Thanks to historian Christine Clement, as Anzac Day approaches, we can acknowledge the sacrifice made by two brothers whose names are among those on the memorial gates at Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Te Matai, now known as Te Matai — Te Kura a Iwi o Tapuika) in Waitangi.

See the bottom of this story for a list of Anzac services happening in the Te Puke aea.

The Nicholls

Obadiah (Oparia), also known as Frederick, and Thompson Nicholls were the sons of Humphrey Nicholls and his wife Harete Ngakoura Tamihana, of Te Kahika, near Te Puke (Ngāti Tuheke, Tapuika).

Obadiah Thompson

Obadiah attended Te Puke School and enlisted as Frederick for service with the New Zealand Pioneer Battalion on August 23, 1916, at the Narrow Neck Camp between Devonport and Takapuna, Auckland.

He gave his date of birth as February 25, 1895, but the Te Puke School rolls have his birth date as January 25, 1900, meaning he would have been 16 on enlistment.

Obadiah gave his occupation as labourer for Mr Mends, flax miller of Te Puke.

He left New Zealand with the 12th Reinforcements and marched into Sling Camp on the Salisbury Plains before leaving for France in July 1917, joining up with the Pioneer Battalion in the field in August.

On September 1, the battalion became a full Māori unit again, known as the New Zealand Pioneer (Māori) Battalion.

Pioneers were not frontline fighting units but a labour force trained and organised to work on engineering duties, digging trenches, building roads and railways, and taking on any other logistical tasks.

This was essential and dangerous work that was often carried out under fire.

In October 1917, the New Zealand forces were involved in the disastrous attack on the Passchendaele Ridge in Belgium.

October 12 became known as New Zealand’s Blackest Day when the country suffered 1190 deaths and 2106 injured.

Wounded in action

On January 4, 1918, Obadiah was admitted to the 2nd New Zealand Field Ambulance suffering from bronchitis and re-joining the battalion on January 16, 1918.

On October 6, he was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to his back and side. This was during the push for the Hindenburg Line.

He was admitted to the 49th Casualty Clearing Station, Grevillers, France and died there from his wounds. He is buried in the Grevillers British Cemetery.

Thompson Nicholls

Thompson William (Tamihana Wiremu) Nicholls was born in Te Puke and attended the Te Matai Native School, which was then at Te Paamu.

When he enlisted on October 21, 1914, he stated he was a member of the fourth (Waikato) Mounted Rifles Regiment and had registered for compulsory military training at Te Puke.

He was a seaman with the Northern Steam Ship Company based at Tauranga.

Thompson gave his religious profession as Mormon (Church of Jesus Christ and Latter-Day Saints). Obadiah said he was Church of England.

After training at the Avondale Camp, Thompson embarked from New Zealand on February 14, 1915, with the first New Zealand Māori Contingent — B Company Platoon 5 (Te Arawa) bound for Egypt.

Along with other members of the Māori Contingent, Thompson landed at the Dardanelle Peninsula on June 30, 1915.

On July 1, he was appointed Lance Corporal, but on August 21, 1915, was wounded in action with a gunshot wound to the thigh.

He was evacuated on board the HS Arcadian and admitted to the 2nd Western General Hospital in Manchester.

After time in Manchester and at the New Zealand Convalescent Hospital in Hornchurch, Essex,​ he re-joined his unit in France on April 9, 1916.

He relinquished his rank of Lance Corporal at the same time, at his own request.

On November 8, 1916, he was admitted for an unspecified reason to a casualty clearing station and then to hospital at Wimereux, a coastal town 4.8km north of Boulogne.

Military rankings

Thompson re-joined his unit on November 17. However, Christmas Eve 1916 he was punished with the stoppage of 3 shillings 6 pence for loss of equipment.

From his military file, it appears he lost his badges. He was reappointed Lance Corporal on September 9. On September 27, he was promoted to Corporal.

Thompson William Nicholls was awarded the Military Medal (MM) for conspicuous coolness and devotion to duty on the night of October 1 and 2, 1917.

His citation reads: “This NCO had charge of a carrying party working on Wieltje-Gravenstafel Rd. The enemy shelled the road very heavily, but Nicholls got through with his load and then withdrew his men in perfect order and got them under cover in shell holes. One man was wounded, and Nicholls escorted him out of danger at great personal risk. His coolness under heavy shellfire and the excellent control he exercised over his party saved many casualties. He set a splendid example to his men.”

Medical issues

However, he was not a well man, and, on January 4, 1918, Thompson was admitted to the 2nd New Zealand Field Ambulance suffering from bronchitis. His brother Obadiah was also there.

Thompson was discharged eight days later but then, on February 24, was re-admitted to hospital in Boulogne suffering from pleurisy.

He was placed on the seriously ill list on March 12, 1918, and admitted to the 2nd New Zealand General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames in Surrey.

On May 25, 1918, he was placed on the New Zealand Roll to be returned to New Zealand.

The hospital report said he was suffering from acute tuberculosis of the lung. He was shipped home on the Hospital Ship Maheno on September 28.

Thompson William Nicholls died in the Auckland Hospital on November 6, 1918, during the worldwide influenza epidemic, though his cause of death is not noted. His body was shipped to Tauranga for burial in the Te Kahika urupā, Te Puke.

Thompson has a Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstone. He had served four years, 17 days, with 133 in New Zealand service and 1345 days overseas, the longest service of the Te Puke men on the Te Puke World War One war memorial.

Anzac Day Commemorations:

Te Puke

9.50am: Civic Parade - march assembled opposite Te Puke War Memorial Hall and lead off

10am: Service starts at Te Puke War Memorial Hall (please be seated before the arrival of the parade)

11am: Wreath laying at Cenotaph

11.30am: March off - everyone is invited to attend the Citizens RSA Te Puke in Jellicoe St/Beatty Ave for light refreshments

Ōropi

10.30am: Anzac Day service at Ōropi Memorial Hall and Community Centre.

Maketū

5.30am: Muster at the Landing (shop)

6am: March to Remembrance Rock, following march fall in at the Remembrance Rock, Park Rd Reserve

Followed by breakfast at Whakaue Marae (gold coin koha please)

Waitangi, Te Puke

5am: Begin gathering and parking at Moko Marae

6am: Congregate in front of the war memorial gates at TKKM o Te Matai Kura, beginning service at 6am

Please bring photos of whānau who have served, to display. You are most welcome to share stories if you wish at the service

7am-7.30am: Head to Moko Marae for parakuihi