Rank:
Chief Petty Officer
Post nominals:
BEM
Birth date:
25.02.1912
Birth Place:
Pukekohe, New Zealand
Service Number:
NZ986
Date Joined:
18.07.1928
Date Discharged:
31.05.1960
Display No. 4C
BARKER, John
John ‘Pop’ Barker joined the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy as a Boy Seaman in 1928. He was promoted to Ordinary Signalman in 1930. Barker was posted to HMS Dunedin at the time of the 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake and sailed with the ship to deliver aid and supplies to Napier.
During the Second World War, Barker was serving in HMS Achilles during the Battle of the River Plate, in HMNZS Leander when the ship was torpedoed during the Battle of Kolombangara, and was in HMNZS Gambia during the surrender of Japan.
After the war, Barker was part of the crew that sailed the newly commissioned HMNZS Bellona back to New Zealand. After his return he was posted to HMNZS Philomel where he was on front gate duty during the April 1947 Mutiny. In August 1949, Barker was promoted to Chief Petty Officer (CPO) and in November moved to Dunedin to take up a position as CPO Instructor at the reserve unit, HMNZS Toroa. He was to remain in this position until his discharge in 1960.
The British Empire Medal, The 1939-1945 Star, The Pacific Star, The War Medal 1939-1945, The New Zealand War Service Medal, The Defence Medal, Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Awarded medal(s)
Medal Description [Left to Right]:
The British Empire Medal
Instituted in 1922 as the lowest level of the Order of the British Empire. In New Zealand it was awarded to non-commissioned officer’s (NCOs) for meritorious service until 1995 and for gallantry between 1957 and 1974.
The 1939-1945 Star
The 1939-45 Star is the first in a series of eight campaign stars instituted in 1945 to recognise service in World War Two. The ribbon has three equal vertical stripes of dark blue, red and light blue. The dark blue stripe symbolises the service of the Navy and the Merchant Navy, the red stripe symbolises the service of the Army, and the light blue stripe symbolises the service of the Air Force. The equal width bands represent the equal contributions of the three service arms towards victory. The ribbon was devised by King George VI. Two clasps could be awarded with this medal: ‘Battle of Britain’ and ‘Bomber Command’. Only aircrew would qualify for these clasps although a small number of Fleet Air Arm naval pilots flew for the air force and would be eligible for the ‘Battle of Britain’ clasp.
The Pacific Star
The Pacific Star was awarded in the Second World War for operational service in the Pacific between 8 December 1941 and 2 September 1945. This medal was also awarded for certain specified service in China, Hong Kong, Malaya and Sumatra: between 8 December 1941 and 25 December 1941 (for Hong Kong); between 8 December 1941 and 15 February 1942 (for China and Malaya); and between 8 December 1941 and 23 March 1942 (for Sumatra). The centre of the ribbon is dark green (symbolising the jungle) with a central yellow stripe (symbolising the beaches). On the outer edges are wide stripes of red (representing the Army), with narrow stripes of dark blue and light blue (representing the Navy and Air Force) between the stripes of dark green and red. A ‘Burma’ clasp could be awarded with this medal. Personnel qualifying for both the Pacific and Burma Stars were awarded the first star but only a clasp in respect of the second.
The Defence Medal
The Defence Medal was awarded to British and Commonwealth forces who served during the Second World War. It was awarded to New Zealand military personnel who served overseas in a non-operational area such as Great Britain, Palestine or Fiji. The ribbon’s flame-coloured orange centre band and green edge bands symbolise enemy attacks on Britain’s green and pleasant land. The narrow black stripes represent the black-outs against enemy air-attacks.
The War Medal 1939-1945
The War Medal 1939-45 was awarded across the British Commonwealth to all full-time members of the Armed Forces in the Second World War for 28 days service between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945, irrespective of where they were serving. The ribbon is the red, white, and blue of the (British) Union Flag. There is a narrow central red stripe with a narrow white stripe on either side. There are broad red stripes at either edge, the two intervening stripes being blue.
A bronze oak leaf on the medal ribbon denotes that the recipient was Mentioned in Despatches. To be Mentioned in Despatches a member of the armed forces had their name mentioned in an official report, written by a superior officer, and sent to a higher command. The report would describe the individual’s gallant or meritorious action in the face of the enemy.
The New Zealand War Service Medal
The New Zealand War Service Medal was awarded for 28 days’ full time service or six months’ part time service in the Second World War in any of the New Zealand Armed Forces including the Reserves, Naval Auxiliary Patrol Service, or Home Guard, between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945.
Royal Naval Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
Awarded to ratings who have served a minimum of 15 years in the Royal Navy (previously 21 or 10 years), the first version of this medal was instituted in 1831 and it is still issued to Royal Navy personnel today. It features the reigning monarch’s head on the obverse and HMS Victory on the reverse with the recipient’s details engraved or impressed on the edge of the medal. This medal was also issued to eligible personnel serving in the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy from 1921-1941 and then to Royal New Zealand Navy personnel from 1941-1981. In 1985 a New Zealand Royal Navy Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was introduced bearing the exact same design.