“Many of the names on the database are not on war memorials. But they have been immortalised, thanks to Dale”.
– Craig Cooper, Editor, Northern Advocate.
DEDICATION
Freedom’s Call
Paton, Harold Gear, 1919-2010. New Zealand war cemetery near the Alamein front, Egypt. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: DA-06780. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/22703910
“Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.”
The extensive Freedom’s Call 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll of Honour was compiled by Dale Calder, over the 18 year period between 2006 and 2024, but it will continue to be refined and tweaked , over time.
The initial idea was to make a digital database of those appearing on the Nominal Rolls who’d had a clear identity in some way, either pre WWII, or during WWII, to the central area of Northland. Over the 18 year period the area of focus was widened.
No such similar database was to be found anywhere else, commemorating those who had served in the region. The idea was to provide local town and city libraries with a useful resource for those looking to find out more information about forebears or friends who had served, or who were interested in the military history of Northland (North Auckland).
As further information comes to hand the Roll will be updated. That said it is now all but complete.
A further roll for ‘Other Forces’ was compiled some years later and this can also be accessed from the Home page, along with some other supplementary rolls and lists, extrapolated from the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll.
First steps:
You can immediately run a search for an individual, just by entering a surname, or a specific name, in the search box through this link to 2nd N.Z.E.F. personnel.
If you are looking to download one of these rolls then first I suggest you familiarise yourself with the MENUS at the top of this page. With the exception of the Home page, they all have 5 SUB-MENUS. Click on each link and you will see what I mean.
The first immediately to the right of the Home Page menu tag, gets straight to the heart of what this website is all about, namely the Freedom’s Call 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll and the ancillary rolls which I’ve either extrapolated or compiled from scratch. The largest by far and the most detailed is the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll.
The other menus and sub-menus point you to the sources from which these entries have been derived.
A Quickstart guide for the 2nd N.Z.E.F Roll has been prepared. It is just 14 pages long, but you will find it of great assistance. This will shortly be undergoing review to include some further information following intensive trawling through genealogical records.
OK, so, let’s talk a little more about the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll.
What you can expect to find here:
* At your fingertips, a massive, comprehensive roll honouring 2nd N.Z.E.F. soldiers and war nurses listed in the Nominal Rolls, deployed overseas during World War II and with J-Force; having identity in some way with Northland, New Zealand.
‘Northland’ refers “to that area, extending from the North Cape down to Port Albert and across to Wellsford and Great Barrier Island“.
* Interesting and useful supporting information, with links to relevant websites, where a wealth of further information is available.
Lay genealogists and Whakapapa researchers, or anyone with an interest in the military history of Northland, now have an indispensable research tool, at their fingertips.
Where to go:
You can just click on any of the links below to take you directly to the more important rolls, but I would strongly recommend you do this using the menus mentioned above. That way you will gain a sound understanding of what information is to be found in the spreadsheet columns and from where it has been derived.
You will need Microsoft Excel, Libre Office or Open Office in order to view the rolls.
The 2nd N.Z.E.F. Freedoms Call Roll of Honour –containing 8,391 lines of data, pertaining to around 7,000 servicemen and women and spread over 41 columns is your primary resource. This is inclusive of duplicate entries for aliases and additional entries where there were multiple embarkations and one additional entry pertains to a civilian*.
An Index is also available for download, for the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Roll of Honour.
The Freedom’s Call Other Forces Roll – is a relatively recent addition. It has currently 1,720 entries for servicemen and women who served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, Royal New Zealand Navy, Merchant Navy, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy as well as those who served with any other overseas forces.
The ‘Lest We Forget‘ Roll of Honour – lists 613 2nd N.Z.E.F. personnel taken from the roll who were killed or who otherwise died in the course of service, were known to have subsequently died, post war, as a result of wounds suffered in service, or whose grave is listed on the New Zealand War Graves Commission website. This includes*1 civilian coastwatcher, posthumously awarded honorary rank, who is also listed on the 2nd N.Z.E.F. roll.
