Phillip was the son of John Thomas Blake and Eliza Hastings nee Vickery. He was born on 3 May 1893 and worked as a surveyor. The Blake family were of Maori ancestry. Many worked for government agencies as interpreters around Taranaki and elsewhere in NZ. Phillip was killed at Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli on the 8th August 1915. His body was never recovered. A Court of Inquiry declared him dead on 22 January 1916. His name is inscribed on the Chunuk Bair NZ Memorial, Gallipoli, Turkey.