These memorials, located in family plots at Te Hēnui Cemetery (Block C Row 4), honour three young men from the Okey family who made "the supreme sacrifice" during the First World War.
Henry James Hobbs Okey (1857-1918) and his wife Louisa Okey (nee Morey) (1863-1937) had five sons, three of whom - Lionel, Sydney and Raymond - served overseas.
In Loving Memory / of / Sergt Sydney Melville Okey / Main Body Taranaki Company / Who was killed in action / at Chunuk Bair, Gallipoli / 8 August 1915, Aged 24 years.
Private Lionel Gibbons Okey / 8th Reinforcement Taranaki Company killed in / action Battle of the Somme France 15th Sept 1916 / Aged 28 years / Beloved sons of Henry J H & Lousia Okey / Greater love hath no man than this, that a man / lay down his life for his friends.
Henry Okey was Member of Parliament for Taranaki from 1907 to 1918 and has a street, Okey Lane, named after him in Bell Block. His brother Alfred was killed in action at the Somme in June 1916 and his name appears on the New Plymouth Boys' High School memorial gates along with Sydney's. Sydney and Lionel Okey also appear on the Frankley Road war memorial.
Royden Lydiard Okey, son of Henry's brother Frederick William Okey (1862-1950) and cousin of Sydney and Lionel, was killed in action in France on 30 September 1918. He is buried at Villers Hill British Cemetery in France and commemorated on a separate memorial.
Lieut Royden Lydiard / Okey M.C. / Main Body N.Z.E. F. / Dearly loved son of / F.W. and E. A. Okey / Killed in Action, in France / Aged 25 years / His Duty Nobly Done.
Royden also appears on the New Plymouth Boys' High School memorial gates.
Please do not reproduce these images without permission from Puke Ariki.
Contact us for more information or you can order images online here.
The information on this website is provided for general research and reference only. While we try to keep content accurate and current, we make no guarantees about its completeness or correctness. It should not be considered a replacement for a LIM or a Property Report. Some content is supplied by third parties. Puke Ariki has not verified this content and users should check its accuracy before relying on it.The inclusion of a building on the website does not imply heritage status. See SCHED1 in the NPDC District Plan for a list of buildings that have rules about what can happen to or around them (administered by NPDC). See the New Zealand Heritage List for a list of buildings that are celebrated for their heritage significance but are not subject to rules (administered by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga). Should any corrections need to be made to the records or for more information please contact us.