There are a further 213 Other Forces personnel listed in the roll to be found underneath this.
The 28 Maori Battalion Roll of Honour –features 1098 entries(Inclusive of duplicate entries for aliases).
An Index is also available for download, for the 28 Maori Battalion Roll of Honour.
This roll has been made available for the new Te Rau Aroha 28 Maori Battalion Museum which opened in February, 2020, on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds and as a resource for a book to be produced in the near future, about A Company 28 Maori.
The N.Z.A.N.S. and W.A.A.C. Roll of Honour – has 189 entries (Inclusive of duplicate entries). There may well be further additions to this roll.
An Index is also available for download, for the N.Z.A.N.S. and W.A.A.C. Roll of Honour.
A Familial Roll – of Immediate Family of 2nd N.Z.E.F. and Other Forces personnel, who also served in WWII ( drawn from 2,338 2nd N.Z.E.F members and 437 Other Forces). This also includes some family members not on my rolls. This is a recent addition.
The very latest and the final roll which will be produced, the Gallantry and Meritorious Service Awards Roll. 248 men and women feature from the ‘big’ roll and another 90 from the Other Forces roll. In all – 338 awardees.
An Index is also available for download, for the Gallantry and Meritorious Servce Awards Roll of Honour.
An extensive listing of the 776 captured 2nd N.Z.E.F. Prisoners of War, and 24 NZ POWs from Other Forces, with details of place of capture and a very full account of the camps in which they were interned.
An Index is also available for download, for the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Prisoners of War list.
This is our Facebook page. Come on, give us a ‘Like’ and Share the Love.
.. AND our newly formed Freedoms Call Facebook group. Please do come join us and share and interact. Your photos, postcards, stories and anecdotes are welcome.
Individual listings are available via the Menu for each of the Embarkations.
New Zealanders of J Force listening to a Japanese music-seller on guitar, Yamaguchi, Japan. New Zealand. Department of Internal Affairs. War History Branch :Photographs relating to World War 1914-1918, World War 1939-1945, occupation of Japan, Korean War, and Malayan Emergency. Ref: J-0388-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. http://natlib.govt.nz/records/23215791
“Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.”
Disclaimer: While every attempt has been made to ensure that the information on the rolls is as accurate as possible, it must not be forgotten that what you see is often the product of conflicting information stemming from a number of different sources. Errors have been found in many of the sources I have drawn on.
In some instances I have had to exercise my own judgment on the basis of probability, sometimes applying my own common sense as to what is likely to be the correct result. Accordingly, I take no responsibility for any errors or omissions.
That said, the overwhelming majority of entries will have data that can be substantively relied upon.
If you want to support my work then please donate through the bank account below. Even a small amount will go a long way towards furthering my research and maintaining this website.
Cooperative Bank: 02-1246-0215313-001
Courage, Compassion, Camaraderie, Commitment
This is what the RSA stands for.
The National Office is responsible for helping local RSAs with the great work they do, from classic kiwi hospitality, to support for our past and present servicemen and women including the NZ Police, and their dependents. This can be anything from financial assistance and advocacy to creating support networks with other RSA members who have had similar experiences.
You can find further information about the RSA and how you can support it, through the link, here.
Dale W Calder
2nd December, 2023
2015 – Dale Calder – Laurie Hall Park .. Honouring Whangarei’s sons and daughters who fell .. Photo Northern Advocate
The entry for Barber L Regimental number 2747 is incorrect. He is my father and his details are as follows
Name : George Wilfred Lawrence Barber aka Laurie
Birth : 29th January 1916
Death: 25th February 1983
Place of death : Whangarei
Buried Maunu cemetary RSA section
Rank at exit from Army : L/Cpl
Next of kin : Mrs M Barber 110 Jefferies Rd Christchurch
Age at death 67
John Barber
Hi there John. I have just taken a look at this and rectified the situation. I do of course remember your Dad and you. Sorry … , that one certainly was off base .. I was led down the wrong garden path there.
