On 14 May 1916 the Reverend Samuel Nixon unveiled what was later described as a 'temporary' roll of honour in St James Presbyterian Church, Pukekohe. This listed the names of fifty young men from the congregation who had enlisted for active service, four of whom had died. By the end of the war the death toll had risen to fourteen: G. Adams, G. Blake, J.A. Bowden, P.H. Comrie, J. Edgar, F. Halliday, F.W. Lucas, O. McLean, A. Madill, A.J. Robinson, G. Scott, A. Tawse, T.G. Woods and W.H. Woods. On 25 June 1927 a permanent memorial tablet honouring these men was unveiled in the church.
Another eight men from the congregation gave their lives during the Second World War: R.J. Adams, R. Dix, W.B. Hunniford, R.J.H. Miller, L.W. Munro, N.E. Pollock, T McD. Pollock and A.G. Sim. The church’s War Memorial Thanksgiving Organ was dedicated on 26 September 1948. This displayed a brass plaque listing the names of the fallen from both wars (it is unknown what happened to the First World War tablet). The organ―which has been rebuilt since―was given a prominent place in the new church building when it was opened in 1961..
Sources: ‘Roll of Honour Unveiled’, Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, 26/5/1916, p. 3; 'In loving memory: memorial tablet unveiled', Franklin Times, 29/6/1927, p. 4; B.R. Hyland, Centennial History of the Presbyterian Church in Pukekohe, Pukekohe, 1968, pp. 24, 35-6
Images: Bruce Ringer, 2015
Text: Bruce Ringer, 2021