The Anzacs

First Contingent 1899 · Boer War · Waikato Mounted Rifles · Auckland Mounted Rifles 1915-1916

Captain John Raynes

John James Raynes was a Waikato farmer from Rukuhia, near Hamilton, who sailed with the First Contingent in 1899 as a sergeant of the Waikato Mounted Rifles. He fell ill with enteric fever in South Africa, was sent to England to recover, and was home again by early 1901.

Already a captain in the local mounted rifles by 1915, he went back overseas in October 1915 with the 7th Reinforcements of the Auckland Mounted Rifles. He was invalided home in mid-1916 and lived out his life in the Waikato.

His story

  1. A Waikato farming family

    John James Raynes was born in 1874 at Hamilton, a son of James Raynes and his wife Anne. The family farmed at Rukuhia and Tamahere in the Waikato. John grew up to be a farmer and joined the Waikato Mounted Rifles, a volunteer unit. In February 1899 the Waikato Argus reported a J. L. Raynes (probably a misprint for J. J.) as the leading scorer at a Waikato Mounted Rifles rifle-range parade.

    Source: Online Cenotaph record C53636 (birth notes citing Find a Grave memorial 105826322); Find a Grave memorial 105826322; Papers Past, Waikato Argus 28 Feb 1899

  2. Chosen for the First Contingent

    When New Zealand raised its First Contingent, the Waikato Mounted Rifles sent a small party. The New Zealand Herald and the New Zealand Mail, in the lists of men chosen published in mid-October 1899, name him as one of the sergeants from the Waikato Mounted Rifles. The Cenotaph and the NZHistory roll record him as a private (No. 63, No. 1 Company, farmer), and he sailed from Wellington on the Waiwera on 21 October 1899.

    Source: Papers Past, New Zealand Herald 16 Oct 1899 and New Zealand Mail 19 Oct 1899; Online Cenotaph record C53636; NZHistory Boer War roll (john-james-raynes)

  3. Kimberley and Driefontein

    The Cenotaph lists him in the Relief of Kimberley and at Driefontein, and notes he was at the Kimberley camp in February 1900. He was present at Koornspruit, where the New Zealanders were involved in the fighting around Sanna's Post, and there or soon afterwards he contracted enteric (typhoid) fever.

    Source: Online Cenotaph record C53636 (campaigns and medical notes, citing Stowers, Kiwi versus Boer)

  4. Fever, England and home

    Raynes was treated in hospital at Bloemfontein and entered a convalescent camp in July 1900. He was then invalided to England by way of St Helena aboard the SS Canada. From England he returned to Cape Town in December 1900 and reached New Zealand about a month later. By late February 1901 a 'Sergeant Raynes' was winning mounted events at Waikato volunteer sports, so he was back with his old corps.

    Source: Online Cenotaph record C53636 (citing Stowers p.175); Papers Past, New Zealand Herald 26 Feb 1901 and Auckland Star 26 Feb 1901

  5. Farming and the volunteers

    He married Georgina Baker Campbell in 1904 and farmed at Rukuhia. The Cenotaph says he was promoted captain in 1901 (it is not clear this is exact); newspapers from February 1915 certainly call him Captain Raynes of the Waikato Mounted Rifles, when he sat on a Hamilton National Reserve committee.

    Source: Online Cenotaph record C53636 (marriage 1904 citing NZ BDM); Papers Past, Waikato Times 26 Feb 1915

  6. Off again, aged forty

    In July 1915 a large gathering at Frankton farewelled Captain J. J. Raynes of the Reserve of Officers, who was joining the Mounted Reinforcements. He embarked on 9 October 1915 as a captain with the 7th Reinforcements of the Auckland Mounted Rifles, New Zealand Expeditionary Force (regimental number 13/2277). His next of kin was his wife at Rukuhia.

    Source: Papers Past, Waikato Times 10 Jul 1915; Online Cenotaph record C53636; Papers Past, Dominion 29 Jul 1916

  7. Invalided home

    Raynes did not stay long overseas. In late July 1916 the Evening Post and the Dominion listed Captain John James Raynes, farmer, of the Auckland Mounted Rifles, among the invalided soldiers returning to New Zealand on the Navua. The reason for his return is not given in the sources found.

    Source: Papers Past, Evening Post 29 Jul 1916 ('Returning home'); Dominion 29 Jul 1916

  8. Back to the reserve

    The Gazette notice reported in February 1917 struck Captain J. J. Raynes, 4th Waikato Mounted Rifles, off the strength of the Expeditionary Force and absorbed him into the Reserve of Officers.

    Source: Papers Past, New Zealand Herald 7 Feb 1917

  9. Later life and death

    He returned to farming in the Waikato. He died in October 1952 at Hamilton at the age of 78 or 79, and his ashes were interred at St Stephen's Church cemetery, Tamahere, the churchyard of the district where his family had farmed. His wife Georgina outlived him.

