Historical records matching Pte. Harry Wensley Kirk
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About Pte. Harry Wensley Kirk
Harry Wensley Kirk was born at Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island on 18 April 1889 (reg. 1889/4336). He was the youngest son of Henry Benjamin Kirk and Ann Kirk (née Colebrook) who had married in Auckland on 15 January 1873 (reg. 1873/4847). Harry had attended Greerton School and later worked as a farmer at Ōmokoroa in the Western Bay of Plenty. He enlisted in World War I on 3 March 1917, and served as a Private with the Auckland Infantry Regiment (Service Number: WWI 59922). Harry disembarked at Liverpool in England on 8 December 1917, but his service was to be a short one. He was reported as being dangerously ill in the Military Hospital at Tidworth, Wiltshire on 9 February 1918. 28-year-old Harry died of measles and purulent bronchitis on 24 February 1918 at 3.40pm. A death notice appeared in the 'Bay of Plenty Times' on 6 March 1918: "Died of illness on February 24th, 1918 in Tidworth Military Hospital, England, Pte Harry Wensley Kirk, 30th Reinforcement, aged 28 years, youngest son of Henry and Annie Kirk, Papatoetoe, late of Tauranga." Harry was buried in the Tidworth Military Cemetery at Wiltshire (Grave No. 284, Plot C) (bio by Debbie McCauley, 13 February 2024).
Sources
- Archives New Zealand: Military Personnel File.
- Auckland Weekly News (28 March 1918).
- Bay of Plenty Deaths (1872-1920): H-L.
- Bay of Plenty Times (6 March 1918).
- Births, Deaths and Marriages Online (New Zealand).
- Cenotaph: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
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Pte. Harry Wensley Kirk's Timeline
| 1889 |
April 18, 1889
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Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand
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| 1918 |
February 24, 1918
Age 28
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Military Hospital, Tidworth, Wiltshire, England (United Kingdom)
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February 24, 1918
Age 28
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Tidworth Military Cemetery, [C. 284.], Tidworth, Wiltshire, England (United Kingdom)
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