You will see that there are two entries now on the database. One shows the correct information you have given me and refers folk also to the next line where the name as it appears in the Nominal (Embarkation) Rolls is shown. This has been done in all cases, and has been continued with this entry to maintain consistency.
Thank you for alerting me to this ..
Regards
Dale Calder
Hi there Dale would it be possible to trace my grandfathers details he was in WWII he returned to Dargaville after the war but I can’t be sure where he enlisted. His name was David Stanley Laurie aka Stan Laurie. His next of kin would have been Dorothy May Laurie he is buried at RSA Cemetry Mount Wesley Dargaville .
Much appreciated
Leanne
Hi there Leanne. It should be possible to run a check on the Embarkation Rolls but that could be quite a task and would involve me going in to the Auckland Public Library. In due course of time, when I get quite a large number of names for possible inclusion I will do that, but just not time effective to do it for the one person.
If he definitely went overseas, we can include minimal information on the database now, and follow up to flesh out the detail later. Do you know where he served? That is pretty important. Who his next of kin were? Any idea on his rank when he enlisted? Any snippet would be appreciated. Unfortunately, the Northern Wairoa council don’t have an online cemetery database, so any information you can give me re his date of death and age (and also birth date if you have it) would be useful. If he definitely served overseas, he should be on the database.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Cheers
Dale
Thanks Leanne .. I have sent a further follow up email through to you, today. Cheers .. Dale
I have just had a phone call regarding a website database of almost 5000 North landers who fought in World War ll. My niece has commented that my father Noel James Rusk is not on the list. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as an Air Gunner. I have all his records and medals .I am the daughter of Noel Rusk.
I do have his official number if required.
Suzanne Dodds.
Hello Suzanne ..
I have posted a response to your daughter’s query on the Embarkation Rolls page.
This read as follows:
“The main spreadsheet (the one with the nearly 5,000 names on it), is just for Army and Nursing personnel. Unfortunately, the record keeping by the NZ Defence Dept during the war years was pretty abysmal as regards airforce and navy personnel.
You will see that I have a small secondary list as regards airforce and navy staff, gleaned from the Auckland Museum Cenotaph records, but it is hardly a database. Unfortunately, your grand-dad does not show up there.
Did he serve overseas? Any and all information you can give me would be helpful, to see whether I can add him to the secondary list.
Cheers
Dale”
I would just add to this Suzanne .. I would be delighted to put him on the secondary list. Unfortunately, the air force records were just so lacking it was not possible to create a database as such from them. Can you please advise:
1. His serial number
2. Any alias if he had one
3. Any of the following if you wish.
a) Your father’s place of death
b) His date of death
c) The cemetery where he lies or where he is memorialised
d) His next of kin when he would have embarked
Many thanks ..
Dale
Hi Dale here are more details regarding my father
Name .Noel James Rusk.
Birth. 15.07.1924 @ .Whangarei
Death.21.04.2008.@ Whangarei
Buried. Hukerenui Cemetery
Age of Death. 84 years
Next of kin when he embarked. Mrs H W Rusk. Mother.
Service number 432068 He served overseas from 1.02.1944 to 16.11.1945. His rank at Time of discharge was SGT.
Suzanne Dodds
Hello Suzanne. Thank you for sending that on through.
I have now updated the secondary spreadsheet with this information.
Thank you ..
Dale
My grandfather served.
Evan Garton born 5 June 1912 in Oruru
Joined the artillery core and was called up for home defence, joined 10A O.C.T.U
After 1943 he was drafted into the pool of reinforcements for second Division Middle East and posted to Italy. He sailed on the M V Ruys to Maadi Camp,Egypt in april 1944 and joined division at folingo and was posted to gun E2 ‘E’ troop 28th battery fifth regiment NZA
He died on 16th November 2003 and is buried in Maunu RSA Cometery
Hello Melanie. I have added most of the information you have given me, along with some other information which I have gleaned from other sources.
