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Cenotaph record

Vasau

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Headstone, St Andrew's, Hornchurch. The shared headstone of Privates Vasau and Moki in the churchyard (Image courtesy of Brian Taylor, Brentwood, Essex, UK) - No known copyright restrictions

Headstone, St Andrew's, Hornchurch. The shared headstone of Privates Vasau and Moki in the churchyar …

No Known Copyright Restrictions AWMM

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
  • Surname
    Vasau AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWI 16/1177 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    1894 Military personnel file Alofi, Niue Military personnel file
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    WW1 Pre 25 September 1915 AWMM Alofi, Niue Island, Pacific Islands AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    WW1 Siline (mother), Alofi, Niue Island, Pacific Islands AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Jun 1916 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
    • 1914-1916 Egypt AWMM
    • 1914-1919 Egyptian Expeditionary Force (EEF) AWMM
    • 1914-1919 Western Front AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 16/1177 AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 25 September 1915 Military personnel file
    Age 21 AWMM
    Settler/Civilian Military personnel file
    Alofi, Niue Military personnel file
  • 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
    • 29 September 1915 AWMMHeight, WWI AWMM
      5 foot 7.5 inches AWMM
    • 29 September 1915 AWMMWeight, WWI AWMM
      169 pounds AWMM
    • Died of Sickness, Cause of Death AWMM
      Pneumonia AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Son of Aitagi, of Alofi, Niue Island, New Zealand.

    Departed Alofi, Niue Island on 14 October 1915 on board SS Te Anau along with his brother 16/1069 Lui (Pointer 2000, p. 16).

    Arrived Devonport, Auckland, New Zealand on 19 October 1915 (Pointer 2000, p. 18).

    Sailed from Port Said, Egypt, to Marseilles, France, on board SS Canada on 9 April 1916. (Pointer 2000, p. 173)

    "Soon after the arrival of the men from France 16/1177 Private Vasau of Alofi was hospitalized with pneumonia and placed on the dangerously ill list. He died at the depot hospital at Hornchurch on 11 June 1916 and two days later the first Niuean burial took place with the service in St Andrew's Church. The church diary records the burial of 'Private Vasau, a Christian soldier from Niue Island, one of the South Sea Islands, attached to the New Zealand Contingent.'" (Pointer 2000, p. 50)

    Private Vasau was buried on 13 June 1916. Because of a shortage of space in the churchyard, he lies in a shared grave with Private Moki. (Pointer 2000, p. 183 n16)

    He is listed in the register of Burials in the Parish of Hornchurch, Essex, 1916, No. 1346, p. 169.

    Next of Kin: Mrs Siline, Alofi, Nuie Island (Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1914-1918 (Volume 2)) AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    11 June 1916 Military personnel file
    Age 22 AWMM
    Hornchurch, Essex Military personnel file
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Died of Sickness AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Hornchurch (St Andrew) Churchyard, Essex, England AWMM I. AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
    • Alofi National Memorial, Niue AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      25: 4 AWMM
    • Pointer, M. (2000). Tagi tote e loto haaku - My heart is crying a little : Niue Island involvement in the Great War, 1914-1918. Alofi, Niue ; Suva, Fiji: Government of Niue ; Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific. AWMM
      pp. 16, 18, 50, 53, 54, 94, 130, 134, 171, 173, 183 n16. AWMM
    • Pointer, M. (2015). Niue 1774-1974 : 200 years of conflict and change. Dunedin, New Zealand : Otago University Press. AWMM
    • Weddell, H. (2016). Soldiers from the Pacific : the story of Pacific Island soldiers in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War One. Wellington, New Zealand : Defence of New Zealand Study Group. AWMM
    • Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications AWMM
      Vol. 4: Includes portrait AWMM
    • Soutar, M. (2019). Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori In the First World War. New Zealand: David Bateman Ltd. AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2. AWMM

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