Pte. Raymond John Baker

Raymond John Baker enlisted at Tauranga on 14 August 1914. He was reported missing, believed dead, on 25 April 1915 at the Dardanelles, Gallipoli. Raymond John Baker was born at Chedzoy in Somerset, England on 27 December 1890 to Richard and Maria Baker. They later lived at 'Hill View' at Ōtorohanga in the Waikato. Raymond worked as a millhand at Gamman's Mill in Omanawa Falls, Tauranga. On 14 August 1914 he enlisted in Tauranga to serve during World War I. At the time of enlistment Raymond was already part of the the Hauraki Regiment (D Company), having already registered for compulsory military training in Rotorua. Raymond considered himself an Anglican. He was just over 173 cm tall and just under 62 kg in weight, with brown hair and eyes and a fair complexion. He served with the Auckland Infantry Battalion (6th Company) and departed on 16 October 1914 for Suez, Egypt. On April 12 1915 Raymond embarked from Alexandria in Egypt for the Dardanelles. He was reported missing at Gallipoli, believed dead, on 25 April 1915 (reg. 1918/71049). He was aged 24. Raymond's missing status was reported by the Auckland Star on 3 July 1915: "Pte Raymond John Baker a dispatch rider of the 6th Hauraki Regiment, reported missing in a recent list." And then on 11 February 1916 the Auckland Star reported that he was now believed dead: "PTE. RAYMOND JOHN BAKER, some time ago reported as missing from the ranks of the Auckland Battalion, now believed dead. His mother resides at Otorohanga" (p. 3). In 2014 Tauranga's 'Field of Remembrance' was created by the Tauranga WW100 Committee. It comprised 107 white crosses in memory of the men from the Tauranga area who died during World War I. Each cross carries a red poppy and the name of an individual who died. Source: Biography by Debbie McCauley (13 October 2014) https://debbiemccauleyauthor.wordpress.com/biographies/tauranga-rol....

Sources

1. Archives New Zealand: Military Personnel File
2. Auckland Star (3 July 1915).
3. Auckland Star (11 February 1916, p. 3).
4. Births, Deaths & Marriages Online (New Zealand)
5. Cenotaph Record: https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/...
6. Kean, Fiona (Tauranga Heritage Collection).
7. Otorohanga Cemetery Records Online.