Would you:
a) please confirm that what is recorded there is correct
b) try and fill in some of the other blanks for me as regards some of the other columns, eg regimental number, rank on enlistment, marital staus on enlistment, place of enlistment, address prior to enlistment, next of kin, last known rank. Any or all of this information would be appreciated. Regimental number is most important, as I think all other servicmen and women have theirs recorded. I will also send you an email.
Cheers
Dale
Congrats. You have done a great job. While checking out my family (all correct), I found some inconsistencies for another person eg death year, but he is not my immediate family as I am working on a relatives tree. The confusion is not surprising as I found his name spelling incorrect on nominal rolls. I have the correct info if you would like it.
Many thanks, Raine. Yes, please .. I would very much appreciate you emailing that information through to me.
I wll also email you this response to your post ..
Regards
Dale
Hi Raine .. I have now emailed you about this. Thanks for emailing me. Cheers, Dale
Hello Erin,
Nice to have your kind feedback.
First just a couple of points. Was your Uncle’s last known rank, Signalman? If so, I will show that in the last known rank column. I see you have spelt his middle name Holga. Is the spelling I have wrong?
I will send you an email confirming this response. You may like to email me back with copies of photos attached and I’ll have a go at identifying where these may have been taken. Certainly, no guarantees though.
Also, anyone else reading this .. are you happy for them to email you, should they feel they might be able to help?
Cheers
Dale
Erin would be pleased if folk could email her if they are able to assist with her request concerning the photos.
Her email address is : eandps@xtra.co.nz .
I contacted Freedom calls for info back in 2015. I had no idea it had been posted on War Museum website and have only just been alerted to this. At the time I was happy to be contacted via Freedom Calls only but did not give permission to appear on War Museum cenotaph website. I would appreciate it if you could delete this post and advise Auckland Museum to take down my post as well. Please confirm this has been done.
I have sent you a reply, Erin via PM.
Please note that the entry on Cenotaph was NOT made by me. I have done as you have asked.
Regards .. Dale.
Dale, tena koe. Firstly, let me congratulate you for completing this monumental task. It will be a most valuable source for families as we remember these men and women.
Would love to talk with you in person about our project as your list will be most valuable In helping us.
My father is Lt Col James C Henare 63390 28 Maori Battalion.
Greetings, Erima and thank you for your very kind words.
It would be a pleasure to speak with you.
I will email you later this morning, with my contact details.
Best regards
Dale
Sadly, I learn of the passing of Erima. RIP, sir ..
Yes good work – three missing I think – two brothers to Reinhold Wistrand you identified:
Jack Albion Wistrand – Gunner
Thomas Edward Wistrand
and also couldn’t see
Douglas ?? Snooks also from Dargaville a brother in law to the Wistrand’s
All from Dargaville both served overseas during WW2 will have to track down more details if you require that. I should know more
Hi there Dave. Thank you for your kind comment and for alerting me to that.
If the two Wistrand brothers and Douglas?? Snooks served overseas in the army and have links to Northland, then they should be on the list.
I will explain the likely reason why they are not.
When the project was first undertaken through the Embarkation Rolls, the outer geographical limit to the west of Whangarei I set was Tangiteroria. Only, as more and more info became available online did I extend out. I was able to bring in many of the soldiers/nurses on the Cenotaph and Maori Battalion websites, who lived further out, e.g. Dargaville. Most of these people however had not survived the war. That left me with a follow-up job to do .. to return to the rolls and extract details of service personnel who lived further west; and also south of Waipu and north of Moerewa. I will be doing that over the next few months so should come across the names you have mentioned.
Meanwhile, if there is anything further you can give me about the abovenamed, particularly details of their connection to the north and regimental numbers, if known, that would be a great help. I can then add them to the list and include the additional info from the rolls, later.
