THOMAS DEVENING

Lance Corporal Thomas Francis Devening, whose parents lived in William Street, Papanui, was killed in action on 20 September 1916. He had attended Elmwood School and upon leaving school had worked for The Press newspaper and then the Post Office. On enlistment in April 1916, he had been farming his own land in Papanui. He left for Egypt in November 1915 and while there developed a septic sore that required 10 days hospital treatment. He was posted to C Company, of the !st Battlaion of "The Dinks" - the New Zealand Rifle Brigade. His first taste of active service was in the front line around Armentieres, where he clearly made a good impression on his superiors, being promoted to Lance Corporal on 7 August 1916. He was probably killed leading a section on a night-time attack on German-held trenches called Drop Alley and Goose Alley. His body was never found and he is commemorated on New Zealand's Caterpillar Valley memorial to the missing on the Somme. He left an estate of £400 to be divided between his sisters. His name is on two memorials - the Papanui memorial and on the memorial at Elmwood School (see below).

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