Willie Moka
Born 24th January 1892
Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
- Died 4 Sept 1918 - Service number
- WWI 20624 AWMM
- Also known as
- Willie Williams AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- WW1 Corporal/Military AWMM New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion AWMM
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- —
- Date of birth
- 24th January 1892Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
- Place of birth
- HokiangaPublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
- Birth notes
- Son of Wi Moka and Ellen Wi Moka, of Kohukohu, HokiangaPublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
- Address before enlistment
- KohukohuPublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
- Post war occupation
- —
- Next of kin
- WW1 Wi Williams (father), Kohukohu, Hokianga, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- SinglePublic - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - MilitaryRecord
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
- Campaign
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 20624 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- —
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW1 Unknown AWMM Barman/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW1 19 Aug 1916-24 Oct 1916 AWMM
HMNZT 61 AWMM Vessel was Aparima AWMM Private AWMM 7th Reinforcements AWMM Maori Contingent AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- —
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
- —
- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- Died of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- WW1 Corporal/Military AWMM
New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Willie Williams (Moka) was the son of Wi Moka and Ellen Wi Moka, of Kohukohu, Hokianga.
Two brothers went to war both enlisting as Williams: James Moka (19779) and Willie Moka (20624). Both died in the same month.
Enlisted as Willie Williams, he named his father as Wi Moka. Listed, with his brother, with the name Moka on the Kohukohu School War Memorial and also the Hokianga Arch of Remembrance
Next of Kin: Mr W. Moka, Kohukohu, Hokianga (Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1914-1918 (Volume 2)) AWMM - The Williams’ brothers – WW1
Last year the HHS received an email from a Californian couple who had found this postcard. On the card was the name Willie Williams and in a different hand, “Willie Williams, Nana’s brother. Killed in France by a German sniper WW1, 1918”. Since then we have had two new research requests about Willie Williams and his brothers who also served.
The Auckland War Memorial Museum on-line cenotaph provides the following information. The Williams brothers also went under the surname Moka. Their father was known as Wi Williams or William Moka. Their mother was Ellen. The family were farmers in or around the Kohukohu/Mangamuka area. The brothers’ names are James Williams (aka Hohaia Moka) 19779, Willie Williams (aka Poaka Moka) 20624 and Moa Williams 20654. They served with the Maori (Pioneer) Battalion.
Very sadly James and Willie died during active service overseas and did not come home. Their names are on the Hokianga Arch of Remembrance and the Kohukohu School Memorial gates. James became ill while fighting on the front line in France and was invalided back to England where he died on 30 September 1918. He was buried there. Willie was wounded while fighting on the front line, also in France. He died of his wounds on 4th September 1918. He was buried in France.
Moa Williams did come back from the war.Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 13 October 2024 - Hokianga Historical Society - FACE BOOK - Willie was named Poaka Moka, he was one of four sons who enlisted to fight in WW1, of which only two returned home.Public - Nicole - Other Relative - 27 April 2015 - Family oral histories
- Willie Williams (Moka) was the son of Wi Moka and Ellen Wi Moka, of Kohukohu, Hokianga.
About death
- Death
- 4 Sept 1918 AWMM
Age 26 AWMM - Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- Died of wounds AWMM
- Death notes
- —
- Cemetery
- Bagneux British Cemetery, Gezaincourt, Somme, France AWMM VI. F. 16. AWMM
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- —
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
- —
Memorial
- Memorial name
- Auckland War Memorial Museum AWMM
- Kohukohu School (memorial gates, WW1), Hokianga, Northland, New Zealand AWMM
- Hokianga Arch of Remembrance, Kohukohu, Hokianga, New Zealand AWMM
Related objects
Related Serviceperson
Sources
- External links
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
http://www.cwgc.org
Sources Used - New Zealand Electronic Text Collection topic page
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/name-130840.html
Further Reference - Ministry for Culture and Heritage, New Zealand History online. Kohukohu First World War Memorial.
https://nzhistory.govt.nz/memorial/kohukohu-first-world-war-memorial
Further Reference - Cowan, J. (1926). The Maoris in the Great War. Auckland, N.Z.: Maori Regimental Committee by Whitcombe & Tombs.
https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20201108000000/https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowMaor.html
Further Reference - New Zealand War Graves Trust
https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/
Further Reference
- Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
- References
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
38: 40 - Soutar, M. (2019). Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori In the First World War. New Zealand: David Bateman Ltd.
- The Fields of Remembrance Trust: Brothers Field, Auckland Museum (Armistice, 2018)
- Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2.
- Cowan, J. (1926). The Maoris in the Great War. Auckland, N.Z.: Maori Regimental Committee by Whitcombe & Tombs.
- Pugsley, C. (1995). Te Hokowhitu a Tu : the Maori Pioneer Battalion in the first World War. Auckland, N.Z.: Reed.
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
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.