English Māori Leslie Newton Skedgwell Born 9 June 1929 - Died 31 October 1986 PDF Key details Service numberKorea 206561 AWMM Also known asNewt AWMM Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Last rankKorea Driver/Military AWMM WarKorean War, 1950-1953 AWMM Enquire Lay a poppy Portrait (kindly provided by family) - This image may be subject to copyright Hide sources Show empty fields Identity About Contribute › Title ForenamesLeslie Newton AWMM SurnameSkedgwell AWMM Ingoa Also known asNewt AWMM Service numberKorea 206561 AWMM GenderMale AWMM Iwi Hapū Waka Rohe ReligionChurch of England, Christian AWMM Images and documents Images Contribute › Documents Contribute › Civilian life About birth Contribute › Birth9 June 1929 AWMM Stratford, Taranaki AWMM Date of birth Place of birth Birth notes Address before enlistmentKorea Pre 12 June 1951 AWMM 13 Ariel Street, Stratford, Taranaki, New Zealand AWMM Post war occupationDairy factory worker and dairy farmer/Civilian AWMM Next of kin on embarkation Relationship statusPre 2 August 1951 AWMM Single AWMM Service Wars and conflicts Contribute › WarKorean War, 1950-1953 AWMM Campaign Armed force / branchArmy AWMM Service numberKorea 206561 AWMM Military service Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers Military decorations Contribute › Medals and AwardsNew Zealand Operational Service Medal AWMM Korea Medal (EIIR) AWMM United Nations Medal for Korea AWMM Training and Enlistment Contribute › Military training Branch Trade Proficiency EnlistmentKorea 12 June 1951 AWMM Age 24 AWMM Dairy Factory Hand/Civilian AWMM New Plymouth, Taranaki AWMM Occupation before enlistment Age on enlistment Embarkations Contribute › Embarkation detailsKorea Vessel was Wahine AWMM Driver/Military AWMM New Zealand Army Service Corps, 10 New Zealand Transport Company AWMM Kayforce AWMM Prisoner of war Contribute › Capture details Days interned Liberation date Liberation Repatriation POW liberation details POW serial number Medical history Contribute › Medical notesHeight, Unknown Period AWMM 5 feet 9 inches AWMM Eye colour, Unknown Period AWMM blue AWMM Hair colour, Unknown Period AWMM fair AWMM Weight, Unknown Period AWMM 11 stone 6 pounds AWMM Last known rank Contribute › Last rankKorea 10 June 1953 AWMM Termination of engagement AWMM Driver/Military AWMM Biographical information Biographical information Contribute › Newt was the youngest child of Alfred Henry (Alf) and Inger Emily (Emily) Skedgwell.He attended school at Te Roti, Tuna and Midhirst.After leaving school he worked on his father's farm on Salisbury Road, at Tuna.He then went to work in cheese and butter factories at Jerseydale just west of Eltham, then Finnerty Road at Ngaere where he was working when he decided to join the Army and going to service in Korea. He did his Army training at Linton Army Camp on the 12 June 1951, which is at Longburn, Palmerston North. On Newt's service record he wanted to be a motor bike dispatch rider, but when he went to Korea it was as a Transport Driver.During his final leave before shipping out, he attended a dance at Te Kiri with some of his mates, and there he met Elizabeth (Betty) Revell, and this was the beginning of a whirlwind romance.Newt left on the 2nd Expeditionary Force from Wellington on the 2 August 1951 aboard the "Wahine". On the 15 August 1951 at 5:40 am the "Wahine" hit a reef off Masela Island in the Arafura Sea, north of Darwin. In response to a distress call, all aboard were rescued by the "Stanvac Karach" , which took them back to Darwin. (Newt used to joke about the sharks wearing his boxing gloves - as they lost all the gear they had taken on board). The men were eventually flown from Darwin to Japan on 4 September 1951, then into Korea on the 8 September 1951.Newt and Betty wrote to each other during his time away, he also asked her to marry him. Betty began her nursing at Stratford's Maternity Unit and boarded with Alf and Emily during this time.When Newt returned to New Zealand on 15 April 1953 at the end of his tour, they officially became engaged and married on 23 September 1953 at Kaponga. By this time Newt was again working in the dairy factory, they began their married life together at Makatawa Dairy Factory as a 2nd assistant. His next move was to Lowgarth Dairy Factory, then to Skeet Road where he became the 1st Assistant and obtained his Boilerman's ticket also.During the years following Newt and Betty's marriage four children were born, Heather, Murray, Graeme and Neil. During 1964 Newt decided on a career change, and the family moved from Auroa to Kapuni where he worked for Mr Hardy Benton. Then the couple made the decision to go 50/50 sharemilking at Riverlea, where they farmed on the Mangawhero Road for 17 years.Then in about 1981 they had the opportunity to go 50/50 sharemilking at Mangatoki, this time on the Lower Duthie Road, where they farmed until Newt's sudden death in October 1985.He also received the War Service Medal (Republic of Korea), issued by the RoK in 1951 and which was offered again on the 50th Anniversary AWMM Read more Death About death Contribute › Death31 October 1986 AWMM Age 57 AWMM Stratford, Taranaki AWMM Date of death Age at death Place of death Cause of death Death notes CemeteryKaponga Cemetery, Park Lane, Kaponga, South Taranaki District, New Zealand AWMM Block H Plot 2527 AWMM Cemetery name Grave reference Obituary Memorial name Memorial reference Memorials Memorial Contribute › Memorial name Roll of Honour Remember Leslie Newton Skedgwell by laying a poppy. Alfred Henry Skedgwell Charles Claude Skedgwell Leslie Newton Skedgwell Thomas William Trevor Skedgwell Bruce Skeen Lay a poppy for 2021 Leave a note Leave a tribute or memory of Leslie Newton Skedgwell Leave a note Contribute › Processing Sources Sources Contribute › External linksBirths, Deaths and Marriages (New Zealand) Historical Records online https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz Sources Used Cemetery Records. South Taranaki District Council cemetery database. http://public.stdc.govt.nz/cemeteries/ Sources Used DocumentsInformation kindly provided by family AWMM Military Service Record AWMM 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. AWMM 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