Empire,
the Parliament Ministers of the Crown, and the
Rarotongans.
The Islanders who arrived by the Moana this
morning will leave for the Narrow Neck training
camp in Auckland tonight by the Main Trunk
express.
Source National Library of NZ
PAGE 31
HISTORY OF THE POPPY

The use of the red poppy the Flanders Poppy as a symbol of remembrance
derives from the fact that the poppy was the first plant to re-emerge from
the churned up soil of soldiers graves during the First World War.
The Challenge
Three years later, McCrae himself died of
pneumonia at Wimereux near Boulogne, France,
on 28 January 1918. On his deathbed, McCrae
reportedly lay down the challenge:
Tell them this, if ye break faith with us who die,
we shall not sleep.
The Response
Among the many people moved by McCraes poem
a YMCA canteen worker in New York, Miss Moina
Michael (1869-1944), who, two days before the
Armistice was signed on 11 November 1918, wrote
a reply entitled We Shall Keep the Faith:
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
It was a poem by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae,

a Canadian medical officer, which began the
process by which the Flanders Poppy became
immortalised worldwide as the symbol of
We Shall Keep the Faith

Oh! You who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet-to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
remembrance.
With all who died.
The inspiration for the poem had been the burial
We cherish, too, the poppy red
of a fellow officer during the Second Battle of Ypres
That grows on fields where valour led;
in early May 1915. McCraes verses, which had
It seems to signal to the skies
been scribbled in pencil on a page torn from his
That blood of heroes never dies,
dispatch book, were sent anonymously by a fellow
But lends a lustre to the red
officer to the English magazine, Punch, which
Of the flower that blooms above the dead
published them under the title In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields.
on 8 December 1915. Subsequently, the poem was

published around the world to much acclaim and
is one of the most memorable and moving poems
of the Great War.
And now the Torch and Poppy red

We wear in honour of our dead.
Fear not that ye have died for naught;
Well teach the lesson that ye wrought
In Flanders Fields.
PAGE 32
Michael also originated the idea of the red poppy
a French woman who was about to promote
as a symbol of remembrance.
the poppy as a symbol of remembrance
Origins of the Memorial Poppy

The idea for the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy,
throughout the world.
International Symbol of Remembrance
Moina Michael recalled in her 1941 book The
French widows, many with children on their laps,
Miracle Flower, came to her while working at the
hand-making hundreds of thousands of poppies
YMCA Overseas War Secretaries Headquarters
in the early 1920s for distribution to veterans
on a Saturday morning, 9 November 1918. The
organisations around the world, including the RSA.
Twenty-Fifth Conference of the Overseas YMCA

War Secretaries was in progress. During a lull in
proceedings Moina glanced through a copy of the
November Ladies Home Journal and came across
McCraes poem re-titled We Shall Not Sleep. The
last few lines transfixed her:
Madame E. Gurin, conceived the idea of widows

manufacturing artificial poppies in the devastated
areas of Northern France which then could be sold
by veterans organisations worldwide for their own
veterans and dependants as well as the benefit
of destitute French children. Throughout 1920-
To you from failing hands we throw
21, Gurin and her representatives approached
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
veteran organisations in the United States,
If ye break faith with us who die
Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand and
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
urged them to adopt the poppy as a symbol of
In Flanders fields.
remembrance.
Moina Michael hereafter made a personal pledge
It was as a result of the efforts of Michael
to keep the faith and vowed always to wear
and Gurin both of whom became known
a red poppy of Flanders Fields as a symbol of
endearingly as the Poppy Lady that the poppy
remembrance. Compelled to make a note of
became an international symbol of remembrance.
this pledge she hastily scribbled her response,

entitled We Shall Keep the Faith, on the back of
a used envelope.
When the Conference delegates gave Moina a gift
Dr Stephen Clarke is the Official Historian and

Commemorations Officer for the Royal New Zealand
Returned and Services Association.
of ten dollars in appreciation of her assistance,
References
she went to a New York department store and
Dianne Graves, A Crown of Life: The World of
purchased 25 artificial red poppies and, pinning
John McCrae (London: Spellmount, 1997)
one on her own collar, distributed the remainder to

the YMCA secretaries with an explanation of her
motivation. She viewed this act as the first group
distribution of the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy.
Moina Michael, The Miracle Flower: The Story of

the Flanders Fields Memorial Poppy (Philadelphia:
Dorrance & Co., 1941)
Moina Michael hereafter tirelessly campaigned

to get the poppy adopted as a national symbol of
remembrance. In September 1920 the American
Legion adopted the Poppy as such at its annual
Convention. Attending that Convention was
PAGE 33
MOEROA BENS WINNING SPEECH

The ANZAC Day secondary schools
competition was run by the New
Zealand High Commission, in
partnership with the Cook Islands
RSA, the Cook Islands Police Service,
and the Ministry of Education.
It was held as part of events to commemorate
the 100 year anniversary of WWI and celebrate
the 50th anniversary of Cook Islands selfgovernment in free association with New
Zealand. The competition aimed to encourage and

inspire the creative talents of young people and
provide a platform for students to develop their
understanding of the significance of ANZAC Day.
Six students competed in the event held on 12
March at Nikao Hall in Avarua, with all delivering
world class speeches. The judges had a hard task
but Moeroa Bens speech won by unanimous
decision after impressing her audience with a
powerful and emotive description of the impact of
WWI on the Cook Islands, and what that meant for
her as a youth growing up in the Cook Islands today.
Was it worth it?

