R.J. Matchett from the .Birches Co Armagh New Zealand Rifle Brigade

[ARMAGH]

Looking help with a New Zealand soldier from Ireland,any details Please.

Thank you

Joe

From Armagh Gazette 4^th Oct 1918

Company-Sergt.Major Robert John Matchett, New Zealand Rifles son of Mr John Matchett, late of the Birches, Portadown, has been killed in action.

KIA 12-9-1918

41984 CSM MATCHETT, ROBERT JOHNRegiment/Service: New Zealand Rifle Brigade 1st Bn. 3rd

.

Cemetery METZ-EN-COUTURE COMMUNAL CEMETERY BRITISH EXTENSION

Son of John Matchett, of Ballyhannon House, Portadown, Co. Armagh, Ireland.

1911 Census 3 Ballynarry Tartaraghan Co Armagh

[dundeesown]

Hi Armagh

Not sure what info you are looking for but you can see your lads records on this site.

http://www.archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleSearchResults.do

all the best Gary

[Sandie Hayes]

From http://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/robert-john-matchett

RiflemanRobert John Matchett

Unit: 3 New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, 1 Battalion

Conflict: WW1

Additional Details:

Son of John Matchett, of Ballyhannon House, Portadown, Co. Armagh, Ireland.Unit: 3 New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, 1 Battalion

• Service Number: 41984
  
• First Name: Robert John
  
• Surname: Matchett
  
• Rank: Rifleman
  
• Date of Birth: Not known
  
• Next of Kin: J. Matchett (father), Birche's House, Portsdown, Ireland
  
• Occupation: School teacher
  
• Nationality of Force: New Zealand
  
• Force: Army
  

Casualty Details

• Date of Death: 12 September 1918
  
• Age: 40
  
• Conflict: WW1
  
• Cause of Death: Killed in action
  

Embarkation Details

• Body of Embarkation: New Zealand Expeditionary Force
  
• Place of Embarkation: Wellington, New Zealand
  
• Embarkation Date: 31 December 1917
  
• Transport: HMNZT 99
  
• Vessel: Athenic
  
• Destination: Glasgow, Scotland
  

[Sandie Hayes]

Not sure if you're interested in this:

ATHENIC

HMNZT- 11, 72, 88, 99, 106

1902-62

12,234 gross tons. Lb: 152.5 x 19.3 metres. Passenger/cargo steamship built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for Oceanic S N Co (White Star Line) Liverpool. Twin screw, quadruple expansion engine making 14 knots

TRANSPORT VOYAGES

.........1914 Departed Lyttelton with Headquarters Mounted Rifles Brigade, Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regt. (2 Squadrons), Canterbury Infantry Battalion (less 1 Company), 54 Officers, Naval Transport Officer, Medical Officers & Chaplain. 1,259 Men and 339 Horses

1st November 1914 assembled with the first convoy at King George's Sound, Albany Western Australia in transporting the First Detachment of the Australian and New Zealand Imperial Expeditionary Forces

30 December 1916 as HMNZT 72 departed New Zealand with 20th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force 2nd draft. Troop commander - Captain Skelley

3rd March 1916 arrived Plymoputh England

16 July 1917 as HMNZT 88 departed New Zealand with 27th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force, 27th Reinforcements NZ Rifle Brigade and the 19th Reinforcements Maori Contingent all in duality with troop transport Tahiti (HMNZT - 87)

16 September 1917 disembarked at Liverpool England

31 December 1917 as HMNZT 99 departed New Zealand with33rd Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force and 25th Reinforcements Maori Contingent [roll No.76]. 1.153 troops total under command of Captain McKillop

25 February 1918 arrived Glasgow

13 June 1918 as HMNZT 106 departed New Zealand with 39th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force, 30th Reinforcements Maori Contingent [roll No.85] and Royal Flying Corps Cadets. 783 troops total under command of Major G H Ferguson

31 August 1918 arrived at Liverpool

Post Hostilities

1928 rebuilt as whale factory ship, 12067 gross tons and renamed Pelagos for Hvalfangerselskap Pelagos A/S, Tonsberg Norway

1941 owned by German Navy (Kriegsmarine) Berlin

1945 returned to owners - Hvalfangerselskap Pelagos A/S, Tonsberg Norway

Commencing 28 June 1962 demolition began at Hamburg

From: http://www.flotilla-...a.com/hmnzt.htm

[ARMAGH]

Hi Armagh

Not sure what info you are looking for but you can see your lads records on this site.

http://www.archway.a...earchResults.do

all the best Gary

Thanks Gary,very usefull.

