Sergeant Hugh Morrison Feeney 9th Batt. New Zealand Mounted Rifles.

NAME; Feeney, Hugh Morrison

RANK; Sergeant

SERV. NO; 11/669

UNIT/SERVICE; NZEF, New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade

REGIMENT; Wellington Mounted Rifles, 9^th Battalion Wellington East Coast Sqd

BORN; Carrickfergus in 1882

LIVED; Castle Street, Carrickfergus / Wellington, New Zealand

ENLISTED; Eketahuna, New Zealand August 1914

FATE; Died of Wounds - Killed in action 27^th July 1915 aged 33

CEMETERY; East Mudros Military Cemetery – (Greece) – II B. 32

CHURCH; Presbyterian

MEMORIAL; Auckland War Memorial Cenotaph

REMARKS; Hugh Morrison Feeney was born in Castle Street, Carrickfergus in 1882.  He was the son of Thomas Gorman and Mary M Feeney and brother to Mary H, Tho V and Samuel Feeney.  High left Ireland in his twenties and travelled to New Zealand presumably seeking employment.  When the war came in August 1914 he enlisted in Eketahuna, New Zealand as a trooper with the 9^th Battalion WEC, Wellington Mounted Rifles, NZEF.  Following short training in Wellington his division embarked from there on 16^th October 1914 on board ‘Orari’ transport ship.  The NZEF arrived finally arrived in Suez, Egypt on 30^th November 1914 – following an extended period of training and preparation here Hugh is promoted to the rank of Sergeant.  In May 1915 the Mounted Rifles are sent to Gallipoli as infantry where they and with the other ANZAC suffered horrendous loses in fighting there against the Turkish forces in the subsequent months.  Hugh was severely injured in fighting at Gallipoli in July 1915 and subsequently died of his wounds at sea from that place on 27^th July 1915 aged 33.  He is buried at East Mudros Military Cemetery in Greece.  

Sergeant Feeney's Grave Stone in Greece

The Wellington Mounted Rifles Regiment (WMR) was one of four mounted rifles regiments raised to serve overseas in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) during the First World War. The WMR was part of the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade and left New Zealand with the Main Body of the NZEF in October 1914.

Cap Badge of the 9th Battalion WMR

After training in Egypt the WMR fought in the Gallipoli campaign from May to December 1915. On its return from Gallipoli the regiment spent another four months in Egypt before taking part in the Sinai campaign of 1916 and the Palestine campaign of 1917–18. After the armistice with the Ottoman Turks in October 1918 the WMR remained in Palestine until March 1919, when it was sent back to Egypt to help suppress nationalist riots. The regiment disbanded in June, when most of its officers and men embarked on the troop transport Ulimaroa for the return voyage to New Zealand.

Men of the NZ Mounted Rifles Brigade in Egypt 1915