William Jacob Watriama (c. 1880 – 5 January 1925) was a royal pretender from the Loyalty Islands in the French colony of New Caledonia.
Early life
editWatriama was born "probably" on 30 August 1880 at Tuo village on Maré Island, one of the Loyalty Islands.[1]
Military service
editWatriama served with Australian forces in the Second Boer War from 1901 to 1902 as a trooper in the 2nd New South Wales Mounted Rifles. During World War I he joined the Australian Naval and Military Expeditionary Force which captured German New Guinea, helping train troops aboard HMAS Berrima.
Personal life
editIn 1916, Watriama married Ethel May Tipping, with whom he had two children.
References
edit- ^ Laracy, Hugh (1990). "William Jacob Watriama (1880–1925)". Vol. 12.
- ^ Friday, Lew (1 September 1966). "Watriama, the man who wanted Britain to take over the Loyalties". Pacific Islands Monthly. Vol. 37, no. 9.