| Occupation before Enlistment |
|
| Next of Kin |
| William E. Ham (father), Motueka, Nelson, New Zealand |
|
| Physical Description |
- Height: 5 feet 10 inches
- Weight: 10 stone 8 pounds
- Eye colour: Blue
- Hair colour: Brown
|
|
| Embarkation Unit |
| Canterbury Infantry Battalion |
|
| Destination |
| Suez,Egypt (3 December 1914) |
|
| Military Awards |
- 1914-1915 Star
- British War Medal (1914-1920)
- Victory Medal
|
|
| Last Unit Served |
| Canterbury Infantry Battalion |
|
| Cemetery Name |
| Ismailia War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt |
|
| Memorial Name |
| Ngatimoti War Memorial, Tasman District, New Zealand |
|
| Biographical Notes |
- Son of William Edward Ham and Hester Hawthorne Ham (later Bartlett)
- William Ham was killed when the New Zealand Infantry Brigade helped repulse a Turkish attack on the Suez Canal. According to his family he was the first New Zealand soldier killed in the First World War.
- Two sons, brothers served in WW1 William Arthur Ham (6/246) the elder was killed; Thomas Henry Merrick Ham (2/3004 69164) survived and died in service in WW2.
- His mother's 2nd husband, Private Cyril Montague Bartlett (33677) was also killed in WW1
|
|
| Description of Image |
| Portrait, Private William Arthur Ham. (Courtesy of Lisa Ham) |
|
| Sources Used |
| Nominal Rolls of New Zealand Expeditionary Force Volume I. Wellington: Govt. Printer, 1914-1919 |
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| Previous Military Experience |
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