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William Reginald Awatere

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William and Hoa Awatere with a photograph of their uncle and brother who was killed serving in the Vietnam war - Photograph taken by John Nicholson. Dominion post (Newspaper): Photographic negatives and prints of the Evening Post and Dominion newspapers. Ref: EP/1998/1584/23-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/22317177

William and Hoa Awatere with a photograph of their uncle and brother who was killed serving in the V …

Identity

  • Title
  • Forenames
    William Reginald AWMM
  • Surname
    Awatere AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Bill AWMM
  • Service number
    Vietnam 699033 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    13 December 1944 AWMM GisborneGisborne AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
    Son of Keita and Pehikuru Awatere. Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 6 October 2023 - https://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/william-reginald-awatere
  • Address before enlistment
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
  • Relationship status

Service

Wars and conflicts

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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 wounds, Cause of Death AWMM
    Died of wounds, shrapnel injuries from mine explosion AWMM

Last known rank

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  • Last rank

Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Son of Keita and Pehikuru Awatere.

      Listed in Roll of Honour of The ANZAC Battalion as killed in action.

      Buried in Ruatoria 8.5.1968

      Memorial Flag - Presented to his sister-in-law.

      Died of wounds, 12 April 1968 – mine explosion, shrapnel to face and chest. AWMM
    • 699033 Private William Reginald Awatere, 2nd ANZAC Battalion (Whiskey 1 Company, 1st Battalion,Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment)
      At 1430hrs a 1 Platoon patrol detonated a jumping jack mine while walking down a tank track made the previous day. The explosion killed Private Bill Awatere and an Australian soldier; it badly wounded another W Company soldier and four others. For men already unsettled by the danger posed by mines, this tragedy proved most upsetting. Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 4 January 2016 - John Winterbotham - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=48166878
    • William Reginald AWATERE
      13 December 1944 - 12 April 1968
      Killed in Action
      Buried in Ruatoria,
      Ko Hikurangi te maunga
      Ko Waiapu te awa
      Ko Hinetapora te hapu
      Ko Maungahanea te marae
      Ko Ngatiporou te iwi

      William Reginald AWATERE was born at Waipiro Bay, and was the 16th child born to Keita and Pehikuru Awatere. William was educated at Manutahi Primary School and Ngata Memorial College Ruatoria.

      William excelled in sport at Ngata Memorial College, but rugby was where he really shone, this earned him a place in the first fifteen for a number of years. Most of William’s weekends were spent at Whakarua park to cheer the local rugby teams along. William was also a member of the Hikurangi junior choir and kapa haka group and he really gave it his all, competing at many Hui Topu, hosted by different rohe throughout the Motu.

      After leaving school William went to Wellington to begin his carpentry apprenticeship at Trentham. He completed this in three years and worked around Wellington before joining the Army.

      William was hungry for new challenges and he wanted to serve in the Army like his great Uncle Colonel Arapeta Awatere. William did his training at Trentham Military Camp and deployed to Malaysia for further training and then deployed to Vietnam in the sixties. William kept in touch with mum and many other whanau members by letters when he got time to write home. Life as he once wrote wasn't a bed of roses it was scary and dangerous.

      William was tragically taken from us 12/04/1968.William was a caring, good and fun loving brother to all his brothers and sisters young and old. We each hold many happy memories of William.

      Takoto mai e te Teina, te Tuakana I roto I to moegna roa.
      Moe mai, moe mai I roto I nga ringaringa o to tatou Ariki a Ihu Karaiti
      Na te whanau o William Awatere.
      (Rev. Harriet Cutbush) Public - Lorraine M - Researcher - 4 January 2016 - http://www.wcoy.net/awatere.html
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    12 April 1968 AWMM
    Age 23 AWMM
    Phuoc Tuy ProvinceVietnam AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Ruatoria Cemetery, Tuparoa Road, Ruatoria AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
    699033 Private William Reginald Awatere, 2nd ANZAC Battalion (Whiskey 1 Company, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment)
    At 1430hrs a 1 Platoon patrol detonated a jumping jack mine while walking down a tank track made the previous day. The explosion killed Private Bill Awatere and an Australian soldier; it badly wounded another W Company soldier and four others. For men already unsettled by the danger posed by mines, this tragedy proved most upsetting. Public - Lorraine Mona - Researcher - 18 August 2023 - https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/118080013/william-reginald-awatere
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, Hall of Memories. Vietnam. AWMM
    • Gisborne First World War Memorial, The Esplanade, Kaiti, Gisborne AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Newman, K. (Ed.). 1995. The ANZAC Battalion. Swanbourne, W.A.: John Burridge Military Antiques. AWMM
    • Subritsky, M. (Ed). (1995). The Vietnam scrapbook: The second ANZAC adventure. Papakura, N.Z.: Three Feathers Publishing Co. AWMM
    • The New Zealand Herald AWMM
      New Zealand Herald 15 April 1968 s1,p1. AWMM
    • McGibbon, I.C. (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: a history of combat, commitment and controversy. Auckland, N.Z.: Exisle AWMM
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
06 October 2023Lorraine Mona Gisborne Researcher
04 January 2016Lorraine MGisborne, NZResearcher

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