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Cook Islands Online Cenotaph
Preserving Cook Islands Military History
Akara ki mua e akara katoa ki muri
To be able to look forward, you must be able to look back
Brought to you by
Final rank:
Private
First name/s
Terongo
Last name
TUAKEO
Service number and Regiment/Unit/Corps
19327
2nd Rarotongan Contingent
Also known as
Tuakeo TERONGO
Date of birth
1896
Place of birth
Atiu, Cook Islands
Date of death
06/07/1919
Place of death
Atiu, Cook Islands
Death registration number
ATIU19200101
Headstone/grave location
Tengatangi, Atiu, Cook Islands
Next of kin
Terongo (father), Atiu, Cook Islands, Pacific Islands
Archives New Zealand online service record
Additional information
Enlisted 1 July 1916 in Rarotonga. Disembarked from SS Malwa at Suez 27 December 1916. Hospitalised in 26th Stationary Hospital 9 January 1917 with tuberculosis. Invalided and embarked 7 March 1917 to New Zealand on SS Willochra. Discharged 18 August 1917 and departed New Zealand on 24 July 1917 to return to Aitu. Died 6 July 1919 in Atiu of tuberculosis contracted while serving.
Both names are spelt incorrectly on his military headstone as 'TERONGA TUAKEA'.
Cook Islands Roll of Honour board at RSA Nikao Rarotonga records his name as 'T. Terongo'.
Commonwealth War Grave announced October 2019:
https://i.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/116716348/forgotten-wwi-war-dead-honoured-100-years-on
“On Friday, on the basis of research done by Cate Walker, Howard Weddell, Paula Paniani and Bobby Nicholas, the names of six Cook Islands soldiers were added to the New Zealand and Commonwealth War Graves Commission's official rolls of honour.”
https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/75463736/terongo-tuakeo/
Images and documents (click on images to enlarge)
Image credits and references
Front and reverse of soldier photo with permission of Auckland War Memorial Museum:
https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/war-memorial/online-cenotaph/record/C34299
Further links
N/A
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