Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Document: | New Zealand WW1 Masonic List | N.Z. | |
Awards & Titles: | 1914-15 Star British War Medal Victory Medal | ||
Early Life :
Pani (or Paul) was Maori and born 1894 on the North Island of New Zealand. He was adopted by the Chamberlin family and by 1911, aged 19 was resident in St. Ives, Cornwall as a student.An article about Paora appeard in the Auckland Star, VOLUME XLV, ISSUE 103, on 1st May, 1914
"A MAORI SQUIRE.
ADOPTED BY ENGLISHMAN. SPECIAL COAT OF ARMS GRANTED. Among the passengers who arrived at Sydney by the R.M.s Orvieto on Thursday last were Mr T. Chamberlin Chamberlin, an English gentleman, and Paora Chamberlin, a young Maori, whom Mt Chamberlain adopted nine years ago. During that time the young mam has been in England and has had the best education available at the expense of his adopted father. His name was formerly Pani Paora, but it was changed by royal consent and a coat of arms granted by the College of Heralds. "It is not so easy to change a name and to have a new coat of arms allotted as some people imagine,"' said Mr Chamberlin, sen., to a "News" reporter. "One has not to merely lodge an application ; it is a difficult process, occasioning a good deal of delay and expense. I speak with some experience, as I changed my own name from Tims to Chamberlin, my idea being to perpetuate the name of a great-great-grandfather, for whose memory I had an affectionate regard." Pani Paora was adopted in 1905 and in 1909 he made a petition to the King, which set out, in brief, that Pani Paora, otherwise Paora Chamberlin, had been adopted, and that solicitude and care for hie present and future had been shown by T. Chamberlin Chamberlin that he wished to obtain the sovereign consent to the continued use of his new surname and to be allowed to bear the arms of Chamberlin. On the royal consent being given the College of Heralds set about devising the coat of arms, which the young Maori can now claim as his own and hand down to future generations. The arms in the first and fourth quarterings represent those of the family of Chamberlin, and in the second and third they are symbolical of Paora himself, a "large Moa being a striking figure. Mr Chamberlin believes that this is the first, coat of arms that has been granted to a native of New Zealand, and the pride which Mr Paora Chamberlin showed when the subject was being discussed was proof that he appreciated the I honour. He is going on to New Zealand to visit his home after an absence of nine years." [Reproduced by permission: Creative Commons New Zealand BY-NC-SA licence. Acknowledgement: Fairfax Media]
Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
- The Second World War 1939-1945, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: New Zealand (Maori) Pioneer Battalion |
| Action : War Survivor |
Although many perished in times of national conflict and in the service of their country, many more survived including those interned as Prisoners of War. Stories of those who did survive are included as part of this site, especially those with high gallantry awards, those included against an external rolls of honour and those who had a distinguished career in wartime and military leaderhip.
Detail :
During the Great War Pani gave 4 years to the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in a Pioneer Battalion. He was in Egypt in 1915 as a Platoon Sergeant in A Company, 2nd Maori Battalion. He was marked out for commission and detached from unit in 1917 having already been serving on the Western Front from 1916. After training he was promoted 2nd Lieutenant by March 1918 and took up a role in the Headquarters N.Z.E.F.
He was not immediately on the cessation of hostilities and played out a training role back in Wellington, N.Z with the 38th Company (Cadets).
When aged 46, he reenlisted and promoted to Lance Sergeant to serve at 'Home' in Auckland and Avondale Camp during the Second World War from February 1941 to May 1944, thereafter transferring to the Reserve.
For his service in the Great War 1914-19 he was awarded the 1914-15 Star, British War Medal and Victory Medal. His service is commemorated by the Auckland Museum Online Cenotaph.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Royal Colonial Institute No. 3556 E.C. | London |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th March 1912 | 17th April 1912 | 12th June 1912 |
Listed as a 21 year old Student resident at Sunningdale when initiated into the Royal Colonial Institute Lodge No. 3556 in 1912. War Service is recorded throughout the entire war period, and by 1921 is still shown contributing.
Source :
The project globally acknowledges the following as sources of information for research across the whole database:
- The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
- The (UK) National Archives
- Ancestry.co.uk - Genealogy, Family Trees & Family History online
- ugle.org.uk - The records of the United Grand Lodge of England including the Library and Museum of Freemasonry
Additional Source:
- Founder Researchers : Paul Masters & Mike McCarthy
- Researcher : Bruce Littley