Individual Details
John Eric Ericksen Warnock
(4 Nov 1895 - 16 Sep 1916)
Rifleman John Eric Erickson Warnock – 23280
John Eric Erickson Warnock was born 4th November 1895 in Nelson, eldest son of David Benjamin Warnock and Jessica nee Cole who died when both he and his brother were very young. John and his brother, Jim, were adopted by his father’s younger sister, Selina Maude, then head teacher at Killinchy School. He was educated at the Killinchy school and then at Waitaki Boys' High School. After leaving school, he worked as a cheese-maker for Mr Blair in Pigeon Bay. He was 5ft 10 1/8 inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
John enlisted on 11 January 1916 at Trentham and was assigned to the Rifle Brigade. He embarked on board the Tafua and arrived in Devonport, England on 27 July 1916. After a very short time in Sling Camp he left for France on 12 August and was killed in action about a month later on 16 September 1916. A day earlier the New Zealand division, including the Rifle Brigade, had begun their part in the battle for Flers–Courcelette. The offensive dragged on for week. The battle is significant for the first use of the tank in warfare. John’s name is recorded on the Caterpillar Valley Memorial, commemorating more than 1,200 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who died in the Battles of the Somme in 1916, and whose graves are not known. John is remembered on the Leeston Plaque of the Ellesmere County Memorial.
John Eric Erickson Warnock was born 4th November 1895 in Nelson, eldest son of David Benjamin Warnock and Jessica nee Cole who died when both he and his brother were very young. John and his brother, Jim, were adopted by his father’s younger sister, Selina Maude, then head teacher at Killinchy School. He was educated at the Killinchy school and then at Waitaki Boys' High School. After leaving school, he worked as a cheese-maker for Mr Blair in Pigeon Bay. He was 5ft 10 1/8 inches tall, with a fresh complexion, blue eyes and brown hair.
John enlisted on 11 January 1916 at Trentham and was assigned to the Rifle Brigade. He embarked on board the Tafua and arrived in Devonport, England on 27 July 1916. After a very short time in Sling Camp he left for France on 12 August and was killed in action about a month later on 16 September 1916. A day earlier the New Zealand division, including the Rifle Brigade, had begun their part in the battle for Flers–Courcelette. The offensive dragged on for week. The battle is significant for the first use of the tank in warfare. John’s name is recorded on the Caterpillar Valley Memorial, commemorating more than 1,200 officers and men of the New Zealand Division who died in the Battles of the Somme in 1916, and whose graves are not known. John is remembered on the Leeston Plaque of the Ellesmere County Memorial.
Events
| Birth | 4 Nov 1895 | Nelson, New Zealand |  |  | |
| Death | 16 Sep 1916 | The Somme, Picardy, France |
Families
| Father | David Benjamin Warnock (1868 - 1898) |
| Mother | Jessica Keturah Amelia Cole (1867 - 1896) |
| Sibling | James Warnock (1896 - 1981) |
Notes
Birth
John Eric Ericksen WarnockEvent Type: Birth
Event Date: 1895
Event Place: New Zealand
Father's Name: David Benjamin Warnock
Mother's Name: Jessica Ketinah Amelia Warnock
Registration Number: 1895/12077
Endnotes
1. New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966 https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24K-BJWP.