During the First World War 39 firemen from the Auckland Fire Brigade served overseas. In 1920 Auckland Mayor, James Gunson, unveiled a memorial plaque at the Pitt Street Auckland Central Fire Station, honouring those who served, four of whom were killed in action. ‘The Brigade has an enviable record,’ he said, ‘of a total of 60 firemen employed, 39 served overseas - significant of the type of men serving in the Brigade’.
Corporal Edward Mitchell Pharazyn Rexworthy was killed in action at the Somme on 4 October 1916. Sergeant Harry Pickering De Courcey he died of wounds on 19 May 1918. He was posthumously awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field. Lieutenant Thomas Roland Roth Burns was killed in an aircraft accident on 16 December 1918. Charles Warner was killed during the Battle of Messines in Belgium on 7 June 1917.
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