Thanks again Dave .. I will also email you with this response…
Cheers
Dale
Dave – Douglas Snooks has now been placed on the rolls as a result of my second trawl through the April 1940-Jun 1940 Embarkation Roll. Cheers .. Dale.
I’ll likely pick up the other Wistrand brothers as I work my way through ..
I’m pleased to see Robert George Ledlie listed, since Kaitaia RSA refused to acknowledge him as a Northlander killed in action for the memorial in Kaitaia. Although born and educated in Otago, George was teaching at Ngataki School in 1939- 1940, when he enlisted at Kaitaia in October 1940. As you show, he died in Italy in 1942. His mother’s rather unusual name was Frederina, not Frederika as you have – probably a transcription error
Sorry, one further thing. George’s nok was his mother, Mrs SA Ledlie, though you have (f) for father after her name. Her husband’s initials are used, as was common at that time.
Thank you, Stuart. Great that I was able to pick him up. The fact that so many of these chaps who served (and in some cases fell) and are not to be found on a physical memorial was one of the reasons I created this resource. I will leave next of kin as per the spreadsheet as this is what was recorded on the roll. I will however put a notation in the comments column covering what you have said. Cheers .. Dale
Thank you so much for the link to your incredible data bases. such a valuable record.
would’t it be great to have this record for the whole of NZ. Come on NZ defence force!!!
Bill Ashdown. President Pt. Chevalier Memorial RSA.
Thank you kindly for your very favourable response, Bill. It is much appreciated. Hopefully, it may prove of some use to Aucklanders too who may be wanting to find out a bit more about the WWII history of family members. A good number of their forebears appear on the database.
Hi Dale,
You have a great resource here!
I may well be in contact again on other aspects, but for now could I could I suggest that the phrase “Do not be phased by the various coloured cells…” on your Intro page should be “Do not be fazed by the various coloured cells…”
cheers,
Philip Hinton
Collections Data Analyst
Auckland War Memorial Museum
Thank you, Philip. Sorry I am just replying now. I have been overseas and am doing some updating. Thank you for alerting me to that. I will correct.
By the way, I must congratulate you. Around 2 years ago, I noted about two thirds of those on my list were not on the Cenotaph database. Now, on trolling through it looks like all are now there. If that is a reflection of the whole of NZ then that is a remarkable achievement in such a short time span. You and your team can be justly proud. Cheers, Dale.
Two years later! Thanks for the congratulations, Dale.
My second contract with the Museum was to take the 16 transcribed WW2 Nominal Rolls, data-clean them and import them into our Cenotaph records. It took the best part of six months, but we added 76,577 soldiers, and updated about 40,000 existing records! These then went straight to our Online Cenotaph: a very satisfying result!
Philip Hinton
Collections Data Analyst
Auckland War Memorial Museum
You are doing great work, Philip. Right now, I am liaising with Dan Millar and submitted several hundred names up for inclusion on the Cenotaph record.
Ciao Dale,
Congratulations on your research and thank you for making this information publicly available .
Unfortunately I cant seem to open the nthservicemen spreadsheet although the embarkation files are fine.
Is it possible to recieve it via email?
Thank you and look forward to your response
Hi there Martin,
Thank you for your very kind words. They are much appreciated.
I will send the file through to you by email, but I would also be grateful if you could now go back in and try and access the file online and let me know how you go.
After you informed me of the problem, I went in and experienced the same issue. I am not sure why this happened, but suspect if may have been because in the last week or two I have been using Open Office instead of Microsoft Excel. This shouldn’t have presented problems as the file has always had the .xls suffix irrespective of the program used, but who knows?
I went in just now and uploaded the latest update for the file, in Open Office .xls format and once uploaded, when I went to open it, I was now able to do so and read the spreadsheet using my expired version of Excel.
I am guessing you are using Excel .. Please let me know if both the attachment I send through and the uploaded file can now be opened and read. Many thanks .. Dale.
