Pte
Michael Corcoran
Information about birth
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Date of birth: 13/01/1894 |
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Place of birth: Greymouth, West Coast, New Zealand |
General information
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Profession: Surveyor |
Army information
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Country: New Zealand |
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Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
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Rank: Private |
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Service number: 32938 |
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Enlistment date: 27/07/1916 |
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Units: — Canterbury Regiment, 3rd Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
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Date of death: 29/11/1917 |
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Place of death: Joiners Rest, Beselare, Belgium |
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Cause of death: Killed in action (K.I.A.) |
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Age: 23 |
Cemetery
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Polygon Wood Cemetery Plot: / Row: H Grave: 1 |
Distinctions and medals 2
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British War Medal Medal |
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Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 2
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Michael Corcoran was born on 13 January 1894 at Nelson’s Creek, a small settlement inland from Greymouth, Westland, New Zealand. His parents were Thomas and Susan Corcoran, and he was one of five children.
In 1916 Michael was a surveyor for the New Zealand Government, working at Greymouth. He enlisted on 27 July 1916, medically examined at Greymouth, as part of the 19th Reinforcement, service number 32938. As part of a New Zealand Rifle Brigade company he trained at Trentham, Featherston and Tauherenikau camps before embarking on the troop ship Maunganui on 15 November 1916. The ship arrived in Plymouth on 30 January 1917.
He trained at Sling and Codford camps in England and was posted on 2 April 1917 to the 13th Company, 3rd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment which was part of the newly-formed 4th Infantry Brigade.
With the brigade he sailed to France on 28 May 1917, just before the Battle of Messines. In the aftermath of the battle he was slightly wounded on 11 June but remained with his unit. Michael was appointed company cook on 17 August 1917, a position he held until his death. It is not known if he took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4th October.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood sector after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes.
Neither the New Zealand Division history or that of the Canterbury Regiment give detailed information for the November 1917-February 1918 period so it is impossible to say with any certainty how Michael Corcoran died on 29 November 1917. On the night of 21/22 November, 3rd Canterbury Battalion relieved the 3rd Auckland Battalion at a position called Joiners Rest, at Polygon Wood and it can be presumed he was killed near here. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground, and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned.
He is buried in Polygon Wood Cemetery in Row H, Grave 1.
In 1916 Michael was a surveyor for the New Zealand Government, working at Greymouth. He enlisted on 27 July 1916, medically examined at Greymouth, as part of the 19th Reinforcement, service number 32938. As part of a New Zealand Rifle Brigade company he trained at Trentham, Featherston and Tauherenikau camps before embarking on the troop ship Maunganui on 15 November 1916. The ship arrived in Plymouth on 30 January 1917.
He trained at Sling and Codford camps in England and was posted on 2 April 1917 to the 13th Company, 3rd Battalion, Canterbury Infantry Regiment which was part of the newly-formed 4th Infantry Brigade.
With the brigade he sailed to France on 28 May 1917, just before the Battle of Messines. In the aftermath of the battle he was slightly wounded on 11 June but remained with his unit. Michael was appointed company cook on 17 August 1917, a position he held until his death. It is not known if he took part in the Battle of Broodseinde on 4th October.
The New Zealand Division was in the Polygon Wood sector after the end of the Third Battle of Ypres. Much of the time was spent in wiring, repairing crumbling trenches and improving defences. The landscape was covered with waterlogged shellholes.
Neither the New Zealand Division history or that of the Canterbury Regiment give detailed information for the November 1917-February 1918 period so it is impossible to say with any certainty how Michael Corcoran died on 29 November 1917. On the night of 21/22 November, 3rd Canterbury Battalion relieved the 3rd Auckland Battalion at a position called Joiners Rest, at Polygon Wood and it can be presumed he was killed near here. The opposing German forces generally held higher ground, and movement in the New Zealand lines was often observed and shelled or machine-gunned.
He is buried in Polygon Wood Cemetery in Row H, Grave 1.
Sources 1
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Ferguson D., The history of the Canterbury Regiment N.Z.E.F. : 1914-1919, (Auckland, Whitcombe and Tombs, 1921) , p 206-208. 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/480016 |
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Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=b02a6b3a-5e3e-4fa0-bf10-7a47a7d410b0 |
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Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7172887 |
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The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=53454 |
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Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/c3169 |