John Arthur Ross
Born 15 May 1925 - Died 5 Feb 2021
- Service number
- WWII CJX409843 AWMM
- Korea 204621 AWMM
- Also known as
- Johnny AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Merchant Navy AWMM
- Last rank
- Korea Signalman AWMM Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals AWMM
- War
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 15 May 1925 AWMM
Guernsey, Channel Islands, England AWMM - Date of birth
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- Place of birth
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- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- WW2 Pre 09 Dec 1952 AWMM 166 Sandringham Road, Sandringham, Auckland, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- Next of kin
- WW2 H.E. Ross (father), Rouge Rue, Brixham, Guernsey, Channel Islands, England AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 26 Mar 1953 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- Campaign
- 1946-1948 AWMM British Commonwealth Occupational Force, Japan AWMM
- 25 Jun 1950-27 Jul 1953 AWMM Korean War AWMM
- North Sea (Naval) AWMM
- Arctic Convoys AWMM
- 1939-1945 AWMM WW2 AWMM
- Italy AWMM
- Dodecanese Islands (Oct. 1943-July 1944) AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Merchant Navy AWMM
- Service number
- WWII CJX409843 AWMM
- Korea 204621 AWMM
- Military service
- Royal New Zealand Signals AWMM
- New Zealand Base Headquarters AWMM
- Merchant Navy, MV Kars AWMM
- Royal Navy, HMS Ganges AWMM
- HMS Westcott AWMM
North Atlantic and Russian Convoys AWMM - HMS Pelican AWMM
Normandy Landings - then Italy AWMM - HMS Pelican AWMM
Bombay India AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- Royal Navy AWMM
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- 1939-1945 Star AWMM
- Atlantic Star AWMM
- Arctic Star AWMM
- Italy Star AWMM
- War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- New Zealand Operational Service Medal AWMM
- Korea Medal (EIIR) AWMM
- New Zealand General Service Medal 2002 (Korea) AWMM
- United Nations Medal for Korea AWMM
- Korean War Service Medal (Republic of Korea) AWMM
- Forty Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 (Russia) AWMM
- Ushakov Medal (Russia) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- Basic and Signal training, Papakura AWMM
- Prince of Wales Sea School - 15 February 1940 AWMM
- 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
- WW2 Vessel was TEAL Flying Boat AWMM Merchant Navy AWMM
- WW2 Royal New Zealand Signals AWMM Royal New Zealand Navy AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM - Korea Signalman K-Force R22440250 British Commonwealth Forces Korea (Kayforce) AWMM
3rd 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
- Hospital Diseases , Wounds, Unknown Period AWMM
Hepatitis and Dermatitis, treated at 121 Evacuation Hospital and the British Commonwealth Military Hospital, Kure. AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Korea 5 May 1954 AWMM Signalman AWMM
Royal New Zealand Corps of Signals AWMM - Last rank
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Biographical information
- Member of the Swanson RSA.
John Ross first joined the Merchant Navy at 15 during WW2, and later on transferred to the Royal Navy. He was discharged in 1946, and made his way to New Zealand where he worked as a carpenter. In 1952 he enlisted in the NZ Navy and served in Korea until 1954.
John volunteered at Auckland War Memorial Museum since the opening of the Armoury Information Centre in 1996 until retiring in 2014. He worked in a paid capacity during 2000/2001. During that time he undertook research using a variety of dispersed sources (specifically on ships, ship losses and military medals) which has led to the enrichment of Online Cenotaph records and provided the foundation of new digital resources.
His work meant that hard-to-find and dispersed information is freely available online to any researcher, anywhere, and at any time. He also undertook a worldwide trawl of useful stories and anecdotes about animals at war for use by the Museum’s educators in their teaching programmes.
John delivered talks and conducted groups of dignitaries and other visitors on tours relating to the merchant navy, animals at war, and the arctic convoys.
John was member of the Swanson RSA for over 20 years, and was a welfare officer for this organisation for many years. He provided an inquiry service for the Swanson RSA, and frequently acted in a liaison role between Museum curators and veterans or others in the community wishing to donate items to the Museum. He showed great initiative in developing programmes such as a local RSA based service where he delivers meals to around 30 elderly veterans each week, particularly where these are people too proud to access normal Meals on Wheels.
Recipient of the Auckland Museum Medal in 2016. AWMM
About death
- Death
- 5 Feb 2021 AWMM
- 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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Sources
- External links
- IN HONOUR: New Zealand’s surviving WWII veterans (Stuff.co.nz). Published 25 April 2020.
https://interactives.stuff.co.nz/2020/in-honour/index.html
Further Reference - Auckland Museum staff. Farewell John Arthur Ross. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 10 February 2021.
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/john-ross
Further Reference - Penlain, Grace. From the Southern Cross to the Northern Lights: New Zealanders in the Arctic Convoys, 1941-45. Master’s thesis, Massey University, 2022.
http://hdl.handle.net/10179/17843
Sources Used - J Force Wikipedia Page
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Force
Further Reference - Romano, G. (2021, March 4). Jayforce: 75 years on. Auckland War Memorial Museum – Tāmaki Paenga Hira.
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/jayforce
Further Reference
- IN HONOUR: New Zealand’s surviving WWII veterans (Stuff.co.nz). Published 25 April 2020.
- References
- This record was partially compiled from information provided by the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers (NZIPP) Veteran Portrait Project.
- Nominal rolls - Nominal rolls embarkation K-force [Korea Nominal Roll], Archives New Zealand, Wellington, AAYS 8638 AD1/1433 (R22440250)
- Chamberlain, H. (2013). The New Zealand Korea Roll : honouring those who served in the New Zealand Armed Forces in Korea, 1950-1957. Wellington, N.Z.: Author.
- Atkinson, N. (2005). Hell or high water : New Zealand merchant seafarers remember the war. HarperCollins in association with the Ministry for Culture and Heritage.
- McGibbon, I.C. (1992-1996). New Zealand and the Korean War (Vols. 1-2). Auckland, N.Z.; Wellington, N.Z.: Oxford University Press in association with the Historical Branch, Dept. of Internal Affairs.
- Brocklebank, L.W. (1997). Jayforce : New Zealand and the military occupation of Japan, 1945-48. Auckland, N.Z.: Oxford University Press.
- Parr, A. (2012). The occupiers : New Zealand veterans remember post-war Japan. Auckland, N.Z. : Penguin.
The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.
Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.