    Source: Online Cenotaph record C53636; Find a Grave memorial 105826322

Rank and insignia

The rank he held, and the badge a soldier of that rank wore. These are simplified illustrations.

SergeantOctober 1899 · Waikato Mounted Rifles, named in the contingent listsThree chevrons
New Zealand Expeditionary Force 1914 to 1918 badge
Private21 October 1899 · as recorded on the Cenotaph embarkation entryNo rank badge: a private soldier wore none
SergeantFebruary 1901 (reported in the Waikato volunteer sports)Three chevrons
Captainby February 1915 · Waikato Mounted Rifles, volunteersShoulder strap: three pips
CaptainOctober 1915 – July 1916 · NZEF, Auckland Mounted RiflesShoulder strap: three pips

His medals

“Documented” means a source we name says he received it. “Listed on the Online Cenotaph” means the museum’s record lists the medal but we could not confirm it elsewhere. “Entitled” means his service dates qualified him, but we have not seen a record of the medal itself. The drawings are simplified illustrations.

VICTORIA REGINA ET IMPERATRIXVR
Queen's South Africa MedalClasps not stated on the Cenotaph; his campaigns were Relief of Kimberley and DriefonteinDocumentedOnline Cenotaph record C53636 lists the medal
GEORGIVS V BRITT OMN REX ET IND IMP
British War Medal 1914-1920DocumentedOnline Cenotaph record C53636 lists the medal
Victory MedalDocumentedOnline Cenotaph record C53636 lists the medal
1914–15
1914-15 StarEntitled by his service datesEmbarked overseas on 9 October 1915 with the NZEF, so he qualified for a 1914-15 Star if he served in a theatre of war before the end of 1915; not listed on the Cenotaph

His ships

WaiweraOutward, South Africa, 21 October 1899NZ Mounted Rifles, 1st ContingentSee the Waiwera leaving Wellington, NZHistory
CanadaInvalided from South Africa to England via St Helena, 1900SS Canada, per Stowers via Cenotaph; exact dates unknown
Aparima, Navua or Warrimoo (unconfirmed which)Outward, First World WarHMNZT 32, 33 or 34, 9 October 1915; the Cenotaph does not say which ship he was on
Navua
NavuaHome, invalided, July 1916Listed as returning by the Navua in the Evening Post of 29 July 1916 (exact arrival date not confirmed)StateLibQld 1 143075 Navua (ship) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Afterwards

Raynes spent the rest of his life in the Waikato, farming around Rukuhia, and was a long-standing officer in the local mounted rifles. He married Georgina Baker Campbell in 1904 and they had a daughter. He died in October 1952, and his ashes lie in the churchyard of St Stephen's at Tamahere, where his parents' family farmed.

Honour your own soldierThe first New Zealanders to go to war

His sign

This is the Service Record sign as we would make it from his record: his rank, name, regiment, number and date of embarkation. The medals on the sign are worked out automatically from the embarkation date, so the medals listed above are the ones to rely on.

The Service Record for John James Raynes
The Service Record

Photograph

We haven’t hosted a photograph here

Rather than copy someone else’s image onto our own site, we’d rather send you to see it where it’s properly held: his full record at the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s Online Cenotaph.

Sources

What we could not confirm

Birth date conflicts: Cenotaph header says 1 Jan 1874 (a placeholder-style date), Find a Grave and a Cenotaph researcher note say 23 Aug 1874. Death date: Cenotaph 24 Oct 1952, Find a Grave 23 Oct 1952.

Rank in 1899: Cenotaph and NZHistory roll record him as Private, but the Herald and NZ Mail contingent lists (Oct 1899) name Sergeant Raynes of the Waikato Mounted Rifles. Treat as probably the same man (Waikato MR, Raynes) but the Papers Past lists do not give his given names.

The Cenotaph says he was promoted captain in 1901; the earliest Papers Past mention of 'Captain Raynes' found is Feb 1915. The Cenotaph's South Africa 'last rank Captain' is therefore doubtful.

Cenotaph says he contracted enteric fever 'after being present at Koornspruit' and lists the fever under South Africa; the Cenotaph lists only Relief of Kimberley and Driefontein as campaigns. QSA clasps not documented.

WWI outward ship is not pinned down (Aparima, Navua or Warrimoo, HMNZT 32/33/34). Reason for being invalided in 1916 is not found. Whether he reached Egypt/Gallipoli is not documented, so the Victory Medal basis is the Cenotaph's listing only.

The Papers Past 'J. L. Raynes' (Waikato Argus 1899) is probably a misprint for J. J. Raynes but is not certain.

Cenotaph burial: ashes at St Stephen's Church Cemetery, Tamahere (Row 5); no grave reference. His parents were James Raynes (1834-1913, Rukuhia farmer) and Anne (d. 1897) per Find a Grave. His brother William Frederick Raynes was killed accidentally in South Africa in September 1901 (6th Contingent) per nzwargraves search result, not fully verified here and not used in the timeline.

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