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Cenotaph Record
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Full Name
John Dinsdale
Rank Last Held
Private
Forename(s)
John
Surname
Dinsdale
War
World War II, 1939-1945
Serial No.
802579
Gender
Male
First Known Rank
Corporal
Occupation before Enlistment
Labourer
Next of Kin
Mrs R.M. Dinsdale (wife), Koutu, Rotorua, New Zealand
Marital Status
Married
Enlistment Address
Koutu, Rotorua, New Zealand
Military District
Rotorua
Body on Embarkation
Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force (2NZEF)
Embarkation Unit
28 (Maori) Battalion
Embarkation Date
21 July 1943
Place of Embarkation
Wellington, New Zealand
Vessel
Nieuw Amsterdam
Destination
Egypt
Nominal Roll Number
WW2 12
Page on Nominal Roll
WW2 51
Campaigns
Italy
Last Unit Served
28 (Maori) Battalion
Place of Death
Italy
Date of Death
18 February 1944
Age at Death
39
Year of Death
1944
Cause of Death
Killed in action
Cemetery Name
Cassino War Cemetery, Italy
Grave Reference
VI K. 21.
Memorial Name
Auckland War Memorial Museum, World War 2 Hall of Memories
Biographical Notes
  • John Dinsdale was the husband of Rita May Dinsdale of Koutu
  • John Dinsdale was killed in the attack on Monte Cassino in February 1944.
Description of Image
  • Portrait, Weekly News
  • Headstone, Cassino
  • Cassino War Cemetery (Photo John Wright, 2004)
  • Rotorua Citizens War Memorial (World War 2), War Memorial Park. Photo G.A. Fortune 1999
Additional Information
Monte Cassino in February 1944. On the night of 17/18 February the 28 Battalion was ready for the attack on the railway station. After a short prayer service conducted by Lieutenant Takurua of Ruatoki they made their way to the line, through heavy fields sown with mines. Mortar and heavy machine guns from the lower slopes of Cassino and the town began to exact a heavy toll on A and B Company. Dinsdale was one of the many casualties that day. Efforts were made to protect the positions of the Battalion from observation by the Germans using a smoke screen. A convoy of trucks drove to Naples 110 km away to bring the shells which were fired by 4 Field Artillery Regiment to create the smoke screen. The toll was 128 killed, wounded or captured.
Further References
Sources Used
  • Auckland Museum. Roll of Honour, Auckland Province, 1939 - 1945. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS 93/139.
  • Second New Zealand Expeditionary Force Nominal Roll No. 12 (Embarkations from 1st July, 1943 to 31st December, 1943)
  • Commonwealth War Graves Commission. URL: http://www.cwgc.org