Rfn
John Raphaël Baker
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 30/03/1883 |
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Place of birth: Cork, County Cork, Ireland, United Kingdom |
General information
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Last known residence: Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Profession: Motor Mechanic |
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Religion: Presbyterian |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Rifleman |
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Service number: 24804 |
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Enlistment date: 23/05/1916 |
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Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
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Units: — New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 2nd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
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Place of death: Wolf Farm, Passchendaele, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 34 |
Memorial
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Tyne Cot, New Zealand Apse Panel: 7 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 5
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Last known residence | ||
| #3 | Enlistment place | ||
| #4 | Place of death (approximate) | ||
| #5 | Place of death or original burial place |
My story
John Raphael Baker was the son of John and Katie Baker. He was born on 30 March 1883 in Cork, Ireland, although his enlistment papers state 1889 as his year of birth. John grew up in a large family, with no fewer than five brothers and three sisters. He emigrated to New Zealand, where he worked as a car mechanic. After the outbreak of the First World War, John enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force on 23 May 1916. He was part of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd New Zealand Rifle Brigade (New Zealand Division).
In the autumn of 1917, the New Zealand Division was on Flemish soil. On 10 October, the division took over from the 66th British Division. On the left, they were flanked by the 9th Division and on the right by the 3rd Australian Division. The front line was still about 500 metres west of Passchendaele. On 12 October, an attack on the village took place, later known as the First Battle of Passchendaele and part of the Battle of Passchendaele. Capturing the village of Passchendaele itself was the task of the Australians, while the New Zealand troops were to focus on the ridge at Goudberg. The 2nd Battalion was ordered to take the first objective, just beyond Wolf Farm and Wolf Copse, followed on the left by Black Watch troops. The 3rd Battalion and 1st Battalion were then to advance to the second and third objectives respectively.
After taking their positions, the troops faced a long wait of no less than 12 hours, in daylight and with little cover. Conditions were anything but encouraging: shell holes were filled with water, it was cold and grey. In addition, many dead and wounded from the attack of 9 October still lay across the landscape, and at about 2 o’clock it began to rain.
At 5.25 a.m., the attack finally began. The 2nd Battalion advanced behind a weak and ineffective barrage. The German concrete pillboxes with machine guns were not destroyed by the artillery. The 2nd Battalion suffered heavy casualties. As the attack progressed over the muddy slopes, the barbed-wire entanglements grew thicker and the machine guns more numerous. On the right, a muddy area lay completely exposed to German fire. Unable to advance on the right, the 2nd Battalion had to focus on the left flank to bypass Wolf Farm. On the right, contact with the 2nd Brigade was lost, while shelling slowed the advance. Support from the 2nd Brigade also failed. They did manage to set up a lewis gun position on the edge of Wolf Copse, on the side of the ridge where the 2nd Battalion was located.
The attack became more and more difficult. Fire came not only from the pillboxes but also from Bellevue and Source Trench. The 2nd Battalion did not succeed in reaching its objective. Rifles and lewis guns jammed in the mud. The Germans took advantage of the reduced fire to strengthen their defences. The attack came to a standstill around 8 o’clock, with heavy casualties.
The captured positions were consolidated: they were located in an old German trench running from southwest of Cemetery to just behind Wolf Farm. Machine guns located at Cemetery were used to cover the brigade front, and another machine gun near Peter Pan covered the gap with the second brigade. Around 9 a.m., German artillery shelled the new line. Their machine guns were quieter, but still fired at every movement observed.
A new attack, scheduled to start at 3 p.m., was cancelled at the last moment. The artillery, however, had not received the order, and the barrage still went ahead. This prevented the Germans from launching counterattacks. Only on the left a single attempt had to be repelled.
