Robert Edward Marchioni

Born 1 Apr 1932 - Died 26 Aug 1951

Service number: Korea 13155 AWMM
Korea 13155 AWMM
Also known as: —
Armed force / branch: Navy AWMM
Last rank: Able Seaman/Military AWMM Royal New Zealand Navy, HMNZS Rotoiti AWMM
War: Regular Military Service AWMM
Korean War, 1950-1953 AWMM

Robert Edward Marchioni — Portrait of Robert Marchioni in uniform circa 1950-1951. Image kindly provided by whānau (February 2026) All Rights Reserved

Show empty fields Hide sources

Biographical information

Son of Basil and Ena Marchioni. Next of kin Mrs Ena Marchioni, formerly of Utiku, living in Wanganui in 1951.

Served in Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) 1949-51.

Served in HMNZS Rotoiti 1950-51.

Able-Seaman Marchioni is the first naval casualty in Korea. He joined the service in 1949 and, after training at H.M.N.Z.S. Tamaki, he joined the Rotoiti as an ordinary-seaman in July, 1950. In April of this year he was rated Able-Seaman, and several months ago he passed his examination for Leading-Seaman. He was regarded as an outstanding rating." (NZ Herald, 28 August 1951, p. 6)

Able Seaman Marchioni was killed in a raid on Sogon-ni, 26 August 1951.

"Marchioni, who [Lieutenant-Commander B.E.] Turner recalled as 'one of the greatest seaman boys I ever had', was the RNZN's only fatal battle casualty of the war. Turner wanted to mount a landing in daylight to recover his body, but was refused permission. During the morning, a funeral service was conducted on Rotoiti by Ceylon's chaplain. Marchioni was posthumously mentioned in despatches for his part in the action." (McGibbon 1996, vol. 2, p. 176).

Prime Minister Helen Clark and Defence Minister Mark Burton presented the New Zealand Operational Service Medal (NZOSM) to next of kin of New Zealanders who were killed or died in military operations since 1945 at a ceremony at Parliament 3 September 2003.

The New Zealand Operational Service Medal was received on his behalf by his brother Mr Tony Marchioni of Hamilton.

Able Seaman Robert Edward Marchioni (13155) was born in Taihape on 1 April 1932, the son of Basil and Ena Marchioni. He enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Navy in October 1949, aged 17, and completed his initial training at HMNZS Tamaki. He later served aboard HMNZS Tutira before joining HMNZS Rotoiti in July 1950. Promoted to Able Seaman on 13 April 1951, he was regarded by his officers as an outstanding rating. His brother, Steward John Charles Marchioni (1930–2022), also served in the Navy during the Korean War.

In August 1951, while HMNZS Rotoiti was operating off the west coast of Korea, Marchioni volunteered for a combined shore operation near Sogon-ni. He was killed in action on 26 August 1951, aged 19, becoming the Royal New Zealand Navy’s only fatal battle casualty of the Korean War. A funeral service was held aboard the ship later that day. Sadly, Robert's body was unable to be recovered from where he was killed and his remains still lie in North Korea to this day.

Lieutenant-Commander B. E. Turner recalled him as “one of the greatest seaman boys I ever had.” He was posthumously Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Korea Medal, the United Nations Korea Medal, the New Zealand Operational Service Medal, the New Zealand Defense Service Medal and the New Zealand Memorial Cross.

He is commemorated at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan and on New Zealand memorials. His family has been able to visit his memorial plaque among the graves over the years through the support of the government of South Korea.

Their younger brother, Tony Marchioni, continues as a long-serving advocate for Korean War veterans in Hamilton, dedicating decades of service through the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association and veteran welfare work in honour of Robert’s memory (Profile written for “A Flight to Remember”, an Anzac Day 2026 initiative by Online Cenotaph and Air New Zealand). 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.

Robert Edward Marchioni