Thomas Marshall Percy Grace
Born 11 Jul 1890 - Died 8 Aug 1915
- Service number
- WWI 10/127 AWMM
- Also known as
- Hami AWMM
- Haami AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Last rank
- WW1 Second Lieutenant AWMM Wellington Infantry Battalion, 17th (Ruahine) Company AWMM
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
About
- Title
- LieutenantPublic - Lorraine M - Researcher - 3 September 2015 - Military record
- Forenames
- Thomas Marshall Percy AWMM
- Surname
- Grace AWMM
- Ingoa
- —
- Also known as
- Hami AWMM
- Haami AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 10/127 AWMM
- Gender
- Male AWMM
- Iwi / Hapū / Waka / Rohe
- Iwi Māori, Māori AWMM
- Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Ngā Iwi o Te Arawa, Te Arawa, Waka o Ngā Iwi, Ngā Iwi, Māori AWMM
- Religion
- —
Images
Documents
About birth
- Birth
- 11 Jul 1890 AWMM
- Date of birth
- —
- Place of birth
- —
- Birth notes
- son of Lawrence Marshall Grace and Henerieta Kahui GracePublic - Lorraine M - Researcher - 3 September 2015 - Gisborne Herald report April 17 2015
- Address before enlistment
- WW1 99 Coromandel Street, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Post war occupation
- —
- Next of kin
- WW1 Lawrence Marshall Grace, Native Department, Government Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Relationship status
- Pre 16 Oct 1914 AWMM Single/WWI AWMM
Wars and conflicts
- War
- World War I, 1914-1918 AWMM
- Campaign
- 1914-1916 AWMM Egypt AWMM
- 1915-1916 AWMM Gallipoli AWMM
- 1915-1916 AWMM Gallipoli AWMM
- Armed force / branch
- Army AWMM
- Service number
- WWI 10/127 AWMM
- Military service
- —
- Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers
- —
Military decorations
- Medals and Awards
- 1914-1915 Star AWMM
- British War Medal (1914-1920) AWMM
- Victory Medal with oak leaf AWMM
- Mentioned in Despatches (MiD) AWMM
MiD. Mentioned in General I. Hamilton's despatch of the 26th August 1915. (Commander in Chief, Meditteranean Expeditionary Force). London Gazette, Supplement, 5 November 1915, p11003. AWMM
Training and Enlistment
- Military training
- —
- Branch Trade Proficiency
- —
- Enlistment
- WW1 Civil servant/Civilian AWMM
- Age on enlistment
- —
- Occupation before enlistment
- —
Embarkations
- Embarkation details
- WW1 16 Oct 1914-03 Dec 1914 AWMM
HMNZT 7 or HMNZT 10 AWMM Vessel was Arawa or Limerick AWMM Sergeant AWMM Wellington Infantry Battalion AWMM Main Body AWMM
Prisoner of war
- Capture details
- —
- Days interned
- —
- Liberation date
- —
- POW liberation details
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- Liberation Repatriation
- —
- POW serial number
- —
Medical history
- Medical notes
- Killed in Action, Cause of Death AWMM
Last known rank
- Last rank
- WW1 Second Lieutenant AWMM
Wellington Infantry Battalion, 17th (Ruahine) Company AWMM - Last rank
- —
Biographical information
- Son of Lawrence Marshall Grace and Henerieta Kahui Grace, of 50, Russell Terrace, Wellington.
Attended Wellington College 1904 - 1908
2nd Lieutenant Grace commanded the first New Zealand sniper detachment which was formed in response to the Turkish snipers at Gallipoli.
Next of Kin: Mr L. M. Grace, Govt Bldgs, Wellington (Roll of Honour, Auckland Province 1914-1918 (Volume 1)) AWMM - Thomas Marshall Percy (Hami) Grace was born on 11 July 1890 at Pukawa, Lake Taupo. His maternal grandfather was the Ngati Tuwharetoa Paramount Chief Te Heuheu. His paternal grandfather was The Rev. Thomas Grace, of the Church Missionary Society.
Hami’s father, a civil servant with the Post and Telegraph Department was transferred to Wellington and the family moved to 99 Coromandel Street in Newtown.
Hami and his younger brother William both attended Wellington College. At college Hami excelled in sport. He played for both the First XV rugby team & First XI cricket team which he captained. His figures of 5 for 66 and 5 for 29 against Wanganui Collegiate remain among the best ever bowling figures in this traditional fixture. He was also a member of the college’s shooting team.
On leaving college Hami continued to excel at sport playing club rugby for Wellington College Old Boys and representative rugby for Wellington, the North island and New Zealand Maori touring New Zealand in 1911 and Australia in 1914. Hami was a devoted club player. At the end of one rugby season the WCOB senior A players were discussing what club they each were going to as the team had been relegated. When it came to Hami, the star player, he simply stated that he would be sticking with WCOB! He also played first class cricket for Wellington.
Upon the outbreak of war in 1914, Hami joined the Wellington Regiment. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant under the command of the famous Lieutenant Colonel William Malone.
At this time their was considerable imperial concern about the use of Maori against European forces and most Maori soldiers were used only to provide labour or garrison duties. This had prompted the minister of defence, James Allen, to write to Major-General Sir Alexander Godley, commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, stating:
“Although they are a coloured race I think it would be apparent on their arrival that they are different to the ordinary coloured race.”
As such Hamis commissioning as a second lieutenant in a regular army regiment singles him out as a truly exceptional character. Hami trained in Egypt and fought with the Wellington Regiment at Gallipoli (Where he went ashore on 26 April).
