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Cenotaph record

James Horne Aitken

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Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1915 - No known copyright restrictions

Portrait, Auckland Weekly News 1915 - No known copyright restrictions

Identity

About

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  • Title
  • Forenames
    James Horne AWMM
  • Surname
    Aitken AWMM
  • Ingoa
  • Also known as
    James Home Aitken AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 6/4 AWMM
  • Gender
    Male AWMM
  • Iwi
  • Hapū
  • Waka
  • Rohe
  • Religion

Civilian life

About birth

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  • Birth
    Christchurch, Canterbury AWMM
  • Date of birth
  • Place of birth
  • Birth notes
  • Address before enlistment
    10 Riccarton Road, Christchurch, New Zealand AWMM
  • Post war occupation
  • Next of kin on embarkation
    G.G. Aitken, 106 Hereford Street, Christchurch, New Zealand AWMM
  • Relationship status
    Pre 16 October 1914 AWMM Single AWMM

Service

Wars and conflicts

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  • War
    World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
  • Campaign
    1915-1916 Gallipoli AWMM
  • Armed force / branch
    Army AWMM
  • Service number
    WWI 6/4 AWMM
  • Military service
    Captain, Queen's Cadets, but relinquished the commission before the war because of work pressures AWMM
  • Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers

Military decorations

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Training and Enlistment

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  • Military training
  • Branch Trade Proficiency
  • Enlistment
    WW1 Canterbury, 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
    Died of wounds, Cause of Death AWMM

Last known rank

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Biographical information

Biographical information

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  • Private Aitken was the fourth son of James and Jessie Aitken of Canterbury. He had attended Christ's College and Canterbury University.

    He was orderly to General Godley who wrote to his brother "He had been my special orderly since we landed here, and had been invaluable to me. On the 5th, the day he was killed, he was with me as usual, carrying my telescope, as he always did, and with his rifle, acting as my escort..."

    Private Aitken's brother, 24/670 Sergeant Edward Bouchier Aitken, 2 New Zealand Rifle Brigade, also served in WWI. He was killed in action in France. AWMM
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Death

About death

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  • Death
    4 May 1915 AWMM
    Gallipoli, Turkey AWMM
  • Date of death
  • Age at death
  • Place of death
  • Cause of death
    Died of wounds AWMM
  • Death notes
  • Cemetery
  • Cemetery name
  • Grave reference
  • Obituary
    Private J. H. Aitken, Canterbury Battalion, who died of wounds on May 4, was manager of the Northern Insurance Company, for Christchurch, chief agent of the Indemnity Mutual, and a member of the firm Aitken Bros., sharebrokers. (Auckland Weekly News, 3 June 1915, p. 20) AWMM
  • Memorial name
  • Memorial reference

Memorials

Memorial

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  • Memorial name
    Lone Pine Memorial, Lone Pine Cemetery, Anzac, Turkey AWMM

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: 7 AWMM
    • Stowers, R. (2005). Bloody Gallipoli: the New Zealanders' story. Auckland, N.Z.: David Bateman. 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. 1: Includes portrait AWMM
    • The Fields of Remembrance Trust: Brothers Field, Auckland Museum (Armistice, 2018) AWMM
    • Scadden, J. (2018). Broken branches : New Zealand families who lost three or more children in the Great War. AWMM

Contributors

Command item
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DateFirst namesLocationRelationshipContact
19 August 2021Ian BanksTaumarunui New ZealandResearcher

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