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Cenotaph record

English Māori

Thomas Arthur Aldridge

-
Lay a poppy

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Thomas Arthur AWMM
  • Surname
    Aldridge AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Tom AWMM
  • Service number
    • 30688 AWMM
    • G30688 Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 4 May 2018 - seava.co.nz
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
  • Campaign
    • 1963-1966 AWMM
      Malaya 1963-1966 AWMM
      "Indonesian Confrontation (1963-1966) The Federation of Malaysia (Malaya, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak) came into existence on 16 September 1963. Indonesia had voiced its strong opposition to the Malaysia plan and immediately severed all diplomatic ties with Kuala Lumpur, announcing that Indonesia would "crush" Malaysia. In January 1963 the Indonesians announced a policy of "confrontation" against Malaya. Subsequently, the British Embassy, cricket club and countless British-owned businesses were vandalised or burnt to the ground. The confrontation took the form of armed Indonesian invasions across the borders of Sarawak and North Borneo from Indonesian Kalimantan. Indonesian terrorists began landing on the coast of the Malay peninsula but were quickly killed or captured by the security forces. Australian units fought as part of a larger British and Commonwealth force in Australia's most unrecognised and secret war, the campaign to defend the newly established Malaysia against confrontation by Indonesia.. Similar to Australia's role in the Malayan Emergency, operations against Indonesia in Borneo and West Malaysia were part of the Australian government's contribution to the Far East Strategic Reserve. This was an "undeclared war", largely unpublicised in Australia and overshadowed by the commitment of troops to Vietnam. In 1966 President Sukarno was ousted from power and the new government was not keen on continuing the confrontation. A signed peace agreement between Indonesia and Malaysia brought the conflict to an end. The Philippines also dropped its claim on Sabah and recognised Malaysia. Twenty-three Australians were killed during the confrontation. Meanwhile, political differences had surfaced between Malaysia and Singapore. On 9 August 1965, Singapore left the Federation and became an independent nation." FROM http://www.raafschoolpenang.com/malaysia.htm AWMM
    • 1962-1966 AWMM
      Borneo Confrontation 1962-1966 AWMM
      Following the defeat of the Brunei rebellion at the end of 1962 the Indonesian Foreign Minister announced a policy of 'confgrontation' against Malaysia, justifying this Indonesian expansion as a response to hostile neo-colonialist / imperialist policies against Indonesia. Following on the burning oif the British Embassy in Jakarta a British and Commonwealth force was created to dominate the Borneo border and resist Indonesian incursions. from Spink (1988) AWMM
    • 1964-1973 AWMM
      Vietnam War AWMM
    • NZ Force - South East Asia Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 25 January 2020 - 1 Bn RNZIR Dieppe Barracks Association records
    • Campaign "Malaya" - qualifying service = 1Aug60-16Aug64, (for border operations) Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 25 January 2020 - http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign.html
    • Campaign "Indonesian Confrontation" (Borneo) - qualifying service = 8Dec1962-11Aug66 Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 25 January 2020 - http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign.html
    • Campaign "Indonesian Confrontation" (Malay Peninsular) - qualifying Service = 17Aug64-11Aug66 Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 25 January 2020 - http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign
    • Campaign "Vietnam War" - qualifying service = 1Dec62-1May75 Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 25 January 2020 - http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign.html
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    • 30688 AWMM
    • G30688 Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 4 May 2018 - seava.co.nz
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
  • 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
    Died of Disease, Cause of Death AWMM
    Lung disease AWMM

Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Husband of Judy.

    Malaya 1962-63

    Malaysia 1965-

    Borneo 1965-

    South Vietnam 1967-78

    Singapore 1974-6

    Died in Rotorua. AWMM

Death

About death

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  • Death
    6 July 2011 AWMM
    Age 71 AWMM
    Rotorua, Bay of Plenty AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Died of Disease AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
    Death notice: New Zealand Herald, 8 July 2011

    Obituary: New Zealand Herald, 8 July 2011 AWMM
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

Remember Thomas Arthur Aldridge by laying a poppy.

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Leave a tribute or memory of Thomas Arthur Aldridge

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  • Would be better if AWMM had "Malayan Emergency 1948-1960"(6Jun48-31Jul60) - "Indonesian Confrontation 1962-1966"(8Dec62-11Aug1966) "Borneo" was only a small part of the Konfrontasi Indonesia as operation were on mainland Malaya also. (AWMM should have another catagory "Malaya" (1Aug60-16Aug64) as border operations fighting the Communist Terrorists was ongoing after the Emergency was declared over.

    Tom would have also been awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) medal, a Malaysian Government issued medal in appreciation of NZ's involvement.

    http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign.html
    Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 6 June 2018
    Report 
  • The Malayan Emergency was declared over on 31 July 1960...therefor Tom was not part of that "campaign". So his tour to 1 NZ Regt "Terendak Camp" Malacca, Malaya in 1961/63 would be classed as NZGSM with clasp “MALAYA 1960-64” (warlike). The AWMM "Borneo Confrontation 1963-66" is actually the Indonesian Confrontation 24 Dec 1962 - 11 Aug 1966 (operations on both Mainland Malaya & Sarawak State, Borneo Island). A tour to Borneo would get one the General Service Medal (1962) with clasp “BORNEO” and service on Mainland Malaya would get one the General Service Medal (1962) with clasp “MALAY PENINSULA” (17 Aug 1964 – 12 Jun 1965)

    http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/info/campaign.html
    Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 6 June 2018
    Report 
  • G30688 Thomas Arthur ALDRIDGE-CBE; [MV 62/63, BV 65/67. VV] (Bn2IC 74/76) 6 July 2011 aged 71 (ld). Buried at North Shore Memorial Park, 235 Schnapper Rock Rd, Schnapper Rock, Auckland 0632, Nth Div Sect 2, Block; RSA-E, Row; G, Plot; 1. [-36.75244, 174.6798] Duntroon 1961. LEST WE FORGET
    Public - Roscoe - Comrade - 29 November 2017
    Report 

Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • Documents
    • Gurr, Robert M. (1995). Voices from a border war : a history of 1 Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, 1963 to 1965. Melbourne, Vic.: Robert Gurr. AWMM
      Gurr, Robert M. (1995). p. 162 AWMM
    • Who's who in New Zealand (1951-1991). Wellington, N.Z. ; Auckland, N.Z.: Reed. AWMM
      p. 6 AWMM
    • H.E. Chamberlain, Nominal Roll – 1 RNZIR, 18 May-1 October 1965, in Gurr, Robert. (2009). Voices from a border war: Borneo 1963-1965. 2nd Edition. Christchurch, N.Z.: Wilson Scott Publishing, pp.151-156 AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • 1NZR Roll 1961-1963 - Bill Russell, Malayan Veterans Association Scrapbook – 40th Anniversary edition. AWMM
    • DECEASED, 1 NZ Regiment, 1961-63 – Internet resource. AWMM

Contributors

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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
13 July 2020RoscoeAotearoaResearcher
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