Commemorated: | |||
| 1. Memorial: | Bancourt British Cemetery | I. B. Headstone 11. | |
| 2. Book: | The (1921) Masonic Roll of Honour 1914-1918 | Pg.127 | |
| 3. Memorial: | The (1940) Scroll - WW1 Roll of Honour | 21D GQS | |
| 4. Document: | New Zealand WW1 Masonic List | N.Z. | |
Awards & Titles: | British War Medal Victory Medal | ||
Family :
Son of Elizabeth Adams (formerly Kane), of Ballymena, Co. Antrim, Ireland, and the late James Kane.Service Life:
Campaigns:
- The First World War 1914-1918, World-wide.
| Unit / Ship / Est.: Auckland Regiment, N.Z.E.F. |
Mike: BEAN Arrckland Bti., numbers landed, 281 ; landing delayed of 315; Quinn?s Post, xiii, 321; Walker?s Ridge, 333-4 ; Bloody Aiigle, April 25, 434-5, 438, -4pril 27, 509; intermingled with Australians, 509 ; Pope?s Hill, 598 |
| Action : The Second Battles of the Somme 1918 |
21 August - 3 September 1918. Following the success at Amiens which Ludendorf described as "the black day for the German army" the conditions were right for the advance to be continued over the old Somme battlefield. Astonishingly the battlefield was crossed in 10 days, compared with the four months of the first battle. The Germans were pushed back towards the Hindenburg Line defences.
Detail :
46355 Lance Corporal Joseph Edward Adams Kane, 2nd Auckland Regiment, NZEF, was killed in action near Bapaume, France on the 30 August 1918. He was the son of Elizabeth Adams (formerly Kane) & the late James Kane, of Ballymena, Co Antrim. NZ records show him living at the time of his enlistment with Mrs Elizabeth Kane and his brother at 14 New Bond Street, Kingsland, Auckland, NZ.
He was born on 21 January 1888 and was 28 years and 11 months old when he enlisted on the 23 December 1916; his service started on 6 February 1917. He was said to be 5 feet 6 ½ inches tall, though the doctor at his medical said he was 5 feet 8 inches tall. He was 131 lbs weight and was a contractor, partially responsible, he said, for the maintenance of his mother and brother. His father was dead and he said his mother had been in NZ for 8 years; he said he had been there for 3 years.
He left NZ on the 26th April 1917 with the 25th Reinforcements Auckland Infantry Regiment, A Company and travelled to Europe on the troopship Tofua. He was ill with influenza during the voyage and spent 4 - 7 July in the ship's hospital but was well when the ship docked in Devonport on the 20 July. He went to Sling Camp, then embarked for France on 5 September. He was with the 2 Battalion of the Auckland Infantry Regiment after 1 November 1917 and was promoted to Lance Corporal on the 27 July 1918. He was killed in action on the 30 August 1918 and he is buried in Bancourt British Cemetery.
His brother Alexander Millar Kane was also killed.
Masonic :
| Type | Lodge Name and No. | Province/District : |
|---|---|---|
| Mother : | Prince of Wales No. 1338 E.C. | New Zealand (North Island) |
Initiated | Passed | Raised |
13th July 1916 | 11th October 1916 | 9th November 1916 |
He is listed as a Contractor and resident at Kingsford at the time of initiation in 1916. His final annotation shows "Killed in Action 30/8/1918."
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