Te Awamutu genealogist Linda Howarth
Ongoing research into the men behind the names on Te Awamutu’s World War One cenotaph has prompted a call for help from the New Zealand Society of Genealogists Te Awamutu Branch.
Aided by the public, members of the group have already researched 37 of the 58 fallen WW1 soldiers listed on the cenotaph at Anzac Green. Research is continuing into the remaining 21, as well as on four listed on the Roll of Honour at the Te Awamutu RSA.
Throughout the project, the genealogists have divided the names into groups of 10 to focus the research more effectively.
Linda Howarth speaking last April about one of the previously-researched soldiers included in the ongoing project. Photo: Viv Posselt
One of the group’s members, Linda Howarth, said stories on the 10 listed for 2026 had been completed and will be presented at a public meeting at the Te Awamutu library on April 29, a date selected for its proximity to Anzac Day.
The group now wants to gather information on the 10 names listed for 2027. Howarth said while they do have some detail on several of the soldiers, they are keen for living relatives of the men to come forward with whatever information they may have.
“People might have material at home that will help us tell the stories of these men… certificates, documents or letters, photographs, medals, books,” she said. “It could be anything at all that might help us build a story around who they were, where they lived and what they did before going to war.”
The names being researched for 2027 are Leonard Davis (mother was from Te Awamutu), Percy De Ville (born in Te Awamutu, worked in Te Rahu and named on the St John’s Church plaque), Hugh Hansen and John Hastie (both with fathers from Te Awamutu), George Houghton (parents Te Awamutu and he worked in Te Awamutu), James Houston (father Te Awamutu), Robert Hunter (RSA information from Cambridge), William Johns (born Te Awamutu and on St John’s Church plaque), Keith Johnston (born Paterangi), and Theodore Marshall (lived Te Awamutu).
Howarth is asking anyone with information on these 10 men to come along to the April 29 meeting with whatever they have that can be shared with the genealogists.
“The data could be from anywhere across the wider district. These men’s names are on the cenotaph because they were listed as having an association with Te Awamutu when they enlisted,” she said, “but they may have lived and worked elsewhere in the district, and their living relatives could also be living further afield.”
The group is also looking to swell its number of researchers and can help those new to the task by providing lists of websites to search.
“They don’t have to be members of the group – just people with an interest in the project and time to help with the research,” Howarth said.
Te Awamutu genealogist Linda Howarth. Photo: Viv Posselt
