John Robert (Jack) Dunn 16 April 1915 - 7 July 1915
Diary of John Robert (Jack) Dunn 16 April 1915 - 7 July 1915
Jack Dunn was born and educated in the Wairarapa and later worked as a journalist in Levin, Masterton and Wellington. With the outbreak of WW1 Jack enlisted in the army and became a machine gunner.
Whilst serving in Gallipoli Jack was discovered asleep at his post, court-martialled and sentenced to death by firing squad. However, at the time of the offence, Jack was suffering badly from enteric fever. This illness was later recognised as a mitigating circumstance and resulted in the court-martial judgment being remitted.
Jack re-joined his unit just in time for the last major offensive on Gallipoli. On 8 August 1915, three days after his reprieve, Jack Dunn was killed in action during his unit's attack on Chunuk Bair.
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Diary Transcription - 16 October 1914 - 2 December 1914. Author unknown
This transcript is part of a diary held by the Clougher family. Jack Clougher embarked in Lyttleton then left with the Main Body of NZEF troops who departed from Wellington on 16 October 1914. This diary however appears to be written by one of the merchant seamen; possibly the radio operator; on board one of the troopships as part of that convoy. It traces the voyage from New Zealand via Australia to Suez. This was during the period of time when the German cruiser ‘Emden’ was causing havoc in the shipping lanes and the battle that saw her beached and destroyed seems very close to the troopships in transit.
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FG Gibbs 1914
Diary of Frederick Giles Gibbs, (b.1866, d.1953). This diary spans the period from 9 Nov 1913 to 25 April 1915. The headmaster of Nelson Boys’ Central School, secretary of the Nelson School of Music, astronomer, tramper, and champion of local causes, Frederick Giles Gibbs kept diaries recording his varied activities in Nelson city and around the province between 1883 and 1952. His notes for the week 9 August 1914 about the outbreak of war in Europe in August 1914 record the pitch of excitment and concern in Nelson that week.
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Julius Huffam Diary : Friday 6 February, 1914 - Saturday 6 February, 1915
Daily entries covering Huffam's life in Nelson, voyage to Fiji during February 1914, his stay in Fiji, voyage to Brisbane working aboard "Amra" (May 1914), and life in Brisbane until his return to Nelson in January 1915. Comments about progress of the war during his stay in Australia, where he enlisted in the Naval Reserves and Expeditionary Forces in the hope of being called up. He embarked for war service from New Zealand on the 13th June 1915 in the Medical Corps.
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