The attack was unsuccessful. The German defence had been underestimated, and the guns sank deeper into the mud with every shot. John was killed at the age of 34. According to his service record, he was buried between Yetta Houses and Wolf Farm. However, his body was not found or identified after the war. Today, his name is commemorated in the New Zealand Apse of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
In the autumn of 1917, the New Zealand Division was on Flemish soil. On 10 October, the division took over from the 66th British Division. On the left, they were flanked by the 9th Division and on the right by the 3rd Australian Division. The front line was still about 500 metres west of Passchendaele. On 12 October, an attack on the village took place, later known as the First Battle of Passchendaele and part of the Battle of Passchendaele. Capturing the village of Passchendaele itself was the task of the Australians, while the New Zealand troops were to focus on the ridge at Goudberg. The 2nd Battalion was ordered to take the first objective, just beyond Wolf Farm and Wolf Copse, followed on the left by Black Watch troops. The 3rd Battalion and 1st Battalion were then to advance to the second and third objectives respectively.
After taking their positions, the troops faced a long wait of no less than 12 hours, in daylight and with little cover. Conditions were anything but encouraging: shell holes were filled with water, it was cold and grey. In addition, many dead and wounded from the attack of 9 October still lay across the landscape, and at about 2 o’clock it began to rain.
At 5.25 a.m., the attack finally began. The 2nd Battalion advanced behind a weak and ineffective barrage. The German concrete pillboxes with machine guns were not destroyed by the artillery. The 2nd Battalion suffered heavy casualties. As the attack progressed over the muddy slopes, the barbed-wire entanglements grew thicker and the machine guns more numerous. On the right, a muddy area lay completely exposed to German fire. Unable to advance on the right, the 2nd Battalion had to focus on the left flank to bypass Wolf Farm. On the right, contact with the 2nd Brigade was lost, while shelling slowed the advance. Support from the 2nd Brigade also failed. They did manage to set up a lewis gun position on the edge of Wolf Copse, on the side of the ridge where the 2nd Battalion was located.
The attack became more and more difficult. Fire came not only from the pillboxes but also from Bellevue and Source Trench. The 2nd Battalion did not succeed in reaching its objective. Rifles and lewis guns jammed in the mud. The Germans took advantage of the reduced fire to strengthen their defences. The attack came to a standstill around 8 o’clock, with heavy casualties.
The captured positions were consolidated: they were located in an old German trench running from southwest of Cemetery to just behind Wolf Farm. Machine guns located at Cemetery were used to cover the brigade front, and another machine gun near Peter Pan covered the gap with the second brigade. Around 9 a.m., German artillery shelled the new line. Their machine guns were quieter, but still fired at every movement observed.
A new attack, scheduled to start at 3 p.m., was cancelled at the last moment. The artillery, however, had not received the order, and the barrage still went ahead. This prevented the Germans from launching counterattacks. Only on the left a single attempt had to be repelled.
The attack was unsuccessful. The German defence had been underestimated, and the guns sank deeper into the mud with every shot. John was killed at the age of 34. According to his service record, he was buried between Yetta Houses and Wolf Farm. However, his body was not found or identified after the war. Today, his name is commemorated in the New Zealand Apse of the Tyne Cot Memorial.
Sources 5
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Austin W.S., The Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade 1915-1919, (Uckfield: The Naval & Military Press Ltd, 2007), p235-248. Sources used |
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Census of Ireland 1901/1911 (The National Archives of Ireland, Dublin (NAI)). https://nationalarchives.ie/ Sources used |
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McCarthy, Chris. Passchendaele: The Day by Day Account (Londen: Arms & Armour Press, 1995), p. 128-131. Sources used |
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New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives New Zealand, Wellington (ANZ), R22272176). https://www.archives.govt.nz/ Sources used |
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War Diary of the 2nd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade , october 1917. (Archives NZ/WA83/box139/R23656997) https://www.archives.govt.nz/ Sources used |
More information 5
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Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/847241 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=acea23e3-17e7-46a5-91fd-e341fc53ff7e |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7170551 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C621 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=10496 |