John Henry Walker
Date of birth / Date established
1843
Date of death / Date closed
05 Sep 1931
Place of birth / Place established
Place of death / Place closed
Person/Corporate type
Individual
Biography
A veteran of the South Taranaki War in the mid 1860s, Bugler John Henry Walker fought in the Battle of Te Ngutu o te Manu on 7 September 1868 and was badly wounded. He was commended for his role in the battle attempting to rescue his fellow soldiers. After his military service ended he farmed in Hutt Valley before working as a bootmaker and ferryman. Walker, who had learned to speak Māori and had acted as an interpreter during the late 1860s, gave up the bootmaking trade and settled in Taranaki as a Licensed Native Interpreter. He had three sons and 10 daughters with his wife Irene Alice Oakfield.
