On 9 January 1921 three brass memorial tablets were unveiled in St Paul’s Anglican Church, Te Uku. These honoured the sacrifice of three former members of the congregation who had given their lives during the First World War: Private Gordon Doddridge Ferriman, Trooper Kenneth Aubrey Moon, and Sergeant Henry Lionel Coate.
The Ferriman tablet read: “In Affectionate Memory of / Gordon Doddridge Ferriman / Pte., N.Z.E.F. / Killed in Action in France, Oct. 24th 1918 / Aged 21 Years / Blessed Are the Pure in Heart for They Shall See God.”
The Moon tablet read: “In loving Memory of / Kenneth Aubrey Moon / Tpr. N.Z.M.R. / Died on Active Service in Palestine, Oct. 13, 1918 / For God, King and Country.” He served with the Auckland Mounted Rifles.
Some years later, St Paul’s fell into disuse. The final service at the church was held on 13 April 1980. The building was demolished, although a small memorial shelter was built in the adjoining cemetery. The memorial tablets to Private Ferriman and Trooper Moon were donated to the Raglan Museum, where they remain on display today. The whereabouts of the Coate memorial tablet is unknown.
Sources: R.T. Vernon, Te Uku, Hamilton, 1975, pp. 92-3; R.T. Vernon, Raglan, Hamilton, 1984, p. 89; Raglan Museum display (2014).
Community contributions