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Cenotaph record

William Roland Ahier

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Portrait of W. R. Ahier. Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1917, v.5, n.1. Image has no known copyright restrictions.

Portrait of W. R. Ahier. Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1917, v.5, n.1. Image has no known copyr …

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    William Roland AWMM
  • Surname
    Ahier AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    Dick AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 10284 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
  • Religion
    Church of England, Christian AWMM

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    9 February 1894 AWMM Te Awamutu, Waikato AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    Pre 11 January 1916 AWMM Te Awamutu, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    George Midford Aubin Ahier (father), Te Awamutu, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 6 May 1916 AWMM Single AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
    • 1914-1919 Western Front AWMM
    • Battle of Messines AWMM
    • Battle of Messines AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 10284 AWMM
  • Military service
    Training College Corps, Auckland AWMM
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 11 January 1916 AWMM
    Age 21 AWMM
    School teacher/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
    • Height, Unknown Period AWMM
      5 foot 11 inches AWMM
    • Weight, Unknown Period AWMM
      11 stone AWMM
    • Dental, Unknown Period AWMM
      denture lower jaw; other teeth poor AWMM
    • Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM

Biographical information

Biographical information

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    • William Ahier was the son of George Midford Aubin Ahier and Anna (Annie) Maria Seccombe Hamley, of Te Awamutu.

      Two brothers served in WW1: William Roland (Dick) Ahier (10284) was killed in action 1917 and Norman Godfrey Ahier (13/287).

      Embarked from Egypt 26 July 1916 for England; embarked fro France 29 August 1916

      A diary written by Dick Ahier, found in the ceiling of an old St Andrews Road house in Auckland, is held in the Museum Library's Manuscripts Collection (MS 2004/76). The diary contains detailed daily entries covering the following observations of military life at the front: entertainment, sport, personal hygiene, parasites, vermin, route marches, drill, trench warfare, equipment, food and alcohol, accommodation, bedding, weather conditions, correspondence, weaponry, enemy bombardments, YMCA, guard duty, illness, medical treatments and aerial combat. Forty-nine servicemen with whom Ahier served are also mentioned.

      Slang terms include: pilot or sky pilot, boscar, limber, plum duff, bock, Tommy, Hun, Fritz, crook possie.

      Locations mentioned include: Estaires, Sailly, Fleurbaix, Armentieres, Pont de Nieppe, De Seule, Ploegsteert, Le Bizet, Neuve-Eglise.

      Attended Auckland Grammar School. Attended Auckland University College (now the University of Auckland).

      Dick Ahier writes in his diary (MS 2004/76) extensively about his friend Cosh, who was wounded and moved to No. 2 Australian General Hospital, Boulogne, and later to England. Cosh's full name is not known. An A. Ahier is remembered on the Pirongia Memorial Hall we are not sure this is the same man. AWMM
    • Very grateful to have been allowed to read Dick Ahier's precious war diary. It gave me further information about the circumstances surrounding the capture (22.2.17) and subsequent death (23.02.17) of my cousin Pte Clarrie Tarlin who was serving with Dick. Thank you very much. Public - Anne - Researcher - 21 May 2019 - Personal comment
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    6 May 1917 AWMM
    Age 23 AWMM
    Messines, Belgium AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Killed in Action AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
    Nieuwkerke (Neuve-Eglise) Churchyard, Heuvelland, West-Vlaanderen, Belgium AWMM V.8. AWMM
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
    Death notice: Te Awamutu Courier, 25 May 1917, p. 3.

    Obituary: Auckland Grammar School Chronicle. 1917. AWMM
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    • Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
    • Pirongia Memorial Hall, Pirongia, Waikato, New Zealand AWMM
    • Hamilton Memorial Park, Memorial Drive, Hamilton East, 3216 AWMM

Roll of Honour

Remember William Roland Ahier by laying a poppy.

Leave a note

Leave a tribute or memory of William Roland Ahier

Leave a note

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  • Uncle Dick In memory over the generations on behalf of his nephews and niece George and Stan and Lyn Ahier and great nieces Janne, Sue, Heather and Chris McLachlan
    Public - Nigel Phillip - Other relative - 11 November 2018
    Report 

Sources

Sources

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  • External links
  • References
    • Connolly, A., & Stanes, P. Rememberance: Auckland Grammar School Great War Roll of Honour. Vols 1 & 2. Auckland: Petand Prodctions. AWMM
    • New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1917). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume II. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer. AWMM
      31: 7 AWMM
    • Ahier, William Roland. War diary, 1917. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 2004/76. AWMM
    • Auckland Grammar School Chronicle. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland Grammar School. AWMM
      Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1917, Second term. pp.44-45. AWMM
    • Auckland Grammar School Chronicle. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland Grammar School. AWMM
      Auckland Grammar School chronicle. 1917, Second term. p.17. AWMM
    • Auckland Weekly News AWMM
      Death notice: Te Awamutu Courier, 25 May 1917, p. 3. AWMM
    • Auckland Grammar School Chronicle. Auckland, N.Z.: Auckland Grammar School. AWMM
      Obituary: Auckland Grammar School Chronicle. 1917. AWMM
    • A.U.C. roll of honour, 1914 - 1920. MSS & Archives E-2, Special Collections, University of Auckland Libraries and Learning Services. 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
    • Information kindly provided by family AWMM
    • HMNZT 52.The bugle call of the 12th NZ Reinforcements : being the souvenir number of The Mokoia chronicle.(1916). On board ship: Published on board H.M.N.Z. Transport no. 52 "S.S. Mokoia". AWMM
    • Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
Command item
Add new record Refresh
DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
21 May 2019Anne New PlymouthResearcher
11 November 2018Nigel PhillipHamiltonOther relative

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