2nd Lt
Ernest Cobbe
Information about birth
|
Date of birth: 09/10/1887 |
|
Place of birth: Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand |
General information
|
Last known residence: Fielding, Auckland, Nieuw Zeeland, New Zealand |
|
Profession: Sheep Farmer |
|
Religion: Methodist |
Army information
|
Country: New Zealand |
|
Force: New Zealand Expeditionary Force |
|
Rank: Second Lieutenant |
|
Service number: 25/262 |
|
Enlistment date: 12/10/1915 |
|
Enlistment place: Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand |
|
Units: — New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 4th Bn. (Last known unit) |
Information about death
|
Date of death: 12/10/1917 |
|
Place of death: Wolf Copse, Passchendaele, Belgium |
|
Cause of death: Missing in action |
|
Age: 30 |
Memorial
|
Tyne Cot, New Zealand Apse Panel: 7 |
Distinctions and medals 2
|
British War Medal Medal |
|
Victory Medal Medal |
Points of interest 3
| #1 | Place of birth | ||
| #2 | Enlistment place | ||
| #3 | Place of death (approximate) |
My story
Ernest Cobbe was born on 9 October 1887 in Auckland, New Zealand. He was the eldest of four. He worked with his father John and brother Maurice as a sheep farmer in Auckland's Wanganui District.
On 12 October 1915, he joined the army. Ernest was assigned to the 3rd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade (NZRB) as a rifleman. On 5 February 1916, he was embarked on the 'HMNZT 42-Ulimaroa' and on 13 March, they arrived in Suez, Egypt. After further training in Britain, they were sent to France and took part in the Battle of the Somme. On 15 September 1916, Ernest was wounded by a bullet in his left thigh, but was able to rejoin his unit already after a month. Ernest was sent to an Officers Training School in the UK on 18 April 1917, where he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 11 June 1917. On 28 June 1917, he was sent back to the front and attached to the 4th Battalion NZRB.
On 4 October 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, he and his men took part in the 'Battle of Broodseinde' where they successfully captured the heights of 's Graventafel. A week later, on 12 October 1917, they had to move on to the well-defended heights of Bellevue. The logistics were a nightmare due to persistent rain and shelling. Artillery was at half strength because the guns were stuck in the mud or short of ammunition. The result was a perfect storm. New Zealanders and Australians were running into almost intact overlapping machine gun emplacements on the heights near Bellevue and Passchendaele. The 4th NZRB was pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire at Wolf Copse and Peter Pan, northwest of Bellevue.
Nearly 850 New Zealanders, about the same number of Australians, 1,800 British and 1,000 Germans were killed on 12 October 1917. Once again, the offensive stalled. The 4th New Zealand Rifle Brigade counted 182 killed, 898 wounded and 134 missing. 2nd/Lt Ernest Cobbe was one of the casualties. He had just turned 30. His remains were not found or identified. He is commemorated on the New Zealand Apse, from the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing.
His brother Maurice served with the 3rd Canterbury Regiment. He was wounded in 1916 but survived the war.
On 12 October 1915, he joined the army. Ernest was assigned to the 3rd Battalion New Zealand Rifle Brigade (NZRB) as a rifleman. On 5 February 1916, he was embarked on the 'HMNZT 42-Ulimaroa' and on 13 March, they arrived in Suez, Egypt. After further training in Britain, they were sent to France and took part in the Battle of the Somme. On 15 September 1916, Ernest was wounded by a bullet in his left thigh, but was able to rejoin his unit already after a month. Ernest was sent to an Officers Training School in the UK on 18 April 1917, where he was promoted to 2nd Lieutenant on 11 June 1917. On 28 June 1917, he was sent back to the front and attached to the 4th Battalion NZRB.
On 4 October 1917, during the Battle of Passchendaele, he and his men took part in the 'Battle of Broodseinde' where they successfully captured the heights of 's Graventafel. A week later, on 12 October 1917, they had to move on to the well-defended heights of Bellevue. The logistics were a nightmare due to persistent rain and shelling. Artillery was at half strength because the guns were stuck in the mud or short of ammunition. The result was a perfect storm. New Zealanders and Australians were running into almost intact overlapping machine gun emplacements on the heights near Bellevue and Passchendaele. The 4th NZRB was pinned down by heavy machine-gun fire at Wolf Copse and Peter Pan, northwest of Bellevue.
Nearly 850 New Zealanders, about the same number of Australians, 1,800 British and 1,000 Germans were killed on 12 October 1917. Once again, the offensive stalled. The 4th New Zealand Rifle Brigade counted 182 killed, 898 wounded and 134 missing. 2nd/Lt Ernest Cobbe was one of the casualties. He had just turned 30. His remains were not found or identified. He is commemorated on the New Zealand Apse, from the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing.
His brother Maurice served with the 3rd Canterbury Regiment. He was wounded in 1916 but survived the war.
Sources 4
|
Austin W.S., The Official History of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Naval & Military Press Ltd, East Sussex) 235-248. Sources used |
|
McCarthy Chris, Passchendaele. The Day-by-Day Account (London, Unicorn Publishing Group, 2018) 128-131. Sources used |
|
New Zealand Defence Force Personnel Records (Archives New Zealand, Wellington (ANZ), R21899731). https://www.archives.gov.nz/ Sources used |
|
Stewart H., "The New Zealand Division 1916 - 1919" (London, Intype London Ltd, 1920) 248-298. Sources used |
More information 5
|
Commonwealth War Graves Commission Database https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/847380 |
|
Online Cenotaph (Auckland Museum) https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C2803 |
|
Namenlijst (In Flanders Fields Museum) https://namenlijst.org/publicsearch/#/person/_id=id=b14bb2c3-12c5-45b7-9d26-5d4298cf0136 |
|
The NZEF Project (UNSW Canberra) https://nzef.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=pid=48247 |
|
Lives of the First World War (Imperial War Museum) https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org.uk/lifestory/7172620 |