63108 Trooper John Connor, Canterbury Mounted Rifles, 8th Company [Squadron]

John Connor, was farming in the Korere Valley (near Nelson) when he enlisted on 24th May 1917 at the age of 33 years. He had earlier served as an underage member of the 10th New Zealand Mounted Rifles in South Africa. John Connor, known to his friends as Jack, left New Zealand with the 34th Reinforcements aboard HMNZT 98 Tofua on 13 November disembarking at Suez five weeks later. His service record records that, following an initial period at Moascar, on 18th May 1918 he was posted to the Canterbury Mounted Rifles 8th Company in the field. After six months in the field he was posted to the Dardanelles as part of the CMR Company charged with inspecting and working on ANZAC graves over a two month period from 28 November 1918 to 22 January 1919, which included gathering remains that had not been buried, or had been washed out of temporary graves. Jack was to spend two months in hospital following his return to Cairo, suffering initially from tonsillitis. He finally left for New Zealand aboard the hospital ship Ellenga on 23rd July 1917 and was discharged in New Zealand on the 12th October 1919. His overseas service totalled 1 year and 306 days. Following the war Jack returned to farming. He never married and died in Dunedin on 10th September 1958, aged 73 years.