John Hugh Nichol
Born 4 October 1916
Public - Ross - 27 April 2020 - His father, William Nichol's gravestone at Old Te Puke Cemetery.<br />Source: billiongraves.com
- Died 15 Oct 1942 - Service number
- WWII 64062 AWMM
- Also known as
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- Private AWMM New Zealand Infantry, 8 Brigade Group, Signals Corps, New Zealand Coastwatchers AWMM
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
About
- Title
- —
- Forenames
- John Hugh AWMM
- Surname
- Nichol AWMM
- Ingoa
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- Also known as
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- Service number
- WWII 64062 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
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- Religion
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Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- —
- Date of birth
- 4 October 1916Public - Ross - 27 April 2020 - His father, William Nichol's gravestone at Old Te Puke Cemetery.<br />Source: billiongraves.com
- Place of birth
- Gore, New ZealandPublic - Ross - 27 April 2020 - His father, William Nichol's gravestone at Old Te Puke Cemetery.<br />Source: billiongraves.com
- Birth notes
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- Address before enlistment
- WW2 Te Matai, RD, Te Puke, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
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- Next of kin
- WW2 Mrs M.A. Nichol (mother), Te Matai, RD, Te Puke, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Single AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War II, 1939-1945 AWMM
- Campaign
- —
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWII 64062 AWMM
- Military service
- Coastwatcher AWMM
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
08 Nov 1945 AWMM
For exemplary conduct in coast-watching and communication duties in the Gibert Islands area in the face of the enemy, despite overwhelming odds and the knowledge that relief or escape was impossible. AWMM - War Medal 1939-1945 AWMM
- New Zealand War Service Medal AWMM
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
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- Branch Trade Proficiency
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- Enlistment
- WW2 Dairy farmer/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
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- Occupation before enlistment
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Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW2 Private AWMM 30 Infantry Battalion AWMM Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- WW2
- Days interned
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- Liberation date
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- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
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- POW serial number
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Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed or died while a Prisoner of War, Cause of Death AWMM
Executed by Japanese whilst a prisoner of war AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- Private AWMM
New Zealand Infantry, 8 Brigade Group, Signals Corps, New Zealand Coastwatchers AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- John Nichol was the son of William Nichol and Maud Alice Nichol (nee Hobbs) of Te Puke.
Served as a Coastwatcher on Nonoutias part of the Gilbert Group. AWMM - John Hugh Nichol was from a farming family with his parents, William and Maud in Waimumu, Southland. They were forced out of their farm in the late 1920's and they subsequently farmed in the Te Awamutu area. My father, Norman Dickie, who happens to be born in the Gore area two days earlier than John Hugh Nichol, was on a journey around the North Island in January 1935 along with his Gore farming parents, David and Ann. They knew the Nichol family, farmimg in the Waimumu area. They stayed with the Nichol family for a few days. Due to the Depression, the Nichols had no car, but a kind neighbour drove them sightseeing around the Te Awamutu area in her car, including Waitomo Cave. Another local outing the Nichol and Dickie families did was Kakepuku Hill, a bush clad hill. The two 18 year olds, John and Norman ran up a bush track to the top of Kakepuku Hill.
That was a happy stay. Tragically 7½ years later, John lost his life with sixteen others on Tarawa Island, and with five additional European civilians living on the island.
Sadly his mother, Maud died heartbroken in 1947, 3½ years after the confirmation of the news of the Tarawa Island atrocities from NZ Prime Minister, Peter Fraser. William died in 1950.
In Waimumu, Southland, there were plans to put two memorial plaques of those killed in WW1 & WW2 on the outside wall of the Waimumu Memorial Church. My grandfather, David Dickie and a local farmer, Challoner Bowmar successfully put forward that the name of John Hugh Nichol be included with three other Waimumu servicemen who did not returned from WW2. Both WW1 & WW2 memorial plaques were unveiled in 1953.
Sixty-three years later, my father Norman became a centenarian. On Anzac Day 2017, Norman spoke about the tragic circumstances of John Nichol at Tarawa Island to a packed crowd of 200 in the Waimumu Hall, none did not know who John H. Nichol was on the memorial plaque, that he once was a Waimumu boy on a family farm in the 1920's.
Norman died five weeks after that Anzac Day and the 'Last Post' facing the plaques outside the Waimumu Memorial Church, attended by 200 people.Public - Ross - 6 May 2020 - Family memories and John H. Nichol's name on the Waimumu Memorial Church.
- John Nichol was the son of William Nichol and Maud Alice Nichol (nee Hobbs) of Te Puke.
About death
- Death
- 15 Oct 1942 AWMM
Age 26 AWMM - Date of death
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- Age at death
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- Place of death
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- Cause of death
- Killed or died while a Prisoner of War AWMM
- Death notes
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- Cemetery
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- Cemetery name
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- Grave reference
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- Obituary
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- Memorial name
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- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
- Bourail Memorial, Bourail New Zealand War Cemetery, New Caledonia AWMM
- Betio Memorial, Tarawa, Kiribati AWMM
- Tarawa Coastwatchers Memorial AWMM
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories AWMM
Related objects
Sources
- External links
- Hall, D.O.W. (1950). Coastwatchers. In New Zealand in the Second World War, 1939-1945 : episodes & studies Vol. 2. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch. Digital copy
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2Epi-t1-g1-t7.html
Sources Used - Gillespie, O. (1952). The Pacific. Wellington, Dept. of Internal Affairs, War History Branch. Digital copy
http://www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Paci.html
Sources Used - Commonwealth War Graves Commission record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2187392
Sources Used - Warren, Geraldine and Pine, Madison. Our Coastwatchers. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 21 April 2020
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/coastwatchers
Further Reference
- Hall, D.O.W. (1950). Coastwatchers. In New Zealand in the Second World War, 1939-1945 : episodes & studies Vol. 2. Wellington: Historical Publications Branch. Digital copy
- References
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 4 (Embarkations from 1st April, 1941 to 30 June, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
WW2 4: WW2 262 - The New Zealand Herald
"Tarawa Outrage, Massacre by Japanese", N.Z. Herald, 23 Oct 1944 (copy of article in ACF27569) - Information kindly provided by family
- Personnel - Medals and decorations - Awards to Pacific Coast watchers (1942-1946), Archives New Zealand, Wellington (R21465310)
- Mason, W.W. (1954) Prisoners of war. Wellington, N.Z.: Department of Internal Affairs, War History Branch.
- Auckland Museum. Roll of Honour, Auckland Province, 1939 - 1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/139.
- Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force. (1941). Nominal Roll Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force No. 4 (Embarkations from 1st April, 1941 to 30 June, 1941). Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
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