Dale,
This is an awesome resource. However I have found one member of the Goodhue’s is missing – details as below:
Cpl. Cecil Edward Goodhue
Service No 4263
19th Battalion, NZ Infantry 2nd NZEF 1st Echelon
KIA Crete 26 May 1941 age 22
Son of Fredrick William and Edith Elizabeth Goodhue, Patea, Taranaki.
Cemetery: Suda Bay War Cemetery, Crete, Greece
Thanks heaps, Brendan. I have now updated the following: The ‘To Mar 1940’ Embarkation Roll, The Lest We Forget roll and the 2nd N.Z.E.F. Freedoms Call roll.
The reason I did not pick him up in the course of my research is that there is nothing on the Nominal Roll, The Cenotaph roll or the CWWG site to show his connection to Northland.
I see he was born in Kawakawa. I established that by running his name through Google and found him featuring on Geni.com.
Thanks again .. and do spread the word about the site and the Rolls of Honour ..
Cheers
Dale
Hi Dale
Great stuff 🙂
I had a look on the “The Freedom’s Call Other Forces Roll” for some Northland folk I knew had served in the Air Force.
You may be interested in this list of RNZAF and other personnel returning on the “Mooltan” in Feb 1945. It includes F/O Walter James (Jim) PETERS who farmed at Maunu in the 1950s-. I did not see him on your list.
I used to escape there from Carruth House on Sunday afternoons in 1952. Jim’s father farmed next to us at Waiotira.
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19451217.2.39
Hello, This is an awesome record that you have created. So good to see something like this, remembering all those who served their countries.
I found my father in your records but notice a small error, his DOB is incorrect. Correct information is:
Arthur Edward Chapman, 624300, Flight Sergeant RAF, DOB 20/4/1920 Died 7/2/1977. Dad was cremated and his ashes scattered in Pollard Park, Blenheim.
Hoping you can correct this sometime please.
Thank you very much for your kind comment, Richard.
I have just now tidied up your Dad’s record and credited you accordingly. I really appreciate you getting in touch about this.
Best as ever .. Dale.
Hi Dale
I am a member of several web sites researching my Fathers service. I am having problems finding out for example what battles he was in Nth Africa, Greece, Crete. So when I am reading stories I wonder if he was there especially the account by Francis Clive Lowe “Days of Khaki” He was in the 19 Army Corps 3rd Echelon. Some records say attached to 3rd Field, 7th Field. I know when he left NZ but which ship? I would like to know what he actually did railways, mine laying, bridge building??? He was Stalag v111B but little else as PoW I have picture working party EJ 74 but am told the “E” is incorrect but nothing on his records, especially Greece how far north did he go. The more questions I have answered the more questions arise. I am finding it frustrating as surely the army must have known which battles he was in. I have Red Cross, PoW files. If you can point me in any direction would be very grateful.
Firstly, my apologies for only just picking up on this, Carol. Sadly, the service records can be very sparse and from what you have told me it looks like you have sent for and received these. I am in much the same situation with my own father. I have his service records but they certainly don’t cover all the actions he was in. I take it there is no information on Cenotaph that fills in any of your blanks.
This is a bit of a long shot, but some months ago I got talking to a chap from Veterans Affairs and he was able to help me out with a couple of snippets of information. It may be worth you putting a call through to them (sorry I do not recall his name), but you may end up striking him and possibly he may be able to point you somewhere, even if he cannot answer your questions directly. I am only sorry, I cannot be more helpful in this instance.
Hi Dale, what a wonderful body of work you have created here! I wondered if you would be interested in Freedoms Call (or a subset thereof) being included as a search source in my genealogy search site https://ash.howison.co.nz
I currently include the Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph records, the military personnel records at Archives NZ and several other sources for military service and war graves.
Would love to chat more by email.
Luke
Thank you Luke for your very kind comment.. further to my email to you I will be back in touch soon .. Cheers .. Dale