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Cenotaph record

Samuel Arnold Atkinson

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Portrait from In Memoriam, 1914-1918 [Wanganui Collegiate School], 1919[?] - No known copyright restrictions

Portrait from In Memoriam, 1914-1918 [Wanganui Collegiate School], 1919[?] - No known copyright rest …

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    Samuel Arnold AWMM
  • Surname
    Atkinson AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
  • Service number
    WWI 14714 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    • 1874 AWMM
    • 9 July 1874 Public Source
  • Date of birth
    9 July 1874. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 20 March 2019 - Military File : National Archives of New Zealand.
  • Place of birth
    Nelson, New Zealand. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 20 March 2019 - National Archives of New Zealand.
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    Mrs M.H. Atkinson (wife), 149 Upland Road, Kelburn, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Married. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 20 March 2019 - National Archives of New Zealand.

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
    1914-1919 Western Front AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 14714 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 Unknown AWMM
    Age 40 AWMM
    Law Reporter/Civilian 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
    • Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM
    • this is his deah 05/06/1917 Public - Carla - 11 April 2018 - Army

Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • Son of Sir Harry Albert Atkinson, K.C.M.G. (Prime Minister of New Zealand, 1876-77, 1883-84, 1887-91), and Annie Atkinson.

      Husband of Mary H. Atkinson, of Upland Road, Kelburn, Wellington.

      When the Great War broke out in 1914, Samuel was a forty-year-old solicitor and law reporter, married with a family of four sons and two daughters, living in Upland Road, Kelburn, Wellington.

      On the day of his death, his company had supplied a daylight raiding party on the enemy trenches. The raid was successful but on withdrawing three men were inadvertently left behind. The officer, Lt. Manning, leading the raid went back to hurry them along and being out of breath dropped into a shell hole on the return journey to rest. Capt. Atkinson, watching from the NZ trenches, thought he had been hit and possibly might need assistance, so ran towards him. This impulsive act cost him his life, as before reaching Lt. Manning, he was shot in the throat and killed by a German sniper.

      "Fourth son of the late Sir Henry Atkinson, received his first education at Nelson College, coming here in 1889. On leaving School he went to Canterbury College, and finally to Victoria College, where he attended a course of law lectures. At the time of his enlistment he was Law Reporter for Wellington, exhibiting untiring energy and patience in his work. Apart from his professional duties he invariably devoted a large amount of time to Imperial matters, and was at one time a member of the Wellington College Rifles, as well as a Lieutenant in the Officers’ Training Corps at Victoria College. Among many other duties he undertook the secretaryship of the Round Table Magazine, though probably his greatest work lay in conjunction with the late Dr McNab, the two co-operating in an endeavour to rouse in the country a spirit of enthusiasm and sense of duty, a work which culminated in the passing of the Compulsory Military Training Act. He left New Zealand with the 14th Reinforcements, took his place in the trenches towards the end of June, 1916, and died on June 5th the following year, while engaged in the heroic work of attempting to save a brother officer." (In Memoriam, 1914-1918 [Wanganui Collegiate School]) AWMM
    • Captain Samuel Atkinson - who was born at Nelson - is remembered on the World War 1
      'Wall of Remembrance' - at Founders Park, Nelson City. Public - Jenifer - Researcher - 20 March 2019 - Researcher : Founders Park (Nelson City) World War 1 Wall of Remembrance.
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    5 June 1917 AWMM
    Age 43 AWMM
    Belgium, Europe AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Killed in Action AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    La Plus Douve Farm Cemetery, Comines-Warneton, Hainaut, Belgium AWMM IV.E.12. AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    New Plymouth Boy's High School memorial gate, New Plymouth, New Zealand AWMM

Roll of Honour

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Leave a tribute or memory of Samuel Arnold Atkinson

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  • I was learning about this guy in school as he got assigned to me and upon hearing his story i felt he deserves some sort of recognition as his deeds were incredible and him along with his fellow soldiers shouldn't be forgotten.
    Public - Amberley - Researcher - 11 September 2023
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Sources

Sources

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Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
11 September 2023AmberleyAukland newzelandResearcher
28 May 2020AllanRotoruaResearcher
20 March 2019JeniferWairarapaResearcher
11 April 2018CarlaCh ChOther

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