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Cenotaph record

Thomas Heeney

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  • Service number
    WWI 75715 AWMM
  • Also known as
    Tom Heeney Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Armed force / branch
    • Army AWMM
    • NZ Rifle Brigade Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Last rank
  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
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Nominal Roll Vol 4 (Roll 86), Page: 15 - No known copyright restrictions

Nominal Roll Vol 4 (Roll 86), Page: 15 - No known copyright restrictions

Identity

About

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  • Title
    Rifleman Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Forenames
    Thomas AWMM
  • Surname
    Heeney AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Tom Heeney Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Service number
    WWI 75715 AWMM
  • Gender
    • Male AWMM
    • Male Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    • 18 May 1898 Peter Dennis, UNSW Canberra Gisborne, Gisborne Peter Dennis, UNSW Canberra
    • 17 March 1898 Public Source
  • Date of birth
    17 March 1898 Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research
  • Place of birth
    Gisborne NZ Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research
  • Birth notes
    Son of Hugh & Elizabeth Heeney of Gisborne, formerly from Ireland Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research
  • Address before enlistment
    Gisborne Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research
  • Post war occupation
    Professional Boxer Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    Mrs E. Heeney (mother), Owen Road, Kaiti, Gisborne, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    single
    married Marian Dunn Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military record & Research

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
  • Armed force / branch
    • Army AWMM
    • NZ Rifle Brigade Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Service number
    WWI 75715 AWMM
  • Military service
    1918-1919 Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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  • Medals and Awards
    British War Medal Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record

Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    • WW1 Unknown AWMM Plumber AWMM
    • 1 Dec 1917 at Gisborne Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment
    19 yrs 6 mths Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record

Embarkations

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Prisoner of war

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  • Capture details
  • Days interned
  • Liberation date
  • Liberation Repatriation
  • POW liberation details
  • POW serial number

Medical history

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  • Medical notes
    • Height, WWI AWMM
      5' 9.5" AWMM
    • Weight, WWI AWMM
      163 lb AWMM

Last known rank

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  • Last rank
    Rifleman Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Military Record

Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • War service: England
      Embarked Wellington, 10 July 1918; disembarked London, 9 September 1918, and marched into Composite Bn, Larkhill, 11 September 1918.
      Marched into and posted to Rifle Brigade Reserve, Brocton, 3 October 1918.
      Commenced return to New Zealand from Portsmouth on board HT 'Raranga', 30 April 1919; disembarked Newport, Nova Scotia, Canada, 25 March 1919; re-embarked, 29 March 1919; discharged, 27 May 1919.
      Total war service: 1 year 56 days (of which 294 days were abroad)
      Medal: British War Medal

      Parents: Father b. Co Derry, Ireland; Mother b. Co Cork, Ireland AWMM
    • Thomas Heeney was born at Kaiti, Gisborne, on 18 May 1898, the ninth of ten children of Irish immigrants Hugh Heeney, a labourer, and his wife, Eliza Coughlan. He was educated in Gisborne at St Mary's and Te Hapara schools, and after working briefly for a blacksmith was apprenticed to a local plumber. He was to work in the plumbing trade until he left New Zealand in 1924.
      Hugh Heeney taught his sons to box and two of them, Jack and Tom, showed unusual talent. Both were also representative rugby players, and Tom was a member of the Hawke's Bay–Poverty Bay team that played South Africa in 1921. He was also a powerful swimmer: in 1918 he was awarded a medal by the Royal Humane Society of New Zealand for his part in the rescue of two young women off Waikanae Beach. Jack Heeney was a New Zealand champion boxer at both amateur and professional level and he encouraged his younger brother to take part in amateur bouts, both of which he won.
      Tom Heeney possessed a fine physique, standing 5 feet 10 inches tall and at his peak weighing 14 stone. He turned professional in 1920. After winning his first two bouts, he challenged Albert Pooley for the New Zealand heavyweight title in October that year, and won on a points decision. In 1922 he visited Australia, where he won five, lost two and drew two of his nine bouts. He relinquished his New Zealand title by going to Australia, but soon after returning home he regained it by stopping Brian McCleary in 14 rounds. He then lost to Jim Sullivan – his only defeat in New Zealand – but won the title back in a return bout.
      In 1924 Tom Heeney left for Britain to further his boxing career. He suffered a poor start, losing on points to British champion Phil Scott in a one-sided contest. After a further three bouts Heeney visited South Africa where he won four of his five fights. On his return to Britain he beat Irish champion Bartley Madden in Dublin. This and other successes encouraged him to try his luck in the United States, and he sailed for New York in 1926.
      On 26 July 1928 Heeney, who remains the only New Zealand-born heavyweight to fight for the world championship, met Tunney in front of 46,000 spectators at Yankee Stadium, New York. He entered the ring wearing a Maori cloak sent to him by Sir James Carroll's widow, Heni Materoa. Guaranteed $100,000 for the bout, Heeney fought with great courage and did well in the early rounds, but he had little chance against the skilful Tunney; the bout was stopped in the 11th round to save him from further punishment.

      A week later, on 2 August 1928, Heeney married Marion Estelle Dunn at Suffern in New York state. At the end of August the couple left on a visit to New Zealand, where there had been tremendous interest in Heeney's title bid. He and his wife were welcomed by huge crowds throughout the country, especially at his home town of Gisborne. On his return to the United States Heeney took out American citizenship and continued to box until 1933. Of his 69 professional bouts he won 37, lost 22 and drew 10.
      During the Second World War Tom Heeney served in the United States Navy Civil Engineer Corps. He acted as a boxing instructor and refereed several armed forces bouts around the South Pacific. In 1947 he again visited New Zealand to see his mother and other family members. His boxing career had been financially rewarding, and for many years he owned a restaurant in Miami, Florida. Heeney made another brief visit to New Zealand shortly before his death, in Miami, on 16 June 1984. Marion had died in 1980; there were no children of the marriage. Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/4h25/heeney-thomas
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    25 June 1984 Public Source
  • Date of death
    25 June 1984 Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Research
  • Age at death
    86 yrs Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Research
  • Place of death
    Miami, Florida, USA Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 30 August 2015 - Research
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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Contributors

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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
30 August 2015Lorraine MGisborne, NZResearcher

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