New Plymouth Boys' High School Gates (1923)

These memorial gates outside New Plymouth Boys' High School were designed by the prominent New Plymouth architect, Thomas H Bates. They were unveiled by the Governor-General Lord Jellicoe, 21 February 1923. In 2023 another four plaques were installed on the gates commemorating the 226 former pupils killed in WW II. The Valour Project was a joint effort between the school, old boys' association and the New Zealand Remembrance Army. 

Bronze Lettering around the wall either side of the gate:

ERECTED BY THE OLD BOYS OF THE SCHOOL IN REMEMBRANCE

OF THEIR COMRADES WHO FELL IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1918

Bronze plaque - left of Gate:

Killed or Died of Wounds

Ambury R                                      Eyre L G
Atkinson S                                     A Grey J
Baily R H                                         Grant E
Bendall G E                             Griffiths S J
Bollinger G W                             Guild W A
Bollinger H                                  Hall V J B
Brown D B                                   Harle D A
Burkhardt A P                                  Hoby S   
Collis D                                         Kidd R D
Crone C                                         Kelly T B
Dustow E A                                 Kimbell E
N M Halcombe

Bronze plaque - right of Gate:

Killed or Died of Wounds

Kirton C                                                Potts C H
Lepper H M                                     Quilliam R P
Mason E F                                      Qulliam C W
Mc Donald M A                                    Rider F H    
Moore W E                                   Rowlands F J
Mulloy W                                            Serpell S L
Newell R D                                            Sole L P
Okey R L                                         Stoddart J H
Okey S M                                         Taylor G B S
Okey A                                                Warren L A
Paul S                                                 White R W
Thompson B

Related items:

One of the above servicemen - C. Kirton is most likely to be Chudleigh Inwood Kirton who was killed in the Bere Ferrers rail accident, 24 Sept 1917, when 10 Kiwi soldiers were killed by an oncoming express after alighting on the wrong side of their carriage. He is also recorded on the Uruti and Fitzroy memorials. 

Harper Mervyn Lepper MC joined the British Army (Middlesex Regiment) and served in France - where he was awarded the Military Cross - Gallipoli and Mesopotamia. He was killed in action, 9 April 1916 at the Battle of Sannaiyat, Iraq. He is also recorded on the Lepperton memorial. In 2015, a memorial plaque, created by his schoolmates after his death, was presented back to the family.  

Sydney Melville Okey and cousin, Royden Lydiard Okey are also on family memorials in Te Hēnui Cemetery. 

Leslie Perry Sole, KIA at the 'Daisy Patch', Cape Helles, 8 May 1915 is on a family memorial with brother Reginald in Te Hēnui Cemetery

Frederick J Rowlands, (as Rowlands, E.) is also on the Mangorei Hall memorial.

Lewis Warren is also on the Mangorei Hall, Omata & Inglewood memorials.

School Honours War Dead Part 1 (Taranaki Daily News 27 April 2023)

School Honours War Dead Part 2 (Taranaki Daily News 27 April 2023)