WORLD WAR ONE AND THE LEGACY OF SACRIFICE
Moeroa Ben | NCEA L3
Nelson Mandela once said, Our lives begin to
building situated across from the Rarotonga
end the day we become silent about the things
Airport in Nikao, my heart broke. Names. Familiar
that matter. My name is Moeroa Ben. Today
names such as the Teava family, a member from
silence will not exist. Today we speak, not only
the Iro family and also another member from
to remember but to feel the presence of those
the Angene family were imprinted on these very
who sacrificed their lives to save our future,
walls. These werent just names, these were people.
to remember those that matter. They were our
These were the very people who once walked our
brothers, they were our fathers, they were our
shores and I assume worked the fields to produce
soldiers and they were our blood.
crops to support their families. These were people
However, I will ask, was their sacrifice worth it?

480 men from this Pacific Nation, specifically the
Cook Islands, volunteered to serve under the New
Zealand Expeditionary Force in the year 1915, one
year after the establishment of the Great War. They
were split into five contingents in which three
received the opportunity to serve overseas and two
reached as far as New Zealand.
As I stood in the midst of names printed on
the walls of the Returned Services Association
who ensured the freedom and luxury we are

experiencing today is exactly what we received.
Private M. Kamate, service number 161184
died abroad from sickness.
Sargent Raitia Tepuretu, service number
161200 was wounded in action.
Private T. Pai, service number 161219, death
unknown.
These were a few men who sailed from Rarotonga
on September 1915. They were a part of the
PAGE 34
first contingent who served in Egypt, France and
ANZAC Day is a day to remember. Today, we must
Palestine. Their sacrifice is one I will not forget. Its
remember. People need to remember the legacy,
one that can never be forgotten. The question here
and the sacrifice our fathers, sons, uncles, brothers
is, why were they so adamant to volunteer? Was
and cousins made because they were our soldiers
their involvement, their sacrifice worth it?
who gave up everything for us, we were their
They sacrificed their lives for their family. They
future and we were their motivation.
sacrificed their lives for their nation and they
I am a proud participant of the Girls Brigade who
sacrificed their lives for the future, to ensure the
takes part every year with the commemoration
sustainability of this nation, our nation. I will ask
parade which occurs in the heart of Avarua, in
again, was their sacrifice worth it? If they didnt
front of Ministry of Justice. I stand amongst many
pursue to serve with the NZEF, if ever we were to
who cry for the lives that were lost and I stand
get infiltrated by other nations, there is certainty
amongst many who respect the decisions our
that we wouldnt have any support at all. Why? It
soldiers made and are very grateful for it. I stand
is because an ideology of this world is based on
amongst many who remember. Lest we forget.
the actions of giving and receiving. In order to gain

support from anyone, any group or organization,
Kia Mau te Selenga
you must ensure you offer support. 480 men from
Kia Mau tena Penga
our paradise kept that in mind.
Kia Mau
They guaranteed the security of our nation
Te Ra E Hi!
through sacrificing their life and supporting a fight

that never was theirs. That is their legacy. Until this
day, their legacy remains. Many Pacific Islanders
join the New Zealand Army to maintain the legacy
of our forefathers and to honour their memory.
So yes, their sacrifice was more than worth it.
PAGE 35
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you for all the support
Alexander Turnbull Library
Auckland Museum Cenotaph
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Mrs Annie Caffery Petaia
CISWWO Facebook
Mr Derek Fox
Ms Edna Torea-Allan
National Library of New Zealand
New Zealand History (www.nzhistory.net.nz)
Royal New Zealand Returned and Services Association
Mr Tekeu Framhein
Mr Tuoro Henry Wichman
PAGE 36
CISWWO
Cook Islands Soldiers World War One
Visit the Facebook page facebook.com/ciswwo
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The Cook Islands Returned Services Association,

in collaboration with the Government of the Cook Islands

REMEMBERING THE COOK ISLANDS

ODE TO THE FALLEN

Kre rtou e Ruaine ia

They shall grow not old;

100TH ANZAC ANNIVERSARY

MESSAGE FROM THE

This year we commemorate 100 years since the

Remembrance Services and ANZAC Day, we honour

landings of Australian Imperial Forces and New

their sacrifice, and acknowledge those who are still

Zealand Expeditionary Forces at ANZAC Cove. Wars

serving, so that we can hold fast to our values.

affect communities, in the Cook Islands we too

100TH ANZAC ANNIVERSARY

This booklet is not intended to be a complete

Tuoro Henry Wichman

MESSAGE FROM THE

I stand in the presence of this commemoration,

noble in recognizing the lives whom were in

proud to represent my forefathers, the people and

conflict. Accordingly, and on behalf of the Island

Government of the Cook Islands that amongst,

Nation of the Cook Islands, we share the faith of

the New Zealand and Australian compatriots,

our fallen heros as we commemorate the lives of

our Cook Islands Soldiers volunteered to join

all both known and unknown of their deeds and

the movement of defending what we hold most

their sacrifices reminding us of the invincible

precious today, the freedom of association.

Last year, August the 4th , I joined with world

leaders to commemorate the 100th Year of the

100TH ANZAC ANNIVERSARY

H.E Tom Marsters

MESSAGE FROM THE PRIME MINISTER

At home, and in New Zealand, the memory of

Hon. Henry Puna

100TH ANZAC ANNIVERSARY

ANZAC MESSAGE FROM THE

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the day

Our special relationship is also commemorated

when brave ANZAC soldiers scaled the cliffs at

this year through the 50th anniversary of Cook

Gallipoli. It was the beginning of an eight month

Islands self-government in free association with

ordeal that has become of enduring importance

New Zealand. New Zealand is honoured to have

to all New Zealanders and Australians. The spirit

shared in such a long and warm partnership, based

of the ANZACs was forged on those foreign

on strong people-to-people and cultural links.

battlefields many years ago, yet it lives on today.

It is with great pride that we honour the

The Cook Islands contingents that joined the

commitment, courage, and comradeship of all our

New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in training