John Henry Dinan

Rifleman

Conflict:

WW1

Additional Information:

Son of John and Nora Dinan, of Ararimu, Auckland, New Zealand.

References:

CWGC

Archives New Zealand

NZ WAR GRAVES

CONTRIBUTED

Public Contributions:

Submitted by: Toni Reid

Relationship to casualty: Ararimu History Author

John Henry Dinan Rifleman; B Company; New Zealand Rifle Brigade, 2nd Battalion. Born on 23rd September 1892, John was the youngest son of Honora and John Dinan, farmers of Sinclair Rd, Ararimu, South... Auckland, New Zealand. As a child John attended Ararimu School and prior to the war was working as a labourer for McCall Bros of Moumoukai. John was a large fellow for the times; standing 6ft tall and over 12 stone, recorded as having a ‘ruddy’ complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. The writer for the Pukekohe and Waiuku Times described him as ‘a splendid specimen of manhood.’ In 1915 he had been with the 16th Waikato for 3 years and was said to be one of the first Ararimu boys to enlist. A social was held at the schoolhouse in May 1915 to farewell John and another local lad, James Markham. On behalf of the residents Mr Barker presented a case of pipes to John and a shaving outfit to James, expressing pride that both boys had volunteered for service. John left with the special draft for Trentham in late May, where along with more than 2000 other men he was subject to a cold, wet, miserable Wellington winter. This would be a far cry from the conditions they would experience in Egypt. The 2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade left for Egypt in October, arriving at Suez on the 18th November 1915. With Lieut. Col. A. E. Stewart in command, the 2nd Battalion set out for Alexandria, commencing duty on the line of communications, as part of the Western Frontier Force, Sensussi Campaign. A letter from a member of the 2nd Battalion, NZ Rifle Brigade, describes the harsh, unfamiliar desert environment the troops had to endure. “The climate is as hot as Hades. All day the sand sends up a glare that is baffling to the eyes…the wind blows and raises clouds of dust, which penetrate everything - food, clothes, rifle mechanism, cars, the eyes, and nose. The tents afford little shelter…..night comes early and swift. The desert is no sooner turned from white to red than it changes to black…. At night…the desert becomes desperately cold, and one wants all the shelter and clothes he can pile on…we all have bad colds as the result of the quick change.” The soldier’s rations were monotonous and less than ideal for a hot, dry climate. “We get about six biscuits, a tin of bully beef, a tin of jam, and a quart of black tea per diem. No butter, or milk, bread, or duff, or anything like that. Not good stuff to work on. The chief trouble is so much salt meat and never any vegetables but jam.” In December 1915 John was hospitalized with jaundice, which took him out of action until late January. Recognized as a symptom of both hepatitis and leptospirosis, epidemic jaundice has plagued soldiers throughout the ages. After a spell in a convalescent home, John re-joined his battalion in Ismailia, leaving for France at the beginning of March 1916. The next entry in John’s records was for September 1916 when he was attached to the Lewis gun school (in the field), followed by a return to his unit at the beginning of October. According to the Official History of the NZ Rifle Brigade, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were ordered to relieve the 14th Australian Brigade in the Boutillerie (sic) Sector, marching to Vieux on the 13th October 1916, where they then bordered a motor bus to Bac St. Maur and Fleurbaix. “On October 25th the 1st and 2nd Battalions were relieved in the line by the 3rd and 4th and went to billets at Fleurbaix and Bac St. Maur.” On November 6th, the 1st and 2nd Battalions were back in line, taking over from the 3rd and 4th. Only one more entry was made in John’s military records. On November 14th, 1916 he received a gunshot wound to the back and arms and was taken to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing station at Estaires, near the Belgian border. John did not recover and was buried at Estaires Communal Cemetery, Nord, France. [Record since amended - NZWGT] Read More

Submitted by: Toni Reid

Relationship to casualty: Ararimu History Author

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Casualty

Service Number:

24/404

Name:

John Henry Dinan

Rank:

Rifleman

Date of Birth:

Not known

Date of Birth - Unverified:

23/09/1892

Place of Birth:

Ararimu, Waikato, New Zealand

Next of Kin:

John Dinan (father), Ararimu via Drury

Religion:

Roman Catholic

Date of Enlistment:

27 May 1915

Locality on Enlistment:

Ararimu via Drury

Place of Enlistment:

Trentham, Wellington, New Zealand

Marital Status:

Single

Unit:

3 New Zealand (Rifle) Brigade, 2 Battalion, B Company

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:

Died of wounds

Date of Death:

14 November 1916

Day of Death:

Tuesday

Age at Death:

Conflict:

WW1

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Body:

2nd Battalion, New Zealand Rifle Brigade

Embarkation Place:

Wellington, New Zealand

Embarkment Date:

09 October 1915

Transport:

HMNZT 30
HMNZT 31
HMNZT 32
HMNZT 33
HMNZT 34

Vessel:

Maunganui or Tahiti or Aparima or Navua or Warrimoo

Destination:

Suez, Egypt

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery:

Estaires Communal Cemetery And Extension

Cemetery Reference:

III. L. 12.

Cemetery Location:

France

John Henry Dinan

Public Contributions:

Submitted by: Toni Reid

Relationship to casualty: Ararimu History Author

Submitted by: Toni Reid

Relationship to casualty: Ararimu History Author

Personal Tributes:

Casualty

Casualty Details

Embarkation Details

Cemetery