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Cenotaph record

James Walter Quested

Preliminary record

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Portrait, James Walter Quested - This image may be subject to copyright

Portrait, James Walter Quested - This image may be subject to copyright

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    James Walter AWMM
  • Surname
    Quested AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    • 448531 AWMM
    • 442674 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    13 August 1922 AWMM Oamaru, Otago AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    WW2 Pre 5 May 1942 AWMM George Town, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
    Poultry farmer/Civilian AWMM
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    WW2 Mr W.P. Quested (father), George Town, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 5 January 1945 AWMM Single/WWII AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW2 5 May 1942 AWMM
    Age 19 AWMM
    Tractor operator/Civilian AWMM
  • Occupation before enlistment
  • Age on enlistment

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

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Was in the Air Force where service number was 442674.

      Turned 100 years on 13 August 2022. AWMM
    • James Walter Quested (Jim) passed away on March 22nd 2024 peacefully with family aged 101.
      This is his story
      James Walter Quested:
      NZ Army – 448531: RNZAF- 442674
      #quested448531
      Jim was born in Georgetown Oamaru 13th August 1922. He is one of three children to Walter and Mary Quested. His father was a hardworking railway man who served in Gallipoli where he unfortunately lost his eye. Upon return to NZ the Railways who employed him in a job that he loved so much didn’t think he was capable of that anymore put him in a job that he loathed so his father ended up as a poultry farmer.
      In 1943 Jim started out in the naval reserves, then switched careers to the Airforce for 4 months (April 1944) – training and learning navigation, then switched to the NZ Army.
      Jim was in Italy 1945 when the war ended and then got sent to Japan to help with the repatriation and stabilization of Japan. He was 23 years old.
      While in Japan he was sent to Yamaguchi where he found the conditions pretty awful and he lost a lot of weight with being dehydrated and poor food. His barracks was a 2 storied building that was an old Japanese Army camp and was very basic. (turns out it burnt down not long after they left). His clothing he said was pretty adequate and his greatcoat came in very handy.
      While in Japan he was sent to Hiroshima as a driver (where he was in charge of a jeep) he found the place pretty devastating. He remembers a year later looking up at the burn line ½ way up the hills and thinking at the time that he hopes that nothing like this will ever happen again in history. He did pick up a piece of molten glass that he brought home with him.
      He also was sent to Hagi 1.5 hours away from Yamaguchi) to an outpost where his job was to look for any Koreans. He does remember one time going out at 10 –11pm with few mates driving and looking down on a fishing lodge, where his mates got a bit bored so starting taking pot shots at the lodge below.. he never did hear what happened afterwards.
      Another piece of memorabilia that he also brought home was a sword which he still has today. He tells me that they were piled about a metre high and you could pick one up as you left.
      Jim laughingly tells me that he also got himself in strife when lost with a couple of mates when they were surrounded by 15 girls or so – turns out they were the local nightlife ladies who dragged them off to the local brothel – mama san got them doing jobs and it was here that screams rang out and a huge scuffle ensured as the MP’s raided the place looking for Aussies who had gone walkabout – luckily he managed to escape any troubles.
      He did a number of jobs while over there, mainly driving and was left in charge a couple of times looking after laborers at a camp once – not scared at the time because he was given a tommy gun for company. But he never experienced any troubles.
      He returned on the Chitral to Wellington 1947 where one of his mates Alan Alves (615656) produced a bottle of Australian Gin to share with Jim and two others – which they all found very nice and it was said they were lucky that the gang plank had sides on it to stop them from falling into the sea. He was disappointed when his time in the army came to an end. He missed his time in the Army and especially missed his many friends that he had made.
      Jim did make it up to Wellington where he attended the 75th Commeration Ceremony with his daughter Christine, which he found very nice and tells me about the rules and regulations that were dished out before hand on how to speak and how to address the Governor General of NZ The Right Honorable Dame Patsy Reddy. Jim tells me that while standing there a lovely lady came up to him and gave him a big hug and he thought “wow this Is nice” turns out it was Dame Patsy herself, this truly made his day Public - John - Researcher - 30 March 2024 - Granddaughter Lydia.
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Death

About death

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  • Death
  • Date of death
    22 March 2024 Public - John - Researcher - 30 March 2024 - Grand Daughter Lydia
  • Age at death
    101 Public - John - Researcher - 30 March 2024 - Grand Daughter Lydia
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Leave a note

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1945). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 15 (Embarkations from 1st January, 1945 to 31st December, 1945). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      p.117 AWMM
    • Kay, R. (1958). 27 (Machine Gun) Battalion. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. AWMM
    • Nominal rolls - Embarkation rolls J-force personnel from Italy Middle East to Japan. Archives New Zealand (R22440245) AWMM
      p.83 AWMM

Contributors

Command item
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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
30 March 2024JohnBlenheimResearcher
22 August 2022BARRYOamaru NZFriend

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