Pte Peter Rauhihi

Surname
Rauhihi
First name(s)
Peter
Also known as
Tunku
Rank
Pte
Corps
RNZIR
Service number
43648
Unit
Date of Birth
Date of death
Place of burial
Shannon
Notes

Died of wounds, 24 November 1969 – shrapnel from claymore mine explosion.

One of 10 children, Pete grew up in Shannon and became a prefect at his local primary school.

After completing his infantry training at Burnham, he was posted to 1RNZIR at Terendak, Malaysia in November 1968, and then to Vietnam with V4 Company in May 1969.

On 24 November 1969 he and three other members of V4 were on patrol with an ARVN platoon when they were ambushed. In the ensuing contact, Pete (who was the M60 machine gunner) was mortally wounded and Jerry Barrett killed. Two other New Zealanders – Ray Davidson and Patrick Smith – were wounded.

Disclaimer

The Vietnam List is an updated version of New Zealand's original Vietnam nominal roll – the Flinkenberg List – compiled by Captain Con Flinkenberg in 1972. Name, rank and unit information are from New Zealand military pay records. Read more about the Vietnam List.

Comments

Submitted by Pete Ramsay on Friday, 6 April 2012 - 11:49pm

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Pete's nickname was Tunku (Malaysian for Prince). How did that eventuate? Probably induced by Tiger Beer in the Junior Ranks Club in Terendak Camp, Malaysia.
I was Pete's No.2 on the M60 when we went to Vietnam so we were sort of joined at the hip so to speak and spent many unromantic nights lying alongside each other in the jungle. A great guy and good mate, gone but never forgotten. "Ram"