At Quinn’s Post (above ANZAC Cove) Hami a noted marksman formed sniper teams to ‘hunt’ Turkish sniper teams that were at the time causing huge casualties among NZ troops. The NZ ‘counter’ sniper teams were so effective that NZ casualties dropped dramatically & the resultant morale rose.
“Malone assigned this task to his very capable Lieutenant Grace, who was well respected among the men as an accomplished marksman - within a few weeks the enemy’s sniping had been so completely suppressed that traffic in the valley went uninterrupted throughout the day.”
- Bloody Gallipoli: Richard Stowers
“Grace’s snipers, posted throughout the valley, placed a barrier as impenetrable as any earthwork between the traffic in Monash Valley and the Turks whose trenches overlooked it. They were an elite band you got that good you could shoot the left eye out of a fly.’"
Gallipoli, the New Zealand story: Christopher Pugsley
Hami was known for taking a sack full of grenades & sneaking over to the Turkish trenches & causing mayhem by throwing them up and down the trenches. This was a task often given to those with a cricketing background. His actions preceded those of another famous NZ 2/Lt from a later war who with his sack full of grenades crawled his way to the first of his two Victoria Crosses. Hami was awarded a Mentioned in Despatches for his actions attacking an enemy trench on the night of 8/7/1915.
Hami’s accomplishments at this point were considerable. At a time in our history when many doors were still closed to Maori, Hami had attended Wellington College, played representative rugby and cricket for Wellington and been commissioned as an officer in the NZ Army.
Sadly Hami Grace was killed during the Wellington Regiment’s legendary assaultPublic - Lorraine M - Researcher - 3 September 2015 - http://www.allteams.co.nz/small-gallery-article/thomas-marshall-percy-(hami)-grace-(1890-1915)/11011/10053/
- Son of Lawrence Marshall Grace and Henerieta Kahui Grace, of 50, Russell Terrace, Wellington.
About death
- Death
- 8 Aug 1915 AWMM
Age 25 AWMM - Date of death
- —
- Age at death
- —
- Place of death
- —
- Cause of death
- Killed in Action AWMM
- Death notes
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- Cemetery
- —
- Cemetery name
- —
- Grave reference
- —
- Obituary
- —
- Memorial name
- —
- Memorial reference
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Memorial
- Memorial name
- Chunuk Bair (New Zealand) Memorial, Chunuk Bair Cemetery, Gallipoli, Turkey AWMM
- Memorial roll, Wellington College, Wellington, New Zealand AWMM
- Marlborough War Memorial, 20 Seymour Street, Blenheim, 7201 AWMM
- Marlborough Great War Memorial, WW1 AWMM
- Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 1 Hall of Memories AWMM
Related objects
Related Serviceperson
Sources
- External links
- Military personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R16787732
Further Reference - Wellington College Community documents - biography and portrait
http://www.wellington-college.school.nz/CommunityDocs/Stephanie/IN%20REMEMBRANCE%20OF%20HAMI%20GRACE.pdf
Further Reference - Wellington College Community documents - diary
http://www.wellington-college.school.nz/CommunityDocs/Stephanie/img-Y25084352.pdf
Further Reference - Tom Hunt, 'From sporting hero to war hero: the story of Wellington College's sharp-shooter', www.stuff.co.nz
https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/last-post-first-light/108474791/from-sporting-hero-to-war-hero-the-story-of-wellington-colleges-sharpshooter
Further Reference - A Street Near You record
https://astreetnearyou.org/person/679981/-
Further Reference - Commonwealth War Graves Commission Casualty record
https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/679981
Further Reference - Wikidata Entity
http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q101080109
Further Reference - Other Military Personnel file
https://collections.archives.govt.nz/web/arena/search/#/entity/aims-archive/R7880045
Further Reference - Bennett, Nelson. Always in my thoughts. Auckland War Memorial Museum - Tāmaki Paenga Hira. First published: 20 April 2022.
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/features/grace-brothers
Further Reference - Cowan, J. (1926). The Maoris in the Great War. Auckland, N.Z.: Maori Regimental Committee by Whitcombe & Tombs.
https://ndhadeliver.natlib.govt.nz/webarchive/20201108000000/https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-CowMaor.html
Further Reference - New Zealand Cricket Museum Profile
http://nzcricketmuseum.co.nz/lieutenant-grace-of-wellington/Public - NZ Cricket Museum - Researcher - 21 April 2015 - New Zealand Cricket Museum
- Military personnel file
- References
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
Vol1: 275 - Beattie, P.J. & Pomeroy, M. (2013-2020). Onward : portraits of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (vols 1-5). Auckland, New Zealand: Fair Dinkum Publications
Vol. 3: Includes portrait - Roll of Honour, Auckland Province (digital copy), 1914 - 1919. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-2016-2.
- McDonald, W. (2013). Honours and Awards to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Great War, 1914-1918. (3rd ed.). Hamilton, N.Z.: Richard Stowers.
- Cowan, J. (1926). The Maoris in the Great War. Auckland, N.Z.: Maori Regimental Committee by Whitcombe & Tombs.
- Soutar, M. (2019). Whitiki! Whiti! Whiti! E!: Maori In the First World War. New Zealand: David Bateman Ltd.
- Waite, F. (1919). The New Zealanders at Gallipoli. Auckland, N.Z.: Printed and published under Authority of the New Zealand Government by Whitcombe & Tombs.
- New Zealand Army Expeditionary Force. (1914-1919). Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force, Volume I. Wellington, N.Z.: Govt. Printer.
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