Good Luck

Joe

[ARMAGH]

From http://www.nzwargrav...t-john-matchett

RiflemanRobert John Matchett

Unit: 3 New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, 1 Battalion

Conflict: WW1

Additional Details:

Son of John Matchett, of Ballyhannon House, Portadown, Co. Armagh, Ireland.Unit: 3 New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, 1 Battalion

• Service Number: 41984
  
• First Name: Robert John
  
• Surname: Matchett
  
• Rank: Rifleman
  
• Date of Birth: Not known
  
• Next of Kin: J. Matchett (father), Birche's House, Portsdown, Ireland
  
• Occupation: School teacher
  
• Nationality of Force: New Zealand
  
• Force: Army
  

Casualty Details

• Date of Death: 12 September 1918
  
• Age: 40
  
• Conflict: WW1
  
• Cause of Death: Killed in action
  

Embarkation Details

• Body of Embarkation: New Zealand Expeditionary Force
  
• Place of Embarkation: Wellington, New Zealand
  
• Embarkation Date: 31 December 1917
  
• Transport: HMNZT 99
  
• Vessel: Athenic
  
• Destination: Glasgow, Scotland
  

Many thanks Sadie

all good background info,did not know he was a school teacher.

Good Luck

Joe

[ARMAGH]

Not sure if you're interested in this:

ATHENIC

HMNZT- 11, 72, 88, 99, 106

1902-62

12,234 gross tons. Lb: 152.5 x 19.3 metres. Passenger/cargo steamship built by Harland & Wolff, Belfast for Oceanic S N Co (White Star Line) Liverpool. Twin screw, quadruple expansion engine making 14 knots

TRANSPORT VOYAGES

.........1914 Departed Lyttelton with Headquarters Mounted Rifles Brigade, Canterbury Mounted Rifles Regt. (2 Squadrons), Canterbury Infantry Battalion (less 1 Company), 54 Officers, Naval Transport Officer, Medical Officers & Chaplain. 1,259 Men and 339 Horses

1st November 1914 assembled with the first convoy at King George's Sound, Albany Western Australia in transporting the First Detachment of the Australian and New Zealand Imperial Expeditionary Forces

30 December 1916 as HMNZT 72 departed New Zealand with 20th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force 2nd draft. Troop commander - Captain Skelley

3rd March 1916 arrived Plymoputh England

16 July 1917 as HMNZT 88 departed New Zealand with 27th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force, 27th Reinforcements NZ Rifle Brigade and the 19th Reinforcements Maori Contingent all in duality with troop transport Tahiti (HMNZT - 87)

16 September 1917 disembarked at Liverpool England

31 December 1917 as HMNZT 99 departed New Zealand with33rd Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force and 25th Reinforcements Maori Contingent [roll No.76]. 1.153 troops total under command of Captain McKillop

25 February 1918 arrived Glasgow

13 June 1918 as HMNZT 106 departed New Zealand with 39th Reinforcements NZ Expeditionary Force, 30th Reinforcements Maori Contingent [roll No.85] and Royal Flying Corps Cadets. 783 troops total under command of Major G H Ferguson

31 August 1918 arrived at Liverpool

Post Hostilities

1928 rebuilt as whale factory ship, 12067 gross tons and renamed Pelagos for Hvalfangerselskap Pelagos A/S, Tonsberg Norway

1941 owned by German Navy (Kriegsmarine) Berlin

1945 returned to owners - Hvalfangerselskap Pelagos A/S, Tonsberg Norway

Commencing 28 June 1962 demolition began at Hamburg

From: http://www.flotilla-...a.com/hmnzt.htm

Thanks Sadie

All the best

Joe

[jacksdad]

Hi.

military file availiable here, with the map location of his battlefield burial as "Shafesbury Avenue Q16.d.45.65"

http://muse.aucklandmuseum.com/databases/Cenotaph/10499.detail?Ordinal=1&c_surname_search=matchett,&c_firstname_search=robert+john

His address is 38 Shelly (not 'shelley' as listed) Beach Rd, St Marys Bay, Auckland. you can google that street.

being a teacher he may have taught at the nearby Ponsonby Primary School on Curran St. although another website:

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/children-and-first-world-war/education-roll-of-honour

has him as the sole teacher at Aria School, somewhere i must confess i have never heard of let alone been - in the middle of no-where near Otorohanga and south of Te Kuiti. A google search on street view - yes apparently google has been there - shows that the old school classroom still stands with an 1930s additional block next to it.

You will find a write up on the action that he was killed in here:

http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH1-NZRi-t1-body-d16.html#n449

page 348

hope that helps

Roger

[ARMAGH]

Hi.

military file availiable here, with the map location of his battlefield burial as "Shafesbury Avenue Q16.d.45.65"

http://muse.auckland...rch=robert john

His address is 38 Shelly (not 'shelley' as listed) Beach Rd, St Marys Bay, Auckland. you can google that street.

being a teacher he may have taught at the nearby Ponsonby Primary School on Curran St. although another website:

http://www.nzhistory...-roll-of-honour

has him as the sole teacher at Aria School, somewhere i must confess i have never heard of let alone been - in the middle of no-where near Otorohanga and south of Te Kuiti. A google search on street view - yes apparently google has been there - shows that the old school classroom still stands with an 1930s additional block next to it.

You will find a write up on the action that he was killed in here:

http://nzetc.victori...y-d16.html#n449

page 348

hope that helps

Roger

Roger

That was very usefull,a lot of detail,now if I could find a photo?

Many thanks

Joe