Brother of Michael Corcoran, Serial No 32938
The Group Photo of soldiers on the road has come from family archives and has simply 'Mick & Tom' written on the back. No one has successfully identified either Tom or Mick nor any other member of the group. It is further believed that Mick & Tom did not serve together at any stage. Service records show Tom was en route back to Britain to take up a training position with the NZ Machine Gun Corps when Mick was killed.
A family member writes: "Tom Corcoran never married and lived out his life as boarder in the house hold of a sister with a large family.
Tom spent the first 20 years after returning from the war living a hermit's life in the bush of the West Coast chasing gold - a Corcoran trait. Unfortunately his life became that of an alcoholic and he moved to the Hawkes Bay to live with his sister's (Nell, wife of William Reston Hamilton Serial No 9/285) family during WWII where he worked as a School caretaker. He died September 1963 in Hawkes Bay Hospital of cancer which was discovered after he was admitted following an accident - in which he was knocked from his bike one evening riding home from the pub. My own father remembers the event particularly, as my Grandfather (Jim - the eldest of the Corcoran children) was visiting our family in Christchurch when he received news of Tom's passing. Dad remembers his father becoming quite distraught at the news, complaining that he was the eldest of 4 son's yet now the only one left, he should have gone before all the others etc. Another brother Jack had died as a boy in 1899 after a horse riding accident."
Disembarked Suez, 15 March 1916.
Embarked Alexandria for France, 7 April 1916.
Transferred to Lewis Gun Section, Thiennes, 17 April 1916.
Reported missing in action; subsequently reported wounded in action (date not recorded); admitted to No 2 Canadian General Hospital, 18 September 1916 gun shot wound, left hand); transferred to England, 21 September 1916, and admitted to No 2 NZ General Hospital, Walton-on-Thames, 23 September 1916; discharged to NZ Command Depot, Codford, 18 October 1916.
Found guilty, 18 December 1916, of when on Active Service being absent without leave, 2 am to noon, 17 December 1916: forfeited 1 day's pay.
Transferred to No 4 Company, NZ Machine Gun Corps, Grantham, 10 December 1916.
Proceeded overseas to France, 9 February 1917.
Transferred to 5th Company, NZ Machine Gun Corps (date not recorded).
Wounded in action (2nd occasion), 7 June 1917 (concussion, shell), and admitted same day to 76th Field Ambulance; transferred to 75th Field Ambulance, 12 June 1917; rejoined unit, 13 June 1917.
Appointed Lance Corporal, 8 November 1917.
AAG, NZEF, 8 November 1917: 'It is desired to send this NCO to England for a tour of duty.'
Marched out to England, 19 November 1917; taken on strength, NZ Machine Gun Depot, Grantham, 1 December 1917.
Commenced return to New Zealand from Liverpool on board 'Northumberland', 28 March 1919; discharged, 8 June 1919.
Total war service: 3 years 241 days (of which 3 years 96 days were abroad). AWMM