2nd Lieutenant David Paterson 11/596, was the first to enlist from the Tarata district. He joined the Wellington Mounted Rifles and left with the Main Body to serve at Gallipoli. He returned to New Zealand in May 1917 and later joined the 34th Mounted Reinforcements. He left Wellington for Egypt on board the Tofua No 98 on 13 November 1917. The memorial window was unveiled on Sunday 24 December 1922.
The Memorial Window in Tarata Church reads:
Advance N Z
In Affectionate Remembrance
of Lieut David Paterson
Wellington Mounted Rifles
Who was killed in Palestine
1st April 1918
Further Reading: Reay, Peter: David Paterson: An ANZAC in World War I. (TRCT940.41213 REA)
The Tarata District WW I memorial is recorded as being a New Zealand flag with names embroidered on it. It was kept in a display case in the local hall, but it eventually disintegrated and was destroyed. (Tarata School and District Centennial, 1989, p104)
Related document:
Message of Sympathy from Lieutenant-Colonel Whyte (Taranaki Daily News 10 July 1918)
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