Murray Te Hianga Watene
Born 7 Jun 1938
This is a preliminary record. Find out more.
- Service number
- Malaya 465991 AWMM
- Vietnam 465991 AWMM
- Also known as
- M. T. H. Watene AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
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- War
- Malaya, 1960-1964 AWMM
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 AWMM
About
- Title
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- Forenames
- Murray Te Hianga AWMM
- Surname
- Watene AWMM
- Ingoa
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- Also known as
- M. T. H. Watene AWMM
- Service number
- Malaya 465991 AWMM
- Vietnam 465991 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- Iwi Māori, Māori AWMM
- Ngāti Kahungunu, Māori AWMM
- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 7 Jun 1938 Ministry for Culture and Heritage
- Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
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- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
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- Relationship status
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Wars and conflicts
- War
- Malaya, 1960-1964 AWMM
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975 AWMM
- Campaign
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- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- Malaya 465991 AWMM
- Vietnam 465991 AWMM
- Military service
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- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
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Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
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- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
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- Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- Malaya Lance Corporal/Military AWMM New Zealand Regiment, 1 Battalion, Headquarters AWMM British Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve AWMM
- Vietnam Corporal/Military Ministry for Culture and Heritage 4th Royal Australian Regiment / New Zealand (ANZAC) Battalion, Victor 6 Company (1RNZIR) AWMM 1st Australian Task Force AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
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- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
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Last known rank
- Last rank
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- Last rank
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Biographical information
- Member of the AKL 100 RSA.
Murray Te Hianga Watene (Ngāti Kahungunu) served in the New Zealand Army for almost 25 years. He served with Headquarters, 1st Battalion, New Zealand Regiment in Malaya from 1961 to 1963 as a member of the Regimental Police Section at Terendak Camp, Malacca. During this posting he met and married Carol Theresa Ann Wicks in 1963. In 1971 he deployed to Vietnam as a Section Commander with Victor 6 Company, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, serving with the 4th Royal Australian Regiment/New Zealand (ANZAC) Battalion during New Zealand's final infantry deployment to the conflict. Following Vietnam he was posted to Burnham Military Camp before serving as a movements NCO at the Defence Travel Centre. In 1979 he spent approximately three months at Scott Base, Antarctica, where he assisted in the recovery operation following the crash of Air New Zealand Flight TE901 on Mt Erebus. He retired from the New Zealand Army in 1984 after nearly 25 years' service. In retirement he worked with the Department for Courts and remained active in veterans' organisations, including the Auckland RSA and Veterans' Affairs, supporting commemorative events and veteran welfare.
Served as part of the Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps in Antarctica during the 1979-1980 season with Loading Team 1. New Zealand military personnel supported Antarctic operations through Operation Deep Freeze, with Royal New Zealand Army Service Corps personnel contributing to logistics, transport, cargo handling, and resupply support. AWMM
About death
- Death
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- Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
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- Death notes
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- Cemetery
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- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
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Related objects
Sources
- External links
- New Zealand's Vietnam War Veterans. Personal page
http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/veteran/cpl-mth-watene
Sources Used - Memories of New Zealand and the Vietnam War. New Zealand History online website.
http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/
Further Reference - Australia's Vietnam War
https://web.archive.org/web/20241003003021/https://vietnam.unsw.adfa.edu.au/
Further Reference - Murray Watene, 23/7/2019
https://www.rsa.org.nz/stories/murray-watene
Further Reference - Danielle Clent, 'Field of Remembrance to honour Kiwis who died in war 'on our own soil', www.stuff.co.nz, 11 April 2019
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/111920627/field-of-remembrance-to-honour-kiwis-who-died-in-war-on-our-own-soil
Further Reference - Murray Watene
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/watene
Further Reference - A Year in Review: Online Cenotaph 2021
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/2021
Further Reference
- New Zealand's Vietnam War Veterans. Personal page
- References
- Subritsky, M. (Ed). (1995). The Vietnam scrapbook: The second ANZAC adventure. Papakura, N.Z.: Three Feathers Publishing Co.
- Hall, C. (2014). No front line : inside stories of New Zealand's Vietnam War. Auckland, New Zealand : Penguin Books.
- This record was created from data kindly provided by the New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
- This record was partially compiled from information provided by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) Veteran Portrait Project.
- 1NZR Roll 1961-1963 - Bill Russell, Malayan Veterans Association Scrapbook – 40th Anniversary edition.
- McGibbon, I.C. (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: a history of combat, commitment and controversy. Auckland, N.Z.: Exisle
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