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Cenotaph record

James Thomas Chalmers Cunningham

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Headstone of Sergeant James Thomas Chalmers Cunningham (9/689). Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium. New Zealand War Graves Trust (BEDA9493). CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.

Headstone of Sergeant James Thomas Chalmers Cunningham (9/689). Nine Elms British Cemetery, Popering …

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    James Thomas Chalmers AWMM
  • Surname
    Cunningham AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWI 9/689 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Unknown AWMM Lees Street, Oamaru, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    James Cunningham (father), Empire Buildings, Sydenham, Christchurch, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 14 December 1914 AWMM Single AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 9/689 AWMM
  • Military service
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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  • Medals and Awards
    • Military Medal (MM) AWMM
      Military Medal: Operations Gravenstafel - 29th September and 1st October to 5th october 1917. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty. Near Aviatak Farm on the night of the 29th/30th September 1917, he, with splendid courage and fine coolness, under heavy enemy shelling, established himself in a good position on the slope of the hill. He was regardless of personal saftey and the courageous example displayed by him was a marked factor in maintaining the coolness and steadiness of the Platoon of which he had a Command. His handling of the platoon was exceptionally good and his fien bearing and personal influence was instrumental in avoiding casualties. L.G. 17 December 1917, p13201, Rec No 1314. AWMM
    • Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
      Mentioned in Despatches: Operations Messines - 7th June 1917, and Operations La Basse Ville sector 3rd/4th August 1917. On the 7th June during the attack on Messines when his Platoon Commander had ben wounded, this non-commissioned officer reorganised his men under very heavy shellfire, and gallantly lead then forward to attack. Later, when consolidating a captured position, he set a splendid example to his men by his coolness and untiring devotion to duty. Again on the night of the 3rd/4th August 1917, in the La Basse Ville sector, when in command of a detachment of 20 men, acting as a covering patrol to a wiring party, he sucessfullly led his men through an intense enemy barrage and patrolled the front for a period of four hours again showing remarkable coolness and courage in an exposed and exceedingly dangerous position. L.G. 28 December 1917, p13575, Rec No 1170. AWMM
    • Victory Medal AWMM
    • British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM

Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 Unknown AWMM Otago, New Zealand AWMM
  • 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
    14 Oct 1917 {Age 25} AWMMDied of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Son of Mr J Cunningham of Christchurch AWMM

Death

About death

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  • Death
    14 October 1917 AWMM
    Age 25 AWMM
    Belgium, Europe AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Died of wounds AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Nine Elms British Cemetery, Poperinge, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium AWMM V D 14 AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name

Roll of Honour

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Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      Vol1: 168 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. 2: Includes portrait AWMM
    • NZWGT: Information supplied by the New Zealand War Graves Trust as part of the New Zealand War Graves project. This project was established in 2006 to record in text and photographs the 31,758 New Zealanders who have been identifed as serving with New Zealand or Allied forces, and who died in conflicts from the Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) up to the present day and in peacekeeping